Name: Natalie Portman

Birth Name: Natalie Hershlag

Birthdate: June 9, 1981

Birthplace: Jerusalem

Portman first gained notoriety at the age of 12 for her role in Luc Besson's The Professional. Her teens were spent in supporting roles until, at 18, she garnered a Golden Globe nomination for her part opposite Susan Sarandon in the drama Anywhere but Here. Despite these early successes, Portman didn't gain mainstream stardom until her role as Padmé Amidala in George Lucas' much-ballyhooed trilogy of Star Wars prequels. Despite critical ambivalence toward the Star Wars films, Portman jumped from the trilogy to a series of critically heralded dramas, including Cold Mountain, Garden State and Mike Nichols' Closer, the last of which garnered her her first Oscar nomination.


1. Portman graduated with a B.A. in psychology from Harvard in 2003.
2. She's fluent in Hebrew, and can speak French, German and Japanese.
3. She began graduate work at Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 2005.
4. She shaved her head for a role in V for Vendetta.
5. She's been a vegetarian since the age of 8.


On her Jewish heritage: "Oh my God! I'm not black, but I know what it feels like!"
— Allure Magazine, August 2004

2005: Academy Award nomination: Best Supporting Actress, Closer; Golden Globe: Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama), Closer

2000: Golden Globe nomination: Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama), Anywhere but Here

FILMS

My Blueberry Nights - (2008) - Actor
Goya's Ghosts - (2007) - Actor
Paris, Je T'Aime - (2007) - Actor
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium - (2007) - Actor
Free Zone - (2006) - Actor
Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith - (2005) - Actor
V for Vendetta - (2005) - Actor
Garden State - (2004) - Actor
Closer - (2004) - Actor
Cold Mountain - (2003) - Actor
Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones - (2002) - Actor
Zoolander - (2001) - Cameo
Where the Heart Is - (2000) - Actor
Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace - (1999) - Actor
Anywhere But Here - (1999) - Actor
Better Living Through Circuitry - (1999) - Featured
Everyone Says I Love You - (1997) - Actor
Beautiful Girls - (1996) - Actor
Mars Attacks! - (1996) - Actor
Heat - (1995) - Actor
The Professional - (1994) - Actor