Pocahontas

The Native American heroine is his 12th great grandmother, the actor was told on a PBS show.

"It's a judgment on the history of this country and it needs to be contended with," he added. "The short answer is these things are uncomfortable," Norton said. "You have a direct paper trail," Mr Gates said.

American actor Edward Norton has discovered that the real-life Pocahontas, the romanticized and mythologized 17th century daughter of a Native American ...

And you should be uncomfortable with them.” Legend holds that she saved the life of Captain John Smith, stopping his execution by laying her head upon his. According to Gates, the couple married on April 5, 1614 in Jamestown, Virginia – at a time when William Shakespeare was still alive.

Actor Edward Norton found out he has a very famous ancestor — Pocahontas. On the PBS show "Finding Your Roots," in which host Henry Louis Gates reveals the ...

In 1614, she converted to Christianity, was baptized "Rebecca," and the pair had a baby named Thomas. Christopher Meloni of "Law and Order: SVU" fame found out he was related to Nancy Pelosi. The family moved to England in 1616. Before he could be killed, in Smith's telling, Pocahontas placed her head on top of his, preventing his execution. "I understand that was family lore," Gates says. The actor was shocked.

Edward Norton is a direct descendant of Native American heroine Pocahontas, it has been revealed. The actor had grown up believing the connection to be part ...

He’s an inspiration & this was full of revelations & his wonderful insight about life & how we are all connected to history.— Edward Norton 🌻🇺🇦 (@EdwardNorton) Skip Gates for years as an Historian, a teacher, writer, conversationalist & I love this show. This was such a privilege & a pleasure.

As Edward Norton learned on the season premiere of Finding Your Roots, Pocahontas, who lived in colonial Jamestown, is his 12th great grandmother.

Although the news left Norton visibly shocked, the idea of Pocahontas as part of his history wasn’t exactly new. Pocahontas and Jamestown settler John Rolfe were married on April 4, 1614— from then on, documents lead all the way down to one very blue-eyed Pocahontas is Norton’s (deep breath) great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother (12 greats in all). As Gates vocalizes in the episode, a relation to Pocahontas was a little bit of a Norton legend. [Finding Your Roots](https://www.pbs.org/show/finding-your-roots/?gclid=CjwKCAiAqt-dBhBcEiwATw-ggI-eE68_oNBdAxyxZ3imXlGNtD4vxf4pEbepUFzwEKpu45ppfLT7ARoC5WsQAvD_BwE), the [Glass Onion](http://avclub.com/film/reviews/glass-onion-a-knives-out-mystery-2022) star learned a fact about his heritage that would likely surprise anyone: he’s a direct descendant of the influential Powhatan woman—and central figure in colonial Jamestown lore—Pocahontas. [relation](https://www.avclub.com/turns-out-larry-david-is-related-to-bernie-sanders-1798264409) to Bernie Sanders, a [cousin connection](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pbs-series-finding-your-roots-finds-bill-maher-bill-oreilly-are-related/) between Bill Maher and Bill O’Reilly—and now, actor Edward Norton’s tie to one of America’s most famed indigenous women.

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.