It’s not uncommon to have famous relatives in Hollywood, and Edward Norton just found out he has ties to one of the Disney princesses. The drama movie star, who’s been in the likes of Fight Club and American History X, took part in a docuseries to find his roots, leading to some fascinating discoveries.
Norton was featured in an episode of Finding Your Roots, a PBS TV series where celebrities get to uncover their family tree. According to CNN, Norton was told by host Henry Louis Gates Jr that he’s connected to the real-life Pocahontas, the 17th century Native American woman who inspired the Disney movie.
“You have a direct paper trail, no doubt about it, connection to your 12th great-grandmother and great-grandfather, John Rolfe and Pocahontas,” Gates Jr told the former Marvel movie actor. Rolfe and Pocahontas, who was the daughter of a Native American chief, were married in 1614 in Jamestown, Virginia, three years before her passing in England.
The animated movie Pocahontas from 1995 draws from historical tellings surrounding her life, particularly her relationship to Captain John Smith and the group of English settlers he arrived with. She’s believed to have saved the real Smith from execution, though accounts of events are mixed.
A 1998 Disney sequel, Pocahontas 2: Journey to a New World, looked at her marriage and move to Britain. In 2005, Terence Malick made another movie based on a true story about Pocahontas, called The New World.
Most recently, Norton can be seen in thriller movie Glass Onion on Netflix. Have a look at our guide to the best new movies for more of Hollywood’s best.