Edward Norton Pocahontas

TV show Finding Your Roots finds Oscar-nominated actor is 12th great-grandson of famed 17th-century Native American.

piece of the whole human story you are”. Gates also revealed that Norton shares a distant cousin with another A-lister: actress Julia Roberts. According to legend, she saved the life of Captain John Smith, stopping his execution by placing her head on his.

The actor made the discovery during an episode of the PBS documentary series Finding Your Roots.

Pocahontas married John Rolfe in Jamestown, Virginia in April 1614, the couple had a son in 1615 who they named Thomas and settled in Gravesend, England. She was the favourite daughter of Powhatan, who ruled more than 30 Algonquian-speaking tribes, in what is now the US state of Virginia. Pocahontas’ story has captivated imaginations since stories about her were published by colonist Captain John Smith. No doubt about it.” Host Henry Louis Gates Jr confirmed to the actor that Pocahontas was his 12th great-grandmother. [Edward Norton](/culture/film/glass-onion-knives-out-mystery-sequel-netflix-uk-release-date-cast-film-daniel-craig-trailer-3882362) has learned that he is related to Pocahontas.

In a new episode of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, an investigation into Norton's genealogy discovered that Pocahontas, one of the most widely portrayed (and ...

She was the daughter of Wahunsenaca (Chief Powhatan), the mamanatowick (paramount chief) of the Powhatan Chiefdom. The Finding Your Roots episode featuring Norton, which aired on Tuesday, also included a dive into the family history of actor Julia Roberts. She converted to Christianity and was baptized. John Smith, who wrote in his journals that she placed her head on top of his so that he could not be killed. She is most famous for reportedly stopping the execution of Capt. Gates, who has hosted the show since its 2012 premiere, told Norton that a “paper trail” led genealogists to the discovery.

Edward Norton has made the discovery that his 12th great-grandmother is the legendary historical figure Pocahontas on an episode of 'Finding Your Roots'

[some of his ancestors were slave owners](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/barbados-seeking-reparation-from-benedict-cumberbatch-family/), and later, he asked Norton how he felt about the news, to which Norton replied, “The short answer is these things are uncomfortable. Pocahontas was part of the Powhatan people, who were acknowledged for their association with a colony in Jamestown, Virginia. The actor made an appearance in an episode of season nine of Finding Your Roots this week, in which it was revealed that his ancestor is the legendary historical figure.

Norton, who thought it was just a family rumor, learned that, in fact, he has Powhatan blood.

“It’s a judgment on the history of this country and it needs to be contended with,” he added. “You have a direct paper trail,” Mr. Gates asked, to which Norton replied, “The short answer is these things are uncomfortable. To Norton’s surprise, his connection to Pocahontas wasn’t the only thing he would learn about his past. “Pocahontas is indeed your 12th great grandma,” historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. During an appearance on the PBS’ Finding Your Roots — a show about ancestral histories of celebrity guests — Norton, who thought it was just a family rumor, learned that, in fact, he has Powhatan blood.

In an official PBS video for Finding Your Roots, Edward Norton learns that he is officially a direct descendant of Pocahontas. The actor became an iconic ...

In addition to his role in the upcoming Apple TV+ anthology series Extrapolations, he will appear in the Wes Anderson film, Asteroid City. Interest in her story peaked in the 1990s when she was featured in films from America, Canada, and Japan, but more recent efforts include the Although her name has taken on mythic status in American history, Pocahontas was indeed a real person. The video, from an upcoming episode of PBS' Finding Your Roots, reveals the confirmation that this rumor is indeed quite true. The actor became an iconic fixture in the Hollywood firmament after his appearance in the 1996 thriller Primal Fear, a role that earned him his first of three Oscar nominations. [Henry Louis Gates Jr.](https://twitter.com/HenryLouisGates/status/1610018224313073664) shared a clip of himself with [the Glass Onion star](https://screenrant.com/glass-onion-elon-musk-miles-bron-comparison-response/), discussing the Norton family lore that they are descended from the real Pocahontas.

Actor Edward Norton recently discovered that Native American woman Pocahontas is his 12th great grandmother.

“It's not a judgment on you in your own life, but it's a judgment on the history of this country, and it needs to be acknowledged first and foremost and then it needs to be contended with.” She is his 12th great-grandmother, PBS host Henry Louis Gates Jr. Apparently, the 53-year-old actor is a descendant of Powhatan woman Pocahontas. Born at the tail end of the 1590s and living into the early 1600s, Pocahontas is well-known for her involvement with the early English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, and for saving the life of John Smith, according to legend. “Pocahontas died sometime in March 1617 in Grave's End, England, and John Rolfe died around March 1622.” On an episode of the PBS program, Finding Your Roots, the host Henry Louis Gates Jr.