The Poker Hulk: Edward Norton

As far as we know Ed Norton doesn't do much in the way of poker playing in real life but he did play one of the best poker characters in history in the poker movie Rounders.

“He’s more of my victim. I love to take as much money off of him as possible, and I hear Tobey is so good — almost pro-level — so that’s a little intimidating,” Edward Norton said. Norton, who learned how to be a card shark for Rounders, is slated to play in a charity tournament in Cannes last May this year with Jamie Gold- a Charity Celebrity Poker Tournament to benefit both the Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation and the Sunflower Children Foundation.

In the movie Rounders, with Matt Damon, Edward Norton as Lester Murphy, who truly is the opposite character as Damon's McDermott. He plays his poker on the edge, using any advantage he can come up with, including mechanics that help him to cheat and set up other poker players. This life isn't a good one for a poker player to take on, and his background is nothing to write home about either.

About Edward Norton: Edward Norton's feature film debut was in 1996's Primal Fear, for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. His second nomination came two years later for his performance in American History X, this time in the Best Actor category.

Although Edward Norton didn't take home either trophy, we have to wonder if -- even at this early point in his profession -- his mantle would have been able to handle them.

Merely 2 years into his film career, Edward Norton had already worked in a total of five features -- the aforementioned two, in addition to Everyone Says I Love You, Rounders in1998, and The People vs. Larry Flynt -- and the slew of accolades these jobs earned him range from a Golden Globe and a Golden Satellite to a National Board of Review Award.

Judging from his most recent roles, Edward Norton's market value is only rising higher: he starred in 2002's Red Dragon, the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, and took center stage again in 25th Hour in 2005. Then he worked on hits like The Italian Job in 2003, The Illusionist in 2006 and The Incredible Hulk in 2008.

Edwrad Norton also recently created Class 5 Films in partnership with his brother Jim Norton and Brad Pitt, writer Stuart Blumberg and producer Bill Migliore. Class 5’s feature division will produce films through a first-look deal with Universal Pictures and the documentary division will produce nature and science films.

Class 5’s first documentary production is a film for the Outdoor Life Network, The Great Rivers Expedition, about a historic white-water adventure that took place in China last winter. Class 5 is also collaborating with the Sea Studios Foundation on their multi-million-dollar series about earth system sciences for National Geographic, Strange Days on the Planet Earth, which Norton hosts and narrates.