Alex Norton

Alex Norton is a veteran Scottish actor whose career spans more than five decades, beginning with his first television appearance in the early 1960s on STV's live lunchtime show The One O' Clock Gang. Born in Glasgow and raised in the Gorbals before moving to Pollokshaws, he attended Shawlands Academy where a school drama group sparked his passion for performance at the age of fourteen. Rejecting the conventional route into acting due to his father's disapproval, he worked part‑to‑part while co‑founding the politically charged 7:84 theatre company in 1973, touring Scotland with groundbreaking productions such as The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black Black Oil. His early screen work included roles in Dr. Finlay's Casebook and Bill Forsyth’s cult classic Gregory's Girl, establishing him as a versatile character actor.

Over the ensuing years Alex Norton became a familiar face on both small and big screens, most notably as DCI Matt Burke in the long‑running detective series Taggart and as the amiable neighbour Eric Baird in the sitcom Two Doors Down. His film résumé boasts collaborations with directors like Mel Gibson (Braveheart), Peter Jackson (King Kong – role declined), and Clint Eastwood (White Hunter, Black Heart), as well as appearances in Hollywood blockbusters such as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. In addition to live‑action work, he has lent his distinctive voice to animated shorts (Haunted Hogmanay), video games (The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone, Dragon Quest XI), and the iconic song “The Song of Mor'du” from Brave. A passionate advocate for Scottish culture, Norton has also directed stage productions, written award‑winning television scripts, and presented the STV crime series Unsolved. Married to fellow actress Sally Kinghorn since 2001, the couple share three sons—Jamie, Rory and Jock—and remain active contributors to Scotland’s vibrant entertainment landscape.