Willow is a 1988 American fantasy film directed by Ron Howard and produced/co-written by George Lucas. Warwick Davis stars in the film, as well as Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh and Patricia Hayes. With a sword and sorcery setting, Davis stars as the eponymous lead character and hero Willow, a reluctant Nelwyn (halfling) farmer who plays a critical role in protecting a special baby from a tyrannical queen.

Lucas conceived the idea for Willow in 1972, approaching Howard to direct during the post-production phase of Cocoon in 1985. Lucas believed he and Howard shared a relationship similar to the one Lucas enjoyed with Steven Spielberg. Bob Dolman was brought in to write the screenplay, coming up with seven drafts before finishing in late 1986. Willow was then set up at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and principal photography began in April 1987, finishing the following October.

The majority of filming took place at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England, as well as Wales and New Zealand. Industrial Light & Magic created the visual effects sequences, which led to a revolutionary breakthrough with digital morphing technology. Willow was released in May 1988 to box office disappointment and mixed reviews from critics, but received two Academy Award nominations and cult film recognition.

Trivia:

As Val Kilmer was getting out of his crow cage between takes, the chain snapped and the cage came down on his foot. His resulting limp is evident during the scene in which Madmartigan and Willow arrive opposite Fin Raziel’s island.

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The six-month-old twins playing Elora Danan were too young to have a full head of hair. They wear a wig, which was applied using syrup, as normal wig adhesive would be too harsh for the babies’ skin.

 

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The earlier drafts of the screenplay contained more background information on the characters Madmartigan and Sorsha. Madmartigan was originally a knight of the kingdom of Galladorn (the kingdom that General Kael mentions having destroyed to Queen Bavmorda) and that the character Airk was the only real friend he had, but Madmartigan’s recklessness got him into trouble, as did his love affair with an Eastern beauty that tainted the family name. Madmartigan had a chance to regain his honor in battle, but he ruined the chance by deserting; this explained some of the bitter antagonism between Madmartigan and Airk. Sorsha was originally the daughter of the king of Tir Asleen, who was a good man (he is in fact the regal old man seen at the end after the fall of Bavmorda and Tir Asleen is restored, and can be briefly seen in stone), which suggested that Sorsha had the capability to be good; during the battle at Tir Asleen between Bavmorda’s troops, Madmartigan, and the monster, Sorsha encountered her father and he struggled through the stone to ask her for help, which prompted Sorsha to switch alliances from her evil mother to the good side. All of this was lost in the final film but does appear in the novelization as well as the comic book mini-series by Marvel.

 

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The character of the evil general Kael is said to have been named after film critic Pauline Kael.

 

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The devil dogs were actually Rottweilers in rubber masks and suits.

 

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Warwick Davis wore a wig for the movie – the long hair is not his own.

 

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Willow originally said, “Goodbye, Elora Danan” when handing her over to Madmartigan. During editing, it was realized Willow wouldn’t have known her name yet, and so it was redubbed, “Goodbye, little one.”

 

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David Steinberg, the actor playing Meegosh, slammed into the side of an ice rink while ice-skating during production and cut his eyebrow open. The stitches were concealed with makeup for the scene where Meegosh makes his departure for home.

 

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Joanne Whalley accidentally stuck her sword in a stuntman’s foot while sticking the sword into the ground at the tavern.

 

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During the close-up shots of the scene where Madmartigan and the soldier are being dragged behind the wagon, Val Kilmer was kneeling on a pedestal behind the wagon, while his stunt double was dragged behind letting the stunt man’s legs take the beating.

 

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The original wand was a real piece of wood. Eventually they feared it could break and replaced it with several fiberglass props.

 

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A 13lb animatronics baby capable of moving its head and opening its mouth was used for the action scenes. This baby weighed more then the actual baby. And a more flexible prop baby was used in scenes where Willow falls with it.

 

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The large group of pigs outside the castle continuously tried mating. Buckets of cold water were used to separate them.

 

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Blackroot is actually vanilla.

 

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According to the press kits and subsequent novels, the two-headed dragon was named “Eborsisk”, a reference to the movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. The word does not occur in the film but made it into some reviews.

 

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After meeting on the set of this film, Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley were married (but later divorced).

 

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Kenny Baker (of R2-D2 fame) played a Nelwyn.

 

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This was the first feature film to use the “morphing” process developed by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).

 

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The box office receipts were less than expected, so writer George Lucas continued Willow’s story in books rather than in movie sequels.

 

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In preparation for the movie, Warwick Davis had to learn a modified accent, how to take care of a baby, how to ride a horse, how to sword fight, and how to perform magic.

 

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Val Kilmer improvised a lot of dialogue.

 

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Rick Overton and Kevin Pollak’s scenes were done against blue screens and sound stages and added into the scenes with full-size characters in post production editing.

 

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Warwick Davis’s future father-in-law and wife appear as Nelwyns.

 

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WILHELM SCREAM: It is heard three times: 1, during the chase scene after the escape from the tavern as the soldier’s chariot crashes and he is sent flying, 2, At Tir Asleen, when the Brownies trigger the large spear shooter that hits several soldiers, and 3, In front of Nockmaar Castle as a horseman is cut down by the Army of Galladoorn, three seconds after the Brownies emerge from under a helmet.

 

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Word from Ron Howard is that part of the two-headed dragon “Eborsisk” was modeled after Clint Howard, his brother. He stated that since Clint has had many cameo appearances in his films, and Ron couldn’t find a part for him in this one, he modeled the dragon after him.

 

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Ron Howard’s wife and Warwick Davis’ sister both appear as extras atop the snowy mountaintop village.

 

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John Cusack tested for the role of Madmartigan, but lost to Val Kilmer

 

Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), better known as Michael Keaton, is an American actor, well known for his early comedic roles in films such as Night Shift, Mr. Mom, Beetlejuice, and for his portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns, as well as lead roles in other films including The Paper, Jackie Brown, and White Noise.

An unsuccessful attempt at stand-up comedy led Keaton to working as a TV cameraman at public television station WQED (TV) in Pittsburgh. Keaton first appeared on TV in the Pittsburgh-based public television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1975), as one of the “Flying Zucchini Brothers.”  He also served as a full-time production assistant on the show. (In 2003, following Rogers’ death, Keaton hosted the PBS memorial tribute program, Fred Rogers: Everybody’s Favorite Neighbor.)

Before his big break (while still credited as Michael Douglas), Keaton did a billboard ad for the Architect Jeans Company. In an interview in 2003 for Live from Baghdad, Keaton recalled how he and the director of the Architect commercial, Spike Jonze, became fast friends.

Keaton left Pittsburgh and moved to Los Angeles to begin auditioning for various TV parts. He cropped up in various popular TV shows including Maude and The Mary Tyler Moore Hour. Around this time Keaton decided to use an alternative surname to remove confusion with well known actor Michael Douglas, as well as satisfying SAG rules, and after reading an article on actress Diane Keaton, he decided on “Michael Keaton.”

His next key break was working alongside James Belushi in the short-lived comedy series Working Stiffs, which showcased his comedic talent and led to a co-starring role in the comedy Night Shift directed by Ron Howard. His role as the hilariously fast-talking schemer Bill “Blaze” Blazejowski alongside nerdish morgue attendant Henry Winkler earned Keaton some critical acclaim, and he scored leads in the subsequent comedy hits Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously, and Gung Ho.

Keaton’s role as the title character in the 1988 Tim Burton horror-comedy Beetlejuice, which co-starred Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O’Hara, and Winona Ryder, earned Keaton widespread acclaim and boosted him to movieland’s A-list. He was originally turned down for the title role in Beetlejuice but was reconsidered by director Burton. Keaton now considers Beetlejuice his favorite of his own films.  That same year, Keaton also gave an acclaimed dramatic performance as a drug-addicted businessman in Clean and Sober.  Newsweek featured him in a story during this time.

Michael Keaton’s career was given another major boost when he was again cast by Tim Burton, this time as the title superhero of the 1989 blockbuster Batman. Burton cast him because he thought that Keaton was the only actor who could believably portray someone who has the kind of darkly obsessive personality that the character demands.  Warner Bros. received thousands of letters of complaint by fans commenting that the comedic Keaton was the wrong choice for Gotham City’s creature of the night, given his prior work in comedies and the fact that he lacked the suave, handsome features and tall, muscular physicality often attributed to the character in the comic books. However, Keaton’s dramatic performance earned universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike, and Batman became the highest-grossing film of the year.

According to Keaton, he was astounded when he was first considered as Batman since he was only familiar with the 1960s Batman television series starring Adam West, but it was not until Burton introduced Keaton to Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns that Keaton really understood the dark and brooding side of Batman that he portrayed to much fan approval. Keaton wore the cape and cowl again in Batman Returns (1992), which was another financial success, though controversial for being darker than the original.

Keaton was prepared to return for Batman Forever (1995), even going so far as to show up for costume fitting. However, when Burton was dropped by Warner Bros., Keaton left the franchise. He was reportedly dissatisfied with the screenplay approved by the new director, Joel Schumacher, which Keaton considered to be lighter in tone than the past two Batman movies. According to the A&E Biography episode on Keaton, after he had refused the first time (after meetings with Schumacher), Warner Brothers offered him $35,000,000 (one of the highest salaries offered to an actor at the time), but Keaton steadfastly refused. He was subsequently succeeded as Batman by Val Kilmer and later on by George Clooney in Batman & Robin (1997), which became the least successful Batman film both critically and commercially. It was not until the success of Batman Begins (2005), a reboot starring Christian Bale as the Dark Knight, that the film series was continued.

Keaton remained in demand during the 1990s, appearing in a wide range of films including Pacific Heights, One Good Cop, My Life, and the star-studded Shakespearian story Much Ado About Nothing. He also starred in another Ron Howard film, The Paper, as well as with Andie MacDowell in Multiplicity and twice in the same role, Elmore Leonard character Agent Ray Nicolette, in Jackie Brown and Out of Sight. The actor also made Jack Frost and the thriller Desperate Measures.

Keaton starred in Speechless with Geena Davis (his co-star in Beetlejuice) and Christopher Reeve, as a political candidate’s speechwriter. As with Keaton and Batman, Christopher Reeve had gained notoriety for playing an iconic comic superhero, in his case Superman. Out of Sight starred George Clooney, who succeeded Keaton in the role of Batman in Batman & Robin.

Since 2000, Keaton has appeared in several films with mixed success including Live From Baghdad for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award, First Daughter, White Noise, and Herbie: Fully Loaded. While he continues to receive good notices from the critics (particularly for Jackie Brown), with the exception of Cars, in which he played the part of Chick Hicks, he has not been able to approach the box-office success of Batman. On New Years Day of 2004, he hosted the PBS TV special Mr. Rogers: America’s Favorite Neighbor. It was released by Triumph Marketing LLC on DVD September 28 that year.

In 2006, Keaton starred in an independent film called Game 6, a semi-thriller based around the infamous 1986 World Series bid by the Boston Red Sox. He had a cameo in the Tenacious D short film, Time Fixers, an iTunes exclusive. The 9-minute film was released to coincide with Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny. Keaton was announced to be the lead in Media 8 Entertainment’s film Reaper, a supernatural thriller. He reportedly agreed to star as John Target in the Matt Evans scripted No Rule To Make Target, and he has directed a drama, The Merry Gentleman.

Keaton reportedly was cast as Dr. Jack Shephard in the series Lost, understanding that the role of Jack would be a brief one. Once the role was retooled to be a long-running series regular, Keaton withdrew. The part was given to actor Matthew Fox.

Keaton starred in the 2007 TV mini-series The Company, set during the Cold War, in which he portrayed the real-life CIA counterintelligence chief James Jesus Angleton. The role garnered Keaton a 2008 SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries. The Company also starred Chris O’Donnell, who portrayed Batman’s crime fighting sidekick Robin (the Boy Wonder was absent from the two Batman films that Keaton starred in) in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.

Keaton is slated to join the Toy Story animated film’s cast for the upcoming Toy Story 3, providing the voice of Ken, Barbie’s friend.

Trivia:

When he realized he needed to change his name, he remembered an article he had read with a nice picture of Diane Keaton. He chose her last name with the intention of changing it later. However, the name stuck. Years later, he phoned her and thanked her. The two have never actually met.

Was in a relationship with Courteney Cox (1989-1995).

His hobbies are fly-fishing and riding horses at his California ranch.

Tim Burton cast him in the title role of Batman (1989) because he thought that Keaton was the only actor who could believably portray someone who has the kind of darkly obsessive personality that the character has. There was a great deal of fan anger over his selection, forcing the studio to release an advance trailer both to show that Keaton could do the role well and that the movie would not be a campy parody like the TV show “Batman” (1966).

Attended Montour High School.

Is the fourth actor to play Batman.

Has a son, Sean Maxwell Douglas (born May 27, 1983), with ex-wife Caroline McWilliams.

Decided to change his name when he began acting because there was already a Michael Douglas in movies and a Mike Douglas in broadcasting. While he uses a stage name, he has never legally changed his name to Michael Keaton.

One of only two actors to reprise the role of Batman in major, live-action films (Batman (1989)/Batman Returns (1992). Adam West did only one movie (Batman (1966)) as Batman (along with the live-action TV series “Batman” (1966) and voice-work) and Kevin Conroy has only done voice-work as Batman. Christian Bale is the second and most recent actor to play the role more than once with (Batman Begins (2005) followed by (The Dark Knight (2008).

Played Agent Ray Nicolette in Jackie Brown (1997) and again in Out of Sight (1998).

Started his career as a stagehand in “MisteRogers’ Neighborhood” (1968) (he operated “Picture, Picture”), and in 2004 he produced a documentary on Rogers, Fred Rogers: America’s Favorite Neighbor (2004) (TV).

Turned down the role of the ill-fated mad scientist Dr. Seth Brundle in David Cronenberg’s remake The Fly (1986). The part eventually went to Jeff Goldblum.

Is a Second City alumni – a member of the Los Angeles branch.

According to Mike Myers on “Revealed with Jules Asner” (2001), Keaton saw the comic actor perform at Second City Toronto. After the show ended, Keaton went to personally congratulate Myers and said, “Keep up the great work.” Myers would soon work with Keaton on an episode of “Saturday Night Live” (1995) when Keaton was guest host.

His son Sean plays keyboard for a band called The Hatch.

Was originally slated to play Jeff Daniels character in Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and actually did film some scenes, but Allen decided it wasn’t working and replaced him with Daniels.

Appeared with the late Christopher Reeve in Speechless (1994). Keaton and Reeve played DC Comics two most iconic characters, Batman and Superman, respectively.

He was originally to play the role of Dr. Jack Shephard in the TV show “Lost” (2004), with the understanding that the character would be killed off early on in the show. Keaton later had to walk away from the part when the creators decided not to kill off the doctor. Matthew Fox ended up playing the character.

Was parodied by Matthew Perry on “Saturday Night Live”.

Was considered for the role of Dr. Curtis McCabe in Vanilla Sky (2001).

Was considered for the role of Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

Was considered for the role of Capt. Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).

Was considered for the role of Lt. Col. Kazinski in Jarhead (2005).

An avid Pittsburgh Steelers football fan, he grew up about five miles from former Steelers coach Bill Cowher’s hometown of Crafton, Pennsylvania.

Lived in his ’63 VW Bug for 2 nights in California while trying to become an actor.

Has only reprised two roles in his career. First, he played Batman in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). Second, he played Ray Nicolette in Jackie Brown (1997) and Out of Sight (1998). Also appearing in the latter film was George Clooney, who has also played Batman.

Was offered to play either Peter Venkman or Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) but turned down both parts, which went to Bill Murray and Harold Ramis.

 

Edward Norton

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edward Harrison Norton  (born August 18, 1969) is an American film actor, screenwriter and director. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. A year later, his lead role as a reformed white power skinhead in American History X earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His other films include period dramas such as Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Illusionist (2006), and The Painted Veil (2006); and other notable films such as Rounders (1998), Fight Club (1999), 25th Hour (2002), Red Dragon (2002), and The Incredible Hulk (2008).

Aside from acting, Norton made his directorial debut with the film Keeping the Faith (2000) and is slated to direct the film adaptation of the novel Motherless Brooklyn, set to be released in 2010. He is a member of the board of trustees of Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit organization for developing affordable housing, as well as a social activist.

Trade Mark

Known to play characters who have dual personalities.

Often plays intelligent but troubled characters

 

Trivia

Following graduation, he worked in Osaka, Japan, consulting for his grandfather’s company, Enterprise Foundation, which works to create decent, affordable housing for low-income families.

On his return to New York, it took less than two years of waiting tables before the young thespian to capture the eye of Edward Albee, one of the most celebrated playwrights of the 20th century. Albee was working with the Signature Theater Company on a new production of Fragments. One audition and Norton landed the role, as well as a slot in Signature’s repertory company. He currently serves on its board of directors.

He played guitar with Courtney Love’s band Hole in two gigs in Los Angeles, in December 1998.

In July 1998, after a New Yorker jibe in a review of a documentary about Courtney Love, Norton sent the magazine a frameable letter. Norton’s missive was in response to Endless Love, a piece by Daphne Merkin centering on Nick Broomfield’s controversial documentary Kurt & Courtney (1998). The film, filled with speculation that Love’s husband Kurt Cobain death was murder rather than suicide, features a litany of Love-haters anxious to air their grievances. The magazine’s coverage of Broomfield’s film “along with Merkin’s thoughtful contributions” didn’t sit well with Norton.

When Norton met with the director for Primal Fear (1996), he told them that he, like Aaron, came from eastern Kentucky. Norton even spoke with the twang (which he prepared by watching Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)).

His character Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear (1996), which was based on a book, did not have a stutter, but when he auditioned he gave him one.

Was one of the few celebrities invited to Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s Malibu wedding. [June 29, 2000]

During filming, he and Fight Club (1999) co-star Brad Pitt took soap-making classes.

He and Rounders (1998) co-star Matt Damon competed in the World Series of Poker at Las Vegas on May 1998 with the movie studio Miramax paying the $10,000 per person entrance fee.

His character, Worm, in Rounders (1998) was originally supposed to smoke but being avid non-smoker, he refused and the part rewritten as a non-smoker.

He worked as a waiter, a proofreader, and a director’s assistant to try to get his foot in the door in New York City. He applied to be a New York City cab driver, but he was rejected for the license because he didn’t meet the age requirement.

Speaks some Japanese, which helped when he worked, briefly, for his grandfather’s company, The Enterprise Foundation. He was assigned to the Osaka, Japan branch until he quit the desk job grind at his grandfather’s suggestion and decided to try to break into acting in New York.

Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland, where Edward graduated in 1987, built a new auditorium for the performing arts several years ago. He revisited his alma mater and gave a lecture on the day of the dedication. It is named after Edward’s grandfather, James Rouse.

Received a B.A. in history from Yale in 1991, but took many theater and Japanese courses as an undergraduate. He has said in interviews that he took as many theater courses as he could without majoring in theater.

The theme song for Keeping the Faith (2000) – “Heart of Mine” by Peter Salett – was not written specifically for the film. Salett is a good friend of Edward’s.

According to Yale’s newspaper, he has wanted to play the poet Dylan Thomas for a long time, but feels he’s not physically right for the part.

While a precocious 8-year-old actor, he asked a surprised director of a play, “What is my objective here?” The director was startled by his interest in acting.

His babysitter, Betsy True, went on to perform as Cossette in a Broadway version of Les Miserables. She was the one who originally piqued Edward’s interest in acting, taking him to see his first play, If I Were A Princess, at age six.

Auditioned for the role of ‘Rudy Baylor’ in the movie The Rainmaker (1997). The role eventually went to Matt Damon.

Got the role for Fight Club (1999) because director David Fincher enjoyed his performance in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), which was the only film of the actor’s that he had seen.

Dedicated his directoral debut, Keeping the Faith (2000), to his late mother, Robin.

Brother of Molly Norton and James Norton.

Turned down the role of Private Ryan in Saving Private Ryan (1998).

Oldest of three children.

Was considered for the role of Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon (1999). Director Milos Forman could not decide between him and Jim Carrey and left the decision up to the studio. The studio decided to go with Carrey.

His grandfather, James Rouse, is credited with being the inventor of the modern shopping mall.

Lost several pounds for Fight Club (1999).

Holds benefit screenings of his films mostly at The Senator Theatre in Baltimore, MD to benefit some charities that includes the Living Classroooms Foundation and the St. Frances Academy Robin Norton Scholarship Fund in honor of his late mother.

Producers of American Psycho (2000) wanted him to play Patrick Bateman.

Played The Captain in a VH1 Captain & Tenille Behind the Music skit on “Saturday Night Live” (1975) with Drew Barrymore. The show aired the night before the 1999 Oscars where he was a nominee for American History X (1998). Barrymore accompanied Edward to the Oscars.

Has a tabby cat named Maggie, named after the character from Cat in a Hot Tin Roof.

Dated Salma Hayek. [1999-2003]

His grandfather, James Rouse, designed the planned community Norton was born in – Columbia, Maryland.

Did NOT attend the famed Yale Drama School, as reported in many news paper articles. He attended Yale merely as an undergraduate.

His father, Edward Norton Sr. was an attorney for president Jimmy Carter.

As a response to the events of September 11th and the increasing conflict in the Middle East, he contributed to establish the Middle East Peacemakers Fund at Yale University.

Norton already had two Oscar nominations before he was 30.

College buddies with Ron Livingston at Yale.

Was attached at one point to star in Hart’s War (2002) but walked away from the project and an $8 million salary. The role later went to Colin Farrell.

Voted International Man of the Year (2003) By British GQ Magazine.

Shares a birthday with Patrick Swayze, Denis Leary, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Robert Redford and Christian Slater.

He served as Artistic Director for the Signature Theatre Company in New York from 2001-2003. He is currently still on the board.

Shaved his head and gained 30 pounds of muscle in 3 months by drinking protein shakes, meat shakes (blended roast beef), and lifting weights non-stop for his role as Dereck Vinyard in American History X (1998).

Was born in Boston, Massachusetts and was raised in Columbia, Maryland.

Was 33 years old when he played Will Graham in Red Dragon (2002). His predecessor, William Petersen, was also 33 years old when he played the same role in Manhunter (1986).

He speaks Spanish.

He treasures his private life and being able to live a normal life – and can’t imagine not being able to take the New York subway if he gets too famous.

Stuart Blumberg, Edward’s friend from his Yale college days, wrote most of what was to become the basis for Keeping the Faith (2000). Edward starred, produced, and directed the romantic comedy, but he also assisted Stuart in writing the original story.

Won a Village Voice Obie Award for his role in the off-Broadway show Burn This in 2003.

Drew Barrymore accompanied him to the Oscar in 1999 where he was nominated for “Best Actor in a Leading Role”

Did an uncredited rewrite of the script of Frida (2002).

Credits legendary acting coach Terry Schreiber as being a major reason behind his success as an actor. The story was that Norton, who speaks Japanese, worked a deal with Schreiber to trade acting lessons for Norton teaching Schreiber Japanese. Schreiber was to direct a play in Japan at the time, and agreed to the deal. Norton studied with Schreiber for about three years in the early 90s in New York, and his career subsequently took off. Norton wrote the introduction to Schreiber’s 2005 acting text “Acting: Advanced Techniques for the Actor, Director, and Teacher.”

Like fellow film actors Peter Sarsgaard and Jeanine Louise DeName, he studied at New York City’s famous T. Schreiber Studio.

Is an active member of Friends of The High Line, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and reuse of the High Line – a 1.5 mile elevated railway that runs along the West Side of Manhattan. Norton appears in a video made by Good Mag about the conversion of the old rail line into a multi-use trail.

Speaks some French and said he really liked the work of Francois Truffaut, a French director.

Turned down the role of Bruce Banner in Hulk (2003), but took the part in The Incredible Hulk (2008).

Studied with renowned Hollywood Gun Coach Thell Reed, who taught other actors as: Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster and Girard Swan.

Says if he wasn’t an actor he would be a pilot.

He was was going to play Terry Fitzgerald in Spawn (1997) but pulled out of the project.

Auditioned for roles in With Honors (1994), Hackers (1995), and Up Close & Personal (1996) before his film debut in Primal Fear (1996).

He often works out daily, mainly weight-lifting, before he’s on set.

Specializes in characters with multiple personalities, be it as a mental defect or a disguise. He has played people with several identities in Primal Fear (1996), Fight Club (1999), The Score (2001), The Incredible Hulk (2008) and arguably in American History X (1998) in which his character turns 180° during the course of the story and in Death to Smoochy (2002) in which he portrayed a professional actor and his character Smoochie the Rhino.

Following graduation, Norton worked in Osaka, Japan, consulting for his grandfather’s company, Enterprise Foundation. He also appeared in an ESL textbook, Only in America, used by Nova, a major Japanese language school.

 

Keith Ian Carradine

(born August 8, 1949) is an American Academy Award-winning songwriter, and actor born into a family of actors.

Carradine was born in San Mateo, California, the son of actress and artist Sonia Sorel (née Henius) and actor John Carradine.  His paternal half-brothers are the late David Carradine and Bruce Carradine, his maternal half-brother is Michael Bowen, and his full brothers are Christopher Carradine and Robert Carradine.

David, Robert and Keith Carradine appeared together as the Younger brothers in Walter Hill’s 1980 film The Long Riders, with Keith playing Jim Younger. Carradine appeared again for Hill in 1981′s Southern Comfort.

Carradine’s first notable film appearance was in director Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller in 1971. He also portrayed the character Kwai Chang Caine as a teenager in the 1972 television series Kung Fu (the adult Caine was portrayed by his half brother, David). He went on to play one of the principal characters, a callow, womanizing folk singer, in Altman’s critically acclaimed 1975 movie Nashville and his song from that movie, “I’m Easy”, was a popular music hit in 1976. Carradine won an Oscar for Best Original Song for writing the tune.

In 1977 Carradine starred opposite Harvey Keitel in Ridley Scott’s The Duellists. He has worked several times in the offbeat films of Altman’s protégé Alan Rudolph, playing a disarmingly candid madman in Choose Me (1984), an incompetent petty criminal in Trouble in Mind (1985) and an American artist in 1930s Paris in The Moderns (1988). He also had a cameo role as Will Rogers in Rudolph’s 1994 film about Dorothy Parker, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. Carradine co-starred with Daryl Hannah as homicidal sociopath John Netherwood in the 1995 thriller The Tie That Binds.

Other works include Emperor of the North Pole (1973), Pretty Baby (1978) and My Father My Son, a television movie in 1988. In 1983 he appeared as Foxy Funderburke, a murderous pedophile, in the television miniseries Chiefs, based on the Stuart Woods novel of the same name. His performance in Chiefs earned him a nomination for a Emmy Award in the “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special” category.

In 1984 he appeared in the video for Madonna’s single Material Girl. In the early 1990s he played the lead role in the Tony Award winning musical, the “Will Rogers Follies”. He was nominated for Broadway’s 1991 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for this role.

More recently Carradine starred in the ABC sitcom Complete Savages, and played Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series Deadwood. He has also appeared as a host of the factual Wild West Tech show on the History Channel. In the 2005 miniseries Into the West, produced by Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks, Carradine played Richard Henry Pratt. He also has a recurring guest role on the hit Showtime series Dexter as FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy. Carradine made appearences on the show’s second and fourth seasons.

Carradine’s stage career is distinguished by Tony-nominated performance as the title character in The Will Rogers Follies in 1991 (for which he also received a Drama Desk nomination). He won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Foxfire with Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, and appeared as Lawrence in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Imperial Theater. He was also in the cast of the original Broadway production of Hair in 1972, appearing in the roles of Woof and Claude. In 2008, he appeared as Dr. Farquhar Off-Broadway in Mindgame, a thriller by Antony Horowitz, directed by Ken Russell, who made his New York directorial debut with the production.

 

Trivia:

His recording of “I’m Easy” reached #17 on the US charts in August, 1976.

Daughter, actress Martha Plimpton, is from his relationship with Shelley Plimpton.

Uncle of actress Ever Carradine and Kansas Carradine.

For his role on “Deadwood” (2004), he was trained by renowned Hollywood Gun Coach Thell Reed, who has also trained such actors as: Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell, Sam Elliot, Girard Swan, Russell Crowe, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Originally, it was his half-brother David Carradine who pursued a role in the Broadway musical “Hair” in 1969. At his audition he brought Keith along to play the piano. Keith ended up winning the part and stayed with the show for six months.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.