Buckley was born in 1955 to parents Betty Bob (née Diltz), a dancer and journalist, and Ernest Buckley, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and later a college professor and dean of engineering. Buckley grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, studied history at the University of Texas at Arlington before moving to California where he would later graduate from the University of Southern California. In spite of initial disapproval from his father, who wanted him to become a civil engineer like himself and Buckley's two brothers, Norman Buckley attended the film school at the University of Southern California. He intended to become a writer, but was encouraged to take up a craft, in addition to writing, and he soon discovered he had a natural aptitude for film editing.
Buckley's first job as an assistant editor was on the 1983 film Tender Mercies, which featured his sister, actress Betty Buckley, who helped him land the job after hearing that the film's editor was seeking a local assistant while on location in Waxahachie, Texas. The editor was pleased with Buckley's work and took him to New York to begin his career. Since then, he has worked on many films, television series and made-for-TV movies as an editor. He landed his most notable job on The O.C.—as both an editor and director—having previously worked with Stephanie Savage and McG on the television series Fastlane. His co-editor on the series, Matt Ramsey, had previously been Buckley's editing assistant but was promoted to co-editor when Josh Schwartz initially offered Buckley the job on The O.C.. Following The O.C.'s conclusion, Buckley followed Schwartz to direct and edit his next projects, Gossip Girl and Chuck.
Aside from editing, he has ventured in producing only once in 1999 on the film Happy, Texas but more notably has directed a number of episodes from the television series The O.C., Gossip Girl and Greek. His only acting credit is a minor role in Solomon & Sheba, a part he only landed because was editing another project in Morocco, and the producers shooting Solomon & Sheba did not want to fly in other English-speaking actors to play minor parts. He agreed to do it only as a lark.
Buckley has been nominated twice for an American Cinema Editors award: in 2003, for Joe and Max, for Best Edited Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television; and in 2008, for the pilot for Chuck, for Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television.He won the latter award at the ACE banquet on February 17, 2008.
He is currently an assistant visiting professor in the film school at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Buckley has a sister, Betty, and two brothers. His two brothers became engineers, a profession his father thought more worthy than any job in the film industry, although Buckley has stated: "Fortunately, my father expressed his pride in my accomplishments before he died."
