Arriving in Hollywood in the 1920s, Norton first appeared as an extra in The Black Pirate (1926) but was soon cast in Fox Films' The Lily that same year. His big break came when he was given the role of Pvt. "Mother's Boy" Lewisohn in What Price Glory?, which turned out to be a huge commercial success. He landed substantial roles in Legion of the Condemned and 4 Devils (both 1928), which were also very successful. His acting was well received by audiences and critics at the time, and, during the silent era, he avoided being typecast as a Latin lover. One theater owner in Golden City, Montana, said, "[Norton] has as yet to show me a bad performance. There's a boy that is a 'natural'."Profile, cinemaweb.com; accessed July 4, 2015.
