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Pocahontas existed and was the great-grandmother of the actor Edward Norton

Pocahontas existed and was the great-grandmother of the actor Edward Norton

American actor Edward Norton has revealed that the real Pocahontas, the romanticized and mythologized 17th century girl, is his 12th great-grandmother.

The Oscar-nominated star learned about his family connection to the woman who married Virginia colonist John Rolfe on Tuesday's episode of the PBS genealogy show "Finding Your Roots."

Pocahontas existed and was the great-grandmother of the actor Edward Norton

Historian and host Henry Louis Gates Jr. confirmed that the old family rumors were true. “You have a direct line of connection to your 12th great-grandmother and great-grandfather, John Rolfe and Pocahontas,” he told her.

According to Gates, the couple married on April 5, 1614 in Jamestown, Virginia, at a time when William Shakespeare was still alive. He added that the documents revealed that Pocahontas died three years later in Gravesend, England, while Rolfe died around March 1622.

Pocahontas welcomed English settlers to present-day USA in the early 17th century. Legend has it that she saved Captain John Smith's life, stopping his execution by placing her head on top of his.