Alex Norton | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Alex Norton is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as DCI Matt Burke in theSTV detective drama seriesTaggart, Eric Baird inBBC Two sitcomTwo Doors Down, DCS Wallace inExtremely Dangerous, Gerard Findlay inWaterloo Road and Eddie in theRenford Rejects. He has also had roles in internationally successful films includingBraveheart,Local Hero andLes Misérables.
Norton spent part of his childhood in Moffat Street in theGorbals before moving toPollokshaws. He was educated atShawlands Academy,[1] Glasgow. Norton's very first TV appearance was in the early 1960s onSTV's live lunchtime showThe One O' Clock Gang,[2] He discovered acting at the age of fourteen via an out-of-school drama group. This led to his part in the TV seriesDr. Finlay's Casebook and with it the decision that acting was the career for him. Because of his background and his father's lack of approval of his chosen career, Norton decided to avoid the traditional route into acting and instead worked from part-to-part.
In 1973, he became one of the founder members of the7:84 company, touring Scotland withThe Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black Black Oil.
He has appeared in numerous films includingBill Forsyth'sGregory's Girl (1981),Local Hero (1983) andComfort and Joy (1984),A Sense of Freedom (1981),Comrades (1986),[3]Hidden City (1987),Scandal (1989),Countdown to War (1989),Robin Hood (1991),Chernobyl: The Final Warning (1991),Blame It on the Bellboy (1992),Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994),Little Voice (1998),Orphans (1998) andBeautiful Creatures (2000), as well as Hollywood blockbusters such asWhite Hunter, Black Heart (1990) withClint Eastwood,Patriot Games (1992) withHarrison Ford,Braveheart (1995) starringMel Gibson andPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) withJohnny Depp. Norton also voiced Thurston McCondry in the animated shortsHaunted Hogmanay andGlendogie Bogey.
In addition to his role as DCI Matt Burke inTaggart, he had previously appeared in the same series as murder suspect George Bryce in the episode "Knife Edge" in 1986.
Norton also provided the voice-overs for the ill-fated channelSky Scottish that only ran for 18 months from November 1996 before closing down in May 1998[4] He was the subject ofThis Is Your Life in 2003 when he was surprised byMichael Aspel.[citation needed] In 2005, Norton was presented with the opportunity to play a part inPeter Jackson'sKing Kong; however, he could not accept the offer because it happened to interfere with the TV project he was working on at the time.
From August to September 2012, he played the role of Gerard Findlay inWaterloo Road, a hot-headed, villainous headteacher from rival school Havelock High School.
In March 2014, he played Cameron Watts in the "Dead Water" episodes of theBBC One crime drama seriesShetland.
In 2014, Norton appeared in the documentaryI Belong To Glasgow, aBBC Scotland production in which he guest starred alongsideKaren Dunbar.
Since 2013, Norton has played Eric in the sitcomTwo Doors Down.
In the 1970s he met his wife, Sally Kinghorn. They met on the set of a BBC Schools series. The couple have three sons, Jamie, Rory and Jock.[5]
In 2014, at the time of theScottish independence referendum, Norton endorsed a "No" vote in opposition to independence. He has, however, confirmed his support for Scottish independence since the referendum.[6]
Norton has also won two awards for writing.[citation needed] "Extras", an episode ofFirst Sight forChannel 4 andWaiting for Elvis forSTV. He also has an interest in directing. He directed the first production ofTony Roper'sThe Steamie, as well as directing Glasgow'sKing's Theatre's pantomimes for a five-year period.
He appeared inThe Black Adder in the episode "Born to be King" as Dougal McAngus, 4th Duke of Argyll.
He has also done voice over work onMedieval Total War II as the voice of some of the Scottish characters in the game, along with voicingGaunter O'Dimm [ru] inHearts of Stone, an expansion pack for the video gameThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and King Rab inDragon Quest XI . He provided additional vocals on "The Song of Mor'du" inBrave, which also featured his wifeSally Kinghorn. He also appeared onThe Weakest Link TV Drama Characters Edition. He was the first one voted off.
Norton also fronts the STV crime showUnsolved. Norton also plays Grandad in the CBeebies programmeWoolly and Tig.
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