July 2000: Signed a deal with McVitie's Biscuits to endorse all their product range. The deal is said to worth a six figure sum.In 2000 he turned down a reported £5 million contract offer from the BBC. Among other things, the BBC wanted him to take over as host of "Blankety Blank" (1977).In 1989 he was stabbed in the chest by muggers and left for dead.First came to be noticed in the UK with his role as a Priest in the TV comedy series, "Father Ted" (1995).Auditioned for the part of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)He dropped out of University College Cork to move to San Francisco. Later he moved to London and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama.He grew up as Graham Walker in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. When he won his first BAFTA in 2000, it came the week after his father died. He dedicated the award to Billy Walker at the ceremony but only his family and friends knew who he was referring to.In the Independent on Sunday 2006 Pink List - a list of the most influential gay men and women - he came no. 36, up from no. 37.In December 2001, the first ever talking waxwork was unveiled at Madame Tussauds London museum featuring a Graham Norton replica as the lifelike figurine. Visitors are offered three options of Norton's impudent catchphrases: innocent innuendos, cheeky banter, or X-rated doubles entendres.