Graham Norton Biography- Graham William Walker, born on April 4, 1963, is better known as Graham Norton. He is an Irish comedian, actor, author, and television host renowned for his work in the UK. Norton has won five BAFTA TV Awards for his comedy chat show, The Graham Norton Show (2007–present), and has received a total of eight awards throughout his career. He also won the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance three times for his earlier show, So Graham Norton (1998 to 2002). Originally airing on BBC Two, his chat show took over the late-Friday-evening slot on BBC One from Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in 2010. From 2010 to 2020, he hosted the Saturday-morning slot on BBC Radio 2, and from January 2021 to February 2025, he presented his weekend.
Graham Norton Biography 2025
Graham William Walker, better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, actor, author and television host known for his work in the UK. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy chat show The Graham Norton Show and an eight-time award-winner overall.
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Born: 4 April 1963 (age 61 years), Clondalkin, Ireland
Norton was born at 48 St Brigid’s Road in Clondalkin, County Dublin, Ireland. He is the son of William “Billy” Walker, a Guinness sales representative who passed away in 2000, and Rhoda Walker. He has an older sister named Paula. Due to his father’s job, the family moved frequently around Ireland, living in places like Tramore, Waterford, and Kilkenny, before settling in Bandon, County Cork. Raised in a Church of Ireland family, Norton has spoken about feeling somewhat isolated as a Protestant in a predominantly Catholic region.
His father’s ancestors were English, having emigrated from Yorkshire to Ireland in 1713. Norton attended Bandon Grammar School and later University College Cork, where he studied English and French for two years in the 1980s, though he did not finish his degree due to personal struggles. He received an honorary doctorate from the university in 2013.
Host of the BBC Two’s comedy program The Graham Norton Show. He became known for his over-the-top style and risqué dialogue.
Before Fame
He grew up in the town of Bandon in County Cork. He rose to national attention when his appearance in drag as Mother Theresa fooled correspondents on Scottish Television.
Trivia
He hosted dance many contest shows and talent shows as well as the Live Earth Concert from London and The British Academy Television Awards.
Family Life
He grew up in a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. In 2010, he began dating Trevor Patterson, but the couple split in 2013.
Associated With
In a rare crossover to the United States, he made a cameo in an episode of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.
Norton gained initial attention in 1992 when he performed a comedy drag act as a tea-towel-clad Mother Teresa at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His broadcasting career began in the early ’90s as a regular comedian and panelist on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends. He gained further recognition by substituting for a late-night talk show host and hosting the quiz show Bring Me the Head of Light Entertainment. His appearances in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted also contributed to his rising profile.
He launched his first chat shows, So Graham Norton and V Graham Norton, on Channel 4, and in 2004, he moved to the U.S. to host The Graham Norton Effect on Comedy Central. Later, he returned to the BBC, where he hosted several programs, including Graham Norton’s Bigger Picture and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? His chat show The Graham Norton Show premiered in February 2007 on BBC Two, later moving to BBC One in 2009. The show’s format is notable for featuring multiple celebrity guests who often enjoy drinks while chatting.
Norton hosted the first Eurovision Dance Contest in September 2007 and took over as the presenter of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009, following Terry Wogan. His debut at the contest was well-received, and he has hosted various related events, including Eurovision’s Greatest Hits in 2015. He also made an appearance in the film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga in 2020.
Norton, who is openly gay, has had several relationships, including a three-year partnership with Trevor Patterson that ended in 2013, followed by a split with Andrew Smith in 2015. He has expressed that his ex-boyfriends often struggled with the public attention surrounding their relationship. In 1989, Norton was a victim of a violent mugging in London, where he was stabbed by a group of attackers. He lost a significant amount of blood and was hospitalized for two and a half weeks. He does not believe the incident was a hate crime, as he was walking alone.
Graham Norton, an Irish comedian and television host, has an estimated net worth of $40 million. He is best known for his chat show, The Graham Norton Show, which airs on BBC One on Friday nights. In addition to his television work, Norton has received multiple accolades, including five BAFTA TV Awards for Best Entertainment Performance, and he frequently hosts the British Academy Television Awards.
