Graham Norton | biography

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Graham Norton

Profession: Comedian/Presenter
Place/Date of Birth: Dublin, Ireland, 04 April 2020

They have now sold nearly 2,000 copies after a feature on Graham’s show depicting ’boring’ calenders. Production manager Jason Holmes has said that he ’can’t believe’ they are selling so well, and that they might do a calender on roundabouts by night next time!

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Biography

Graham Norton was born on the 4th of April in Bandon, County Cork in Ireland. His original name is Graham Walker and dad Billy was a Guiness representitive and his mum Rhoda a leading Mother’s Union member. Graham did want to become a journalist but failed to get a place at a journalism school, so he went to University College Cork to study English and French, but then dropped out at the end of his first year to go travelling.

The USA beckoned and Graham joined a hippy commune in San Fansciso. He was even engaged (albeit briefly) to an American lass but broke it off as he recognized for the first time that he was in fact gay. He returned to Ireland to complete his degree, and then moved to London where he joined the Central School of Speech and Drama. Graham Walker then changed to Graham Norton as there was another member of equity with his original name. Norton is in fact his great-grandmothers maiden name.

He had a few acting jobs, but mainly worked as a waiter and a barman until his late 20’s. He was known for being camp and bitchy and this led to ideas of a comedy performance. He wrote the show ’Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s Grand Farewell Tour’ and took it to the Edinburgh fringe festival in 1991. He staged successful one man shows here and made his name internationally when Charlie’s Angels Go To Hell transferred to London. This got him a Perrier Award nomination in 1997. In the same year Channel Five gave him his first television break, when he stood in for chatshow host Jack Docherty.

He proved his worth so much that he got his own series Bring Me The Head of Light Entertainment. After the show started in 1999, Graham’s star continued to rise and he Norton won many awards, including Gay Entertainer of the Year at the 1999 Gaytime TV Awards and two BAFTA’s for Best Entertainment Performance. He also started his own production company which now produces his own shows. The BBC have attempted to lure him away from Channel Four with rumoured offers in the region of £5 million, but so far he has resisted the urge and stays with Channel Four. His weekday show now goes out five nights a week. Graham Norton currently resides in Bow...
November 2007