Biography
Who is Graham Norton?
Early life and real name
Graham William Walker was born on April 4, 1963, in Clondalkin, Ireland. His parents were William and Rhoda Walker, and he grew up with an older sister named Paula. During his early childhood, his family moved to several towns in Ireland before settling in Bandon, County Cork. He attended Bandon Grammar School and later studied French and English at University College Cork.
In 1983, he experienced a nervous breakdown and temporarily stopped his studies before traveling to San Francisco. He later moved to London to attend the Central School of Speech and Drama. When he joined the actors union Equity, he chose Norton as his surname because another performer already used his birth name.
Rise to television fame
Graham began his broadcasting career in the United Kingdom with appearances on BBC Radio 4. He gained attention in 1992 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a stand-up comedy drag act. He later hosted programmes on Channel 5 and appeared in the comedy series Father Ted as Father Noel Furlong between 1996 and 1998.
In 1998, he moved to Channel 4 to host his own chat shows, including So Graham Norton and V Graham Norton. These programmes established his signature innuendo-laden dialogue and flamboyant presentation style, leading to wider recognition in British television comedy.
The Graham Norton Show and BBC career
In 2005, Graham moved to the BBC to host television series such as Strictly Dance Fever and various talent search programmes for Andrew Lloyd Webber productions. He began presenting The Graham Norton Show in February 2007 on BBC Two before moving the programme to BBC One in 2009.
Alongside his chat show, he became the BBC television commentator for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest starting in 2009. He also presented a Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 2010 to 2020 and joined RuPaul's Drag Race UK as a judge in 2019.
Personal life and family
Graham has been connected to several family members and partners throughout his life, including his marriage to Jono McLeod and relationship with Tina Burner. His genealogy was explored during an episode of the television series Who Do You Think You Are? In 2007, where he learned about his ancestry.
He received an honorary doctorate from University College Cork in 2013. In addition to his broadcasting work, he sold his television production company So Television to ITV in 2012 and has published multiple memoirs and columns.
Birthday and age
Graham Norton was born on April 4, 1963, which makes Graham 63 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Graham shares the date with 35 other famous people.
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