An actor's actor, Norton's known for playing the disturbed, tortured, and homicidal on screen. A political liberal and environmental activist, he's much less menacing in real life.

Born in Boston and raised in Maryland, Norton attended Yale and lived in Japan for a spell before moving to the city to pursue a career as an actor. He appeared in a number of off-off-Broadway productions before landing his big break in 1996's Primal Fear; the role earned him an Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actor. Norton continued along a rather dark path in the late 1990s, playing tortured average joes-turned-brutes-turned-hero in American History X and Fight Club. In 2001 he lightened things up considerably with his directorial debut, the airy rom-com Keeping the Faith. Not nearly as ubiquitous now as he was in the Fight Club era, his more recent major roles include The Incredible Hulk and The Illusionist.

A rare Hollywood liberal who's not all talk, Norton donated over $50,000 to various Democratic candidates in the 2004 election cycle and made frequent appearances on the campaign trail. Norton is with producer Shauna Robertson. In the past, he's dated costars Drew Barrymore, Salma Hayek, and cuckoo-crazy Courtney Love. [Image via AP]