• Bob Marley is the son of Norval Marley and Cedella Booker. 
• Little is known about Norval, a British naval officer who met Cedella while working in Jamaica.
• Norval reportedly died of a heart attack in 1957, when Bob was 10 years old.

Bob Marley is one of the most recognized and revered reggae artists, but little is known about his father, Norval Marley.

Bob finally gets the biopic treatment with “Bob Marley: One Love,” starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the late reggae superstar. Even though the film follows Marley as an adult, specifically between 1976 and 1978, there are some flashback scenes to his childhood that reference his abandonment by his biological father.

Here’s everything to know about Norval.

Norval Marley was a British naval officer

Only one known photo exists of Norval, a black-and-white image that shows him riding a horse while wearing a button-down shirt, tie, and hat. According to BBC, Norval supervised a plantation in Jamaica.

Although he’s known as “Captain” Norval, there’s no evidence that he ever achieved a title higher than a private while serving in the British army, according to the 2012 documentary “Marley.”

Norval and Cedella Booker, Bob’s mother, met in Nine Mile, Jamaica. In the documentary, Cedella recalled seeing Norval riding his horse through the district and said that he became “good friends” with her father. Cedella was about 16 years old and Norval was in his 60s when they met, according to her sister.

Bob, born Nesta Robert Marley on February 6, 1945, was named after Norval’s brother, Robert Marley.

Norval died in Jamaica in 1957

In “Bob Marley: One Love,” Bob has no substantial relationship with Norval. This is similar to the real-life events that transpired. After Bob’s birth, he and Cedella only saw Norval a few times.

Growing up in Jamaica, Marley was bullied for being biracial. Per the documentary, Bob went to see his father and was rejected, which inspired him to write the song “Corner Stone.”

Norval reportedly died of a heart attack in 1957, when Bob was 10 years old.