Edward Norton's 12th great-grandmother was Pocahontas


It turns out a family legend in the Edward Norton household was more fact than fiction.
On the latest episode of PBS' Finding Your Roots, host Henry Louis Gates takes the Oscar-nominated actor through his family lineage and informs him that "Pocahontas is, indeed, your 12th great-grandma."
Norton came into the episode knowing a bit about his family history, and he heard growing up that he is a direct descendant of Pocahontas. But the Glass Onion star believed this to be a family legend until it was confirmed by Finding Your Roots' researchers. As Gates explained, there is a "direct paper trail" connecting the actor to John Rolfe and Pocahontas.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"This makes you realize what a small piece of the whole human story you are," Norton noted.
Norton also learns in the episode that his great-great-grandfather was apparently murdered over a political argument and that his third great-grandfather was opposed to slavery during the Civil War, even writing to President Lincoln personally and urging him to let Black men fight in the Union Army. The actor takes pride in his ancestor did the right thing, but he later faces the uncomfortable revelation that his great-grandfather owned seven slaves, as confirmed by census documents.
"These things are uncomfortable, and you should be uncomfortable with them," Norton says after learning he had slave owners in his family. "Everybody should be uncomfortable with it. … When you read 'slave, age eight,' you just want to die."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advice
the explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'
Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
Keith McNally' 6 favorite books that have ambitious characters
Feature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play