Edward Norton family roots revealed: you won’t believe who his 12th great-grandmother is

Edward Norton, who many remember for his role alongside Brad Pitt in Fight Club, as well as memorable parts in the likes of The Illusionist and Glass Onion, recently delved into his family’s history on the PBS series Finding Your Roots. While family lore suggested a link to a notable Native American figure, Norton had always regarded it as mere legend.

Ed Norton’s links to Pocahontas

In the show’s ninth season premiere, host and historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. confirmed the rumor: “Pocahontas is indeed your 12th great-grandmother.” This revelation traces Norton’s lineage directly to Pocahontas and her husband, John Rolfe, who married on April 5, 1614, in Jamestown, Virginia.

Who was Pocahontas?

Pocahontas, the daughter of Chief Powhatan, played a significant role in early American history. Her marriage to Rolfe is noted for fostering a period of peace between English settlers and Native Americans. However, some accounts, such as the 2007 book “The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History,” suggest she was previously married to a Native American warrior named Kocoum before her union with Rolfe.

Norton expressed genuine surprise upon learning of this ancestral connection, stating, “This is about as far back as you can go.”

Beyond this discovery, the episode also unveiled that Norton’s third great-grandfather owned seven slaves, including a 55-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman, and five young girls aged between 4 and 10. Reflecting on this, Norton remarked, “The short answer is these things are uncomfortable. Everybody should be uncomfortable with it.”

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