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Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. He is a five-time
BAFTA TV Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards, are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in ...
winner for the comedy chat show ''
The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton ...
'' (2007–present). He has received the
British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance The British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance is an award given out by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts at their annual BAFTA Television Awards ceremony. This category has had minor name changes: *From 19 ...
three times for the chat show '' So Graham Norton'' (1998–2002). He has been noted for his
innuendo An innuendo is a wikt:hint, hint, wikt:insinuation, insinuation or wikt:intimation, intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called in ...
-laden dialogue and flamboyant presentation style. After an early career doing stand-up comedy, Norton gained recognition for his portrayal of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes of the multiple award-winning sitcom ''
Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three seri ...
'' (1996–1998). From 2010 to 2020, he presented the Saturday-morning slot on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
, and from 2021 to 2024, he presented his weekend show for
Virgin Radio UK Virgin Radio UK is a national Hot Adult Contemporary radio station in the United Kingdom that launched on 30 March 2016, owned by News Broadcasting, which is itself a subsidiary of News Corp. It is the second incarnation of Virgin Radio in the U ...
. Since 2009, Norton has served as the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's television commentator for the Grand Final of the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
. In 2012, he sold his production company So Television to ITV for around £17 million. In 2019, Norton became a judge on the reality competition series '' RuPaul's Drag Race UK''.


Early life and education

Norton was born Graham William Walker on 4 April 1963, at 48 St Brigid's Road, in
Clondalkin Clondalkin () is a suburban village in County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, approximately west of Dublin city centre. It is within the administrative jurisdiction of South Dublin County Council, South Dublin. Clondalkin is also the na ...
, County Dublin, Ireland, to William "Billy" (died 2000), a sales representative for
Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
, and Rhoda Walker. He has an older sister, Paula (born 1959). Because of his father's job, he and his family moved around Ireland throughout his early childhood; they lived in Tramore, then
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
, then
Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
, before settling in the town of
Bandon, County Cork Bandon (; ) is a town in County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies on the River Bandon between two hills. The name in Irish means 'Bridge of the Bandon', a reference to the origin of the town as a crossing point on the river. In 2004 Ba ...
, where he grew up. He was raised in a
Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
family, and has said that he felt somewhat isolated growing up as a
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
in the predominantly Catholic south of Ireland. His father's family were from
County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...
, while his mother is a native of
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
."Graham Norton"
. ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' He discovered during a 2007 episode of the genealogy series ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' that his father's direct ancestors were English, having originated in
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
before emigrating to Ireland in 1713. Norton was educated at Bandon Grammar School in County Cork and then
University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...
, where he spent two years studying English and French in the 1980s. He did not complete his studies after having a breakdown and refusing to leave his flat. He later received an honorary doctorate from the university in 2013. In 1981, Norton featured in an episode of
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
's ''Youngline'', participating in an audience debate about underage teens attending discos.The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
"> In 1983, Norton travelled to San Francisco where he lived for one year, in the "Stardance" hippie commune house, on Fulton Street and worked as a waiter. In the late 1980s he moved to London to attend the
Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, commonly shortened to Central, is a drama school founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for ...
. He again found work as a waiter during that period. Upon joining the actors' union Equity, he chose Norton (his great-grandmother's maiden name) as his new surname, as there was already a comic-actor called Graham Walker, represented by the union.


Career


Channel 4

In 1992, Norton's stand-up comedy drag act as a tea-towel-clad
Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...
in the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
made the press when
Scottish Television Scottish Television (now legally known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchisee for Central Belt, Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation si ...
's religious affairs department mistakenly thought he represented the real Mother Teresa. His first appearances in broadcasting were in the UK, where he had a spot as a regular comedian and panellist on the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
show '' Loose Ends'' in the early 1990s, when the show ran on Saturday mornings. He was one of the early successes of Channel 5, winning an award as stand-in host of a late-night TV talk show usually presented by Jack Docherty. This was followed by a comic quiz show on Channel 5 called '' Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment'', which was not well received as a programme but enhanced Norton's reputation as a comic and host. In 1996, he co-hosted the late-night quiz show ''Carnal Knowledge'' on ITV with
Maria McErlane Maria McErlane (born 9 December 1957) is a British actress and presenter specialising in comedy. She has been acting since 1984. She has appeared in several TV series, including ''The Fast Show'', '' Gimme Gimme Gimme'', '' Thin Ice'' and ''Ha ...
. Between 1996 and 1998, Norton played the part of Father Noel Furlong in three episodes ("
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
", " Flight into Terror", " The Mainland") of the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
series ''
Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three seri ...
'', which was set on the fictional Craggy Island off the west coast of Ireland. Father Furlong was often seen taking charge of the St Luke's Youth Group. After this early success, Norton moved to Channel 4 in 1998 to host his own chat shows, including the weekly '' So Graham Norton'' (1998–2002), followed by the daily weeknight show '' V Graham Norton'' (2002–03). In January 2003 Norton was listed in ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' as one of the 1,000 funniest acts in
British comedy In film, television, and radio, British comedy has produced some of the most renowned characters in the world. In it, satire is one of the features of British comedy. Radio comedy in Britain has been almost exclusively hosted on the BBC. History ...
. (Though Norton is Irish, the bulk of his television career has been in the UK.) In January 2004, he was named the most powerful person in TV comedy by ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
''. Also that year he was the subject of controversy in the United Kingdom when, on his Channel 4 show, he joked, "I bet
Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved global fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb wer ...
's heart monitor was singing the tune of '
Stayin' Alive "Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in December 1977 by RSO Records as the second single from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtr ...
'", referring to the recent death of the
Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...
singer. Gibb's brother Robin described Norton as "scum", threatened to "rip his head off" if he saw him, and demanded an apology from him, the show's producers, and Channel 4. The
Independent Television Commission The Independent Television Commission (ITC) licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom (except S4C in Wales) between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003. History The creation of ITC, by the Broadcasting Act ...
investigated after complaints about this insensitivity were received and eventually Channel 4 had to make two apologies: one in the form of a caption slide before the show, another from Norton in person. In summer 2004, Norton ventured into American television. '' The Graham Norton Effect'' debuted on 24 June 2004, on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
, and was also broadcast in the UK on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
. In the midst of controversy surrounding Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, Norton was wary of moving into the market.


BBC


Television

Norton began his career on the BBC in 2001 when he hosted
Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
2001. In 2005, Norton moved to the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and began hosting the Saturday evening reality TV series '' Strictly Dance Fever'' on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
, as well as a new comedy chat show, '' Graham Norton's Bigger Picture''. He also read stories some nights on the BBC children's channel
CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content targeted for children aged six year ...
as part of ''Bedtime Hour''. In 2006, Norton hosted the BBC One series '' How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?'' in which
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
tried to find a lead actress for his West End version of ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
''. Norton subsequently presented the three follow-up series: '' Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007, in which a group of men competed to win the role of Joseph in the West End production of ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...
''; '' I'd Do Anything'' in 2008, in which Lloyd Webber seeks to find the parts of Nancy and Oliver for Sir Cameron Mackintosh's production of
Lionel Bart Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was an English writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's "Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his work ...
's ''
Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...
''; and ''
Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...
'' in 2010, following a similar format to find a new Dorothy for a '' Wizard of Oz'' West End production. Norton hosted various other shows for the BBC during this time, including '' When Will I Be Famous?'' (2007), '' The One and Only'' (2008) and '' Totally Saturday'' (2009). Since 2007, Norton has also been a regular host of The British Academy Television Awards. On 7 July 2007, Norton presented at
Live Earth Live Earth was an event developed to increase Environmentalism, environmental awareness through entertainment. Background Founded by producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. Live Earth 2007 The 1st series ...
and undertook a trip to
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
with the Born Free Foundation to highlight the plight of the Ethiopian wolf – the rarest canid in the world. In the same year, he was the subject of an episode of the BBC1 genealogy documentary ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' Norton's chat show, ''
The Graham Norton Show ''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton ...
'', began on 22 February 2007, on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
. The format is very similar to his previous Channel 4 shows. On 6 October 2009, the show moved to BBC One, in a new one-hour format. In May 2010, Norton stood in for Chris Evans' breakfast show on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
. Later that month, it was confirmed that he would be replacing Jonathan Ross's Saturday morning slot on the same station. In December 2011, the panel show '' Would You Rather...? with Graham Norton'' premiered on
BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is owned by AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary series). Unlike the BBC's ...
in the time slot immediately following ''The Graham Norton Show''. Recorded in New York, it is one of BBC America's earliest efforts at producing original programming, and is also the first
panel game A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participate. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on '' The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...
the channel has shown, either of British or American origin. In October 2018, talking to BBC News about his reported 2017–18 BBC salary, Norton said that he genuinely "doesn't know" how the corporation arrived at that figure. "Myself and my agent look at that number and we go 'I wonder how they came up with that'," he says. "It bears no relation to anything I know. But if that's what they say I earn, that's what I earn." In February 2019, it was announced that Norton would be a judge on ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' alongside
Alan Carr Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster, and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeo ...
in a rotating basis. Norton and Carr were joined by permanent judges Michelle Visage and
RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...
.


Radio

Since 1999, Norton has appeared regularly on the BBC Radio 4 panel show ''
Just a Minute ''Just a Minute'' is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game. For more than 50 years, with a few exceptions, it was hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Following Parsons' death in 2020, Sue Perkins became the permanent host, starting with the 87th ser ...
'', appearing in over 100 episodes. On 2 October 2010, Norton began presenting a Saturday morning show on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
, which he took over from Jonathan Ross. Norton co-hosted with
Maria McErlane Maria McErlane (born 9 December 1957) is a British actress and presenter specialising in comedy. She has been acting since 1984. She has appeared in several TV series, including ''The Fast Show'', '' Gimme Gimme Gimme'', '' Thin Ice'' and ''Ha ...
who featured as an " agony aunt" on the segment "Grill Graham". "Tune with a Tale" is where a listener suggests playing a song with a plot, summarising the story it contains, and " I Can't Believe It's Not Better" is a feature where a listener requests a song that was previously a hit, but might be considered particularly bad now. Unlike '' Steve Wright in the Afternoon'' aired from 14:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, it is well established as being a "brand", with its end of each hour style of presentations, although Norton regularly uses the standard BBC Radio 2 jingles along with jingles unique to the Saturday morning show, written and performed by the BBC Radio 2 Orchestra. In January 2012, Norton asked listeners to his Radio 2 show to help find his car, shortly after it was stolen. He called it "The Great Car Hunt" and told listeners to "Keep your eyes out for it. It was filthy by the way." On 11 November 2020, Norton announced that he would step down from the show and hosted his final Saturday morning show on 19 December 2020, after 10 years. He was replaced by Claudia Winkleman from February 2021. Norton joined
Virgin Radio UK Virgin Radio UK is a national Hot Adult Contemporary radio station in the United Kingdom that launched on 30 March 2016, owned by News Broadcasting, which is itself a subsidiary of News Corp. It is the second incarnation of Virgin Radio in the U ...
in January 2021, hosting shows on Saturday and Sunday. In February 2024, Norton announced that "he wanted his weekends back" and would step away from hosting his weekend radio show for the station.


Eurovision Song Contest

Norton, along with Claudia Winkleman, hosted the first annual Eurovision Dance Contest, which was held on 1 September 2007, in London, England. The format was based on the BBC's ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...
'' and the EBU's
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
. Norton and Winkleman also hosted the 2008 contest in Glasgow, Scotland. In October 2008, it was confirmed by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
that Norton would replace
Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in Britain for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekday brea ...
as the presenter of the UK national selection of the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
, '' Your Country Needs You''. On 5 December 2008, it was announced that Norton would also take over from Wogan as the British commentator for the main Eurovision Song Contest. The 54th Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Olympic Arena, Moscow on 16 May 2009. In January 2009, Norton hosted '' Eurovision: Your Country Needs You'', a talent show to find who would represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest that year. The winning song, It's My Time, was penned by
Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...
and
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
and was sung in the contest by
Jade Ewen Jade Louise Ewen (born 24 January 1988) is a British singer, actress and a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She began her singing career in a girl group named Trinity Stone, which signed with Sony BMG in 2005 but disbanded in 2007 wit ...
, who the public voted to represent the United Kingdom. Norton's debut jokes received some positive reviews from the British press. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' noted his comments on
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
's entry, which finished in second place, had "rooted around in a cupboard and found an old bridesmaid dress from 1987" and the Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, Armenian singers, who finished in 10th place, were sporting traditional dress, "which would be true if you come from the village where Liberace is the mayor.""Norton's Eurovision debut reviewed"
. BBC News. 17 May 2009 ''The Times'' noted his highlighting of the arrest of 30 gay rights protesters in Moscow – "heavy-handed policing has really marred what has been a fantastic Eurovision." In 2015, Norton, along with Petra Mede, hosted the ''Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits'' concert show on 31 March at the Eventim Apollo, in Hammersmith, London to commemorate the contest's 60th anniversary. Norton played a fictionalised version of himself in his role of the British Eurovision commentator in the 2020 Netflix film ''Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga''. Norton co-hosted the final of the in Liverpool alongside Alesha Dixon, actress Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, in addition to his usual commentary role which was shared with Mel Giedroyc. With this, he also became the second-oldest person to ever host the Eurovision Song Contest, after the French presenter Léon Zitrone in Eurovision Song Contest 1978, 1978.


ITV

In 2024, Norton returned to ITV to present a revival of Wheel of Fortune (British game show), ''Wheel of Fortune'', including the celebrity version and an Wheel of Fortune (Australian game show), Australian revival, featuring Gok Wan and Charlotte Church.


Other activities

Norton played Mr Puckov in the 2006 American comedy spoof film ''Another Gay Movie''. In 2007, Norton played Taylor in the romantic comedy film ''I Could Never Be Your Woman''. Norton was involved in a high-publicity advertising campaign for the UK National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lottery as an animated unicorn, the stooge to a character based on Fortuna (luck), Lady Luck (played by Fay Ripley). He has also advertised McVitie's biscuits. In 1999, Norton featured in the music video for Boyzone song "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going (song), When The Going Gets Tough". Eight years later, in 2007, he featured in Girls Aloud and Sugababes' music video for the single "Walk This Way (Girls Aloud VS Sugababes version), Walk This Way". Both songs were for
Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
. In January 2009, Norton made his West End stage debut in a revival of ''La Cage aux Folles (musical), La Cage Aux Folles'' at the Playhouse Theatre. In 2009, Norton was the host of the comedy game-show ''Most Popular'' on US cable television channel WE tv. Norton wrote an advice column in ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper from 2006 to 2018. In October 2010, his columns were made into a book entitled ''Ask Graham'', published by John Blake Publishing. In late 2018, Norton stood down from the role and the newspaper found a replacement as their agony aunt in Richard Madeley. In 2016, Norton published his debut novel ''Holding'', published by Hodder & Stoughton, about a murder in an Irish rural community. ''Holding'' won Popular Fiction Book of the Year in the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards 2016. In 2022, Holding (TV series), an adaptation of the book for television, directed by Kathy Burke, aired on ITV. On 7 March 2013, Norton broke the Guinness World Record for "Most Questions Asked on a TV Chat Show" on ''Comic Relief's Big Chat'', which raised £1.02 million. In 2014, Norton criticised the decision by Irish broadcaster
RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
to settle out of court with opponents of gay marriage who claimed they had been defamed in an edition of the ''Saturday Night Show''. In 2014, Norton publicly backed "Hacked Off" and its campaign toward UK press self-regulation by "safeguarding the press from political interference while also giving vital protection to the vulnerable". In October 2014, Norton released his second memoir, ''The Life and Loves of a He-Devil''. It won in the Non-Fiction Book of the Year category at the 2014 Irish Book Awards. Also in 2014, he was named in the top 10 on the World Pride Power list. Norton has a shareholding of two per cent in New Zealand winery Invivo Wines. Norton has his own wine range in collaboration with Invivo, the first wine was first released in 2014. In July 2015, the Bishop of Cork, Paul Colton, hosted an evening with Norton involving 90 minutes of interview, questions, and answers with an audience of more than 400 people. The event, part of the West Cork Literary Festival, was sold out. On 9 October 2020, Norton announced via Twitter he had been cast as the voice of Moonwind, a spiritual sign twirler, in the Disney/Pixar animated feature ''Soul (2020 film), Soul'', starring Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey.


Personal life

Norton primarily resides in the Wapping area of London. He also owns homes in Murray Hill, Manhattan, and in Ahakista, County Cork. He previously had a home in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, but sold it in 2022. In 1989, Norton was a victim of a violent mugging by a group of attackers in London where he lost half of his blood and nearly died. He said that an elderly couple were the ones who found him and that they "saved his life" after calling for an ambulance. He did not think the attack was homophobic, as he was walking alone at the time. He was hospitalised for two and a half weeks before recovering from the attack. In January 2012, Norton's home was burgled and the keys to his Lexus were stolen. He appealed for the return of his car during his
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
show the following day. He adopted two dogs from the UK charity Dogs Trust in 2012 which he regarded as his "significant others", a labradoodle called Bailey and a terrier called Madge. Madge was at least 16 years old when she died in December 2019. In October 2020, he said that Bailey had recently died in Cork (city), Cork at the age of 15. Norton had a five-year on-again, off-again relationship with Kristian Seeber, whom he met at Barracuda Lounge in New York City in 2001. Seeber performs as drag queen Tina Burner, and moved to the United Kingdom to be with Norton until their separation in 2006. Norton had a two-year relationship with Trevor Patterson which ended in 2013, and a three-year relationship with Andrew Smith, which ended in 2015. On 10 July 2022, Norton married Scottish filmmaker Jonathan "Jono" McLeod, at Bantry House in County Cork. In October 2022, Norton was involved in controversy over comments he made in an interview with Mariella Frostrup at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. He expressed scepticism over the existence of cancel culture, arguing that "I think the word should be 'accountability'." When Frostrup countered that J. K. Rowling had been "deluged with... anger, rage and attempts at censorship" over Political views of J. K. Rowling#Transgender people, her views on transgender rights, Norton responded that it would be better to "talk to trans people, talk to the parents of trans kids, talk to doctors" about the issue than to celebrities like himself. Rowling criticised Norton's comments on Twitter, citing him as part of a "recent spate of bearded men stepping confidently onto their soapboxes to define what a woman is and throw their support behind rape and death threats to those who dare disagree". Following further criticism on Twitter from supporters of Rowling, Norton deactivated his Twitter account.


Performances and works


Films


Television


Bibliography


Fiction


Accolades


Further reading

*


See also

* List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards


References


External links


''The Graham Norton Show''
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BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
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''Wheel of Fortune''
on itv.com * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Graham Graham Norton, 1963 births 20th-century Irish comedians 20th-century Irish LGBTQ people 21st-century Irish comedians 21st-century Irish LGBTQ people 21st-century Irish memoirists Actors from County Cork Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Alumni of University College Cork Audiobook narrators BBC Radio 2 presenters Best Entertainment Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners Broadcasters from County Cork Gay comedians Irish Anglicans Irish columnists Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Irish gay actors Irish gay writers Irish LGBTQ broadcasters Irish LGBTQ comedians Irish LGBTQ journalists Irish male comedians Irish male film actors Irish male novelists Irish male television actors Irish male voice actors Irish people of English descent Irish television talk show hosts Judges in reality television series LGBTQ DJs Living people People associated with University College Cork People educated at Bandon Grammar School People from Bandon, County Cork People from Clondalkin Stabbing survivors Television presenters from the Republic of Ireland Virgin Radio (UK) Irish television show creators