People love Norman. Yes, he plays the role of that short-spoken guy who shoots arrows – Daryl. The ladies love him for his charisma, brutality and a big, loving heart. The gents respect him for that no-BS attitude, honesty and the way he strikes the zombies down with his arbalest (well, technically, it’s a crossbow; by the way, do you know why he never runs out of arrows? Because he takes them out of the dead, cleans them and shoots again). A lot of folks first heard of Reedus back when he played Judas in Lady Gaga’s music video of the same name, but the man has been around for a lot longer. Sure, the TWD role did put him on the spot, big time, and people think of the zombies every time they see him, but he had a pretty amazing life before that. So, join us and let’s check out some awesome facts about Norman Reedus, the man who handles that crossbow even better than The Arrow does.
– First of all, you’ll never guess how old he is: He’s 47 years old, so, yeah, he’s almost 50! Man, people these days look so much younger than they actually are! The man’s birthday is January 6th, 1969. His hometown -Hollywood, Florida, but he grew up in LA, Cali. Norman and his former wife, Helena Christiensen (a Danish supermodel), welcomed their son, Mingus, in 1999. They share custody and are friends to this day.
– Currently Norman lives in NY with his son, but he’s a known traveler and has been to Spain, Japan, the UK and other exotic and not-so-much countries. He’s got Italian genes from his grandmother, while he also has English, Scottish and Northern Irish blood running through his veins.
– Daryl The Zombie Hunter is a really nice guy in real life and is a big fan of pets. He has a dog called Zero and a cat called Fatso (its official name is Eye in the Dark). All I’m wondering about is how Norman manages to keep the two off each other’s throats :).
– Reedus has been acting since 1997, when he first appeared in Mimic, a horror movie. However, most folks know him from the Boondock Saints blockbuster.
– Back in the day he used to model a lot – for Prada, Levi’s, Lexus and other famous brands.
– He’s a man of many talents: if you go to his official web-site you’ll learn that he’s also a photographer, a sculptor and a painter. Furthermore, some of his work is constantly being shown in galleries in Berlin, Frankfurt and even New-York. In 2013 Reedus released a book of photos. And he owns a film production company in NY. Aha, he’s a busy guy!
– He LOVES tattoos – he’s got 9 of them. One of the tattoos right over his heart says “Norman” – that’s Reedus’s father’s name, who passed away when he was a kid. Yep, he got his dad’s name! His son’s name is done in red on his right forearm.
– Judas is not the only music video Norman appeared in. He stared in R.E.M.’s Strange Currencies, Bjork’s Violently Happy, Radiohead’s Fake Plastic trees, and others.
– Crazy fact: back in February 2005 he got into a major accident on the road: A truck smashed into his car and he literally “flew” through the front window. He had to go through a major surgery and they installed a titanium eye socket (!) and 4 screws into his nose (!!). So, yeah, he’s kinda like a half-human now!
– As shocking as it might sound, his now-famous character, Darryl, was never even in the comics in the first place! Hard to believe, huh? Frank Darabont wrote him into the TV show after Reedus auditioned for Merle, Darryl’s brother (you remember him, right?) Oh, and he had to die by the end of season 1.
– Norman said once that his role in TWD earned a lot of “street credit” for his son.
