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Natalie Portman

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  Natalie Portman
  Portman at the 2003 Cinemathique Gala
  Birth name    Natalie Hershlag
                (Hebrew: נטלי הרשלג)
  Born          June 9, 1981 (age 25)
                Jerusalem, Israel
  Height        5' 3" (160cm)
  Notable roles Padmé Amidala in
                the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Evey Hammond in V for Vendetta

   Natalie Portman (Hebrew: נטלי פורטמן), born Natalie Hershlag (Hebrew:
   נטלי הרשלג) in Jerusalem, Israel on June 9, 1981, is a Golden
   Globe-winning, Academy Award-nominated Israeli-American actress.

   As a young child, Portman spent her school holidays attending theatre
   camps where she developed her love of acting. After some experience in
   an off-Broadway musical, she was cast in Léon at age twelve. During the
   mid-1990s, Portman had roles in films such as Heat, Everyone Says I
   Love You and Mars Attacks!, as well as having a major role in Beautiful
   Girls.

   In the late 1990s, she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars
   prequel trilogy. She placed a priority on her education and pursued
   tertiary studies at Harvard University even though it had potential to
   conflict with her acting career. Recent roles include Garden State,
   Closer, and V for Vendetta. For Closer, she received a Golden Globe and
   was nominated for an Academy Award.

Biography

Early life

   Portman was born in Jerusalem, Israel. Her father, Avner Hershlag, is
   an Israeli medical doctor specializing in the research and treatment of
   human fertility and reproduction ( reproductive endocrinology). Her
   mother, Shelley Stevens, is a Jewish American housewife who now works
   as her agent (she is an artist by hobby and not profession). Portman's
   father's family members are descendants of Jewish immigrants from
   Poland and Romania, while her mother's family members were Jewish
   immigrants from Austria and Russia; her paternal grandfather's parents
   died in Auschwitz and her Romanian-born great-grandmother was a spy for
   the British during World War II.

   Portman's parents met at a Jewish student centre at the Ohio State
   University, where Portman's mother was selling tickets. Portman's
   father returned to Israel, but the two corresponded and were married
   when Portman's mother visited Israel a few years later. When Portman
   was three years old, her family moved from Israel to her mother's
   native United States, where her father pursued his medical training.
   The family lived in Washington, D.C. in 1984 (she attended the Charles
   E. Smith Jewish Day School) and then Connecticut in 1988, before
   finally settling down in Syosset, New York in 1990. Portman has said
   that although she "really love[s] the States," her "heart's in
   Jerusalem. That's where I feel at home." Portman is an only child and
   very close to her parents, who are often seen with her at her film
   premieres; her mother always accompanied pre-adult Portman to filming
   locations.

Early career

   Portman started taking dancing lessons at the age of four, performed in
   local troupes, and dreamed of dancing on Broadway. At the age of twelve
   Portman was discovered in a pizza parlor by an agent for Revlon, who
   offered her an opportunity to model. She asked to be introduced to
   acting talent scouts, and took "Portman", her grandmother's maiden
   name, as her professional stage surname.

   Starting at age 13, Portman spent her school holidays attending upscale
   theatre camps Stagedoor Manor and Usdan Camp, where she forged her love
   for acting, playing roles in the camp productions such as the title
   character in Anne of Green Gables, Dream Laurey in Oklahoma! and Hermia
   in A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 1993 Portman was handed her first
   professional role as an understudy for the off-Broadway musical
   Ruthless!.

   Her inaugural experience in professional theatre led her to audition
   for Luc Besson's 1994 film Léon (aka The Professional). She was
   initially turned down for the role due to her youth, but further
   auditioning won her the part. Soon after Portman was given the part,
   she took Portman as her stage name in the interest of privacy. In the
   film, Portman plays an orphaned girl who befriends a much older
   assassin. Léon opened on November 18, 1994 and marked her feature film
   debut at age twelve. That same year she appeared in the short film
   Developing which aired on television.

1995–1999

   She was cast in the high-budget action film Heat. Although she had a
   small role, she starred alongside some of the industry's biggest names
   such as Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer. Following the success
   of Léon, Portman had gained considerable fame for her performance and
   was approached for the role of Marty in Ted Demme's Beautiful Girls.
   Following an audition, she was cast in Woody Allen's comedy-musical
   Everyone Says I Love You. She was also given a role in Tim Burton's
   famously star-studded Mars Attacks!. She had been considered for the
   role of Juliet in the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet, but was eventually
   turned down because of the age difference between her and Leonardo
   DiCaprio.

   In 1996, to Portman's surprise, casting director for the new Star Wars
   films Robin Gurland contacted her to see if she was interested in
   playing the female lead in the new films. Portman, still only 14 years
   old and having never seen the original three Star Wars films, was
   speculative at first about the commitment she was making and what
   impact it would have on her life, as the role would ultimately see her
   participate in three films over the course of a decade. After meeting
   with George Lucas and producer Rick McCallum she signed on to the
   prequel trilogy. Portman then auditioned for the role of Anne Frank in
   the Broadway revival of The Diary of Anne Frank. The decision to
   participate in this production caused her to pull out of the film The
   Horse Whisperer. In mid-1997, production began on the first of the
   three Star Wars prequel films, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

   She returned to complete her junior year in high school; whilst
   studying she also performed in The Diary of Anne Frank. She did eight
   shows a week while attending classes full-time. The play was performed
   for a month at the Colonial Theatre in Boston before making its
   Broadway debut at the Music Box Theatre in early December. She would
   receive a Tony nomination for her role as Anne Frank. She was also
   offered a role in the film Anywhere But Here, but after reading the
   script turned down the role as her character was involved in a sex
   scene. Director Wayne Wang and actress Susan Sarandon rushed to her
   support and demanded a rewrite of the script, allegedly saying they
   would not continue their involvement in the film unless the young
   actress’s wishes were respected. Portman was shown a new script and she
   happily joined the project. In early 1999, The Phantom Menace opened
   and became the highest grossing film of the year and the second highest
   grossing film out of the Star Wars series. Its massive audience and
   mainstream appeal saw Portman become an instant star. Portman then
   signed on to play a persevering teenaged mother in Where the Heart Is.
   Anywhere But Here opened in late 1999; she received a Golden Globe
   nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ann August.

2000–2005

   After filming Where the Heart Is, Portman moved into the dorms of
   Harvard to pursue her bachelor's degree in psychology. She graduated in
   2003. In July 2001, Portman opened in New York City's Public Theatre
   production of Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Mike Nichols, playing
   the role of Nina alongside co-stars Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and
   Philip Seymour Hoffman. The play opened at the Delacorte Theatre in
   Central Park. That same year she was one of many celebrities who made
   cameo appearances in the comedy Zoolander. Attack of the Clones was
   filmed in Sydney during this time, including additional production in
   London.

   In 2002, Attack of the Clones opened around the world. Portman was cast
   in a small role in the film Cold Mountain alongside Jude Law and Nicole
   Kidman. In 2004, Portman had starring roles in the independent movies
   Garden State and Closer. Garden State was an official selection of the
   Sundance Film Festival and won Best First Feature at the Independent
   Spirit Awards. Her role of Alice in Closer saw Portman win a Supporting
   Actress Golden Globe as well as a Best Supporting Actress Oscar
   nomination.

   In 2005 she filmed Free Zone. The year also saw a close to the Star
   Wars prequel trilogy, with Revenge of the Sith released worldwide on
   May 19. The film was the highest grossing film of the year and was
   voted Favorite Motion Picture at the People's Choice Awards. Shortly
   before the film's opening, Portman shaved her head for her role in the
   film adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel, V for Vendetta, released
   in March 2006. Her shaved head was first seen publicly at the Revenge
   of the Sith premieres. She kept her hair short for most of 2005, had a
   fauxhawk mohawk, and briefly sported a full mohawk in late August,
   saying that it was "kind of wonderful to throw vanity away for a bit".
   During the latter part of 2005, Portman filmed Goya's Ghosts.

2006–present

   Portman made her Saturday Night Live debut on March 4, 2006 , hosting
   the show with musical guest Fall Out Boy and special guest star Dennis
   Haysbert. In a now-famous SNL Digital short, she portrays herself as an
   angry gangsta rapper (with Andy Samberg as her Flava Flav-esque partner
   in Viking garb) during a faux-interview with Chris Parnell, saying she
   cheated at Harvard University while high on pot. (Note: NBC edited out
   all references to Harvard and smoking pot from the the version of the
   video available on at NBC.com) In another sketch, she portrays a
   student named Rebecca Hershlag (her actual surname) attending a Bar
   Mitzvah, and in an installment of the recurring sketch The Needlers
   (a.k.a. Sally and Dan, The Couple That Should Be Divorced), plays a
   fertility specialist (her father is a physician who specializes in
   fertility and reproduction).
   Portman with her shorter hair after it was shaved for her role in V for
   Vendetta, 2006
   Enlarge
   Portman with her shorter hair after it was shaved for her role in V for
   Vendetta, 2006

   V for Vendetta opened in early 2006. Portman portrayed Evey Hammond, a
   young woman who is saved from the secret police by the main character,
   V. Portman worked with a voice coach for the role, learning to speak in
   an English accent. Maxim magazine named Portman #33 on its annual Hot
   100 list, citing her V for Vendetta bald head as a huge accomplishment
   proving "you don't need hair to be hot."

   Portman has commented on V for Vendetta's political relevance, and
   mentioned that her character, who joins an underground anti-government
   group, is "often bad and does things that you don't like" and that
   "Being from Israel was a reason I wanted to do this because terrorism
   and violence are such a daily part of my conversations since I was
   little," although the film "doesn't make clear good or bad statements.
   It respects the audience enough to take away their own opinion".
   Portman's upcoming films include Goya's Ghosts and Free Zone (an
   Israeli film which received a limited U.S. theatrical release in April
   2006). She is set to appear in the children's film Mr. Magorium's
   Wonder Emporium, which began filming in April 2006; Portman has said
   that she was "excited to do a kids movie."

   Portman is currently filming The Other Boleyn Girl, a historical drama
   in which she will play Anne Boleyn; Eric Bana and Scarlett Johansson
   will co-star in the film.

   Portman recently landed a small role in the 18th season of the Emmy
   Award winning series, The Simpsons. She will be the voice of Bart
   Simpson's love interest from a neighboring town.

Personal life

Beliefs

   Portman has advocated for environmental causes from a young age,
   becoming a member of the environmental song and dance troupe The World
   Patrol Kids at age 12. She is a self-proclaimed " animal lover," and
   has been a vegetarian since she was eight years old.

   Portman has spent some of her free time involved in causes such as the
   Democrats' 2004 U.S. presidential campaign and ending poverty. In 2004
   and 2005 she traveled to Uganda, Guatemala, and Ecuador as the
   Ambassador of Hope for FINCA International, an organization that
   promotes micro-lending to help finance women-owned businesses in poor
   countries. In an interview conducted backstage at the Live 8 concert in
   Philadelphia and appearing on the PBS program Foreign Exchange with
   Fareed Zakaria she discussed micro-financing.

   Portman commented in an interview that "I'm much more like the product
   of a doctor than I am a Jew." On the concept of the afterlife, she
   comments "I don't believe in that. I believe this is it, and I believe
   it's the best way to live."

Controversy

   Portman, who had recently read some of the works by W.E.B. DuBois, was
   interviewed for the August 2004 issue of Allure magazine where she was
   quoted as saying, "Oh my God! I'm not black, but I know what it feels
   like!" This prompted her to follow up with a letter to their editor, in
   which she wrote: "The 'it' I was referring to when I said, 'I know what
   it feels like,' was not intended to signify that I know 'how black
   people feel,' but rather that I know what DuBois’s concept of
   double-consciousness feels like, in variation. Had my quote included
   what I actually said preceding that statement, perhaps my meaning would
   have been clearer."

   Portman also made headlines when she was moved away by Israeli Police
   on February 23, 2005 from Jerusalem's Western Wall after protests by
   religious Jews who were praying at the holy site. She and Israeli actor
   Aki Avni were filming a kissing scene near the Wailing Wall for the
   movie Free Zone. This was deemed to be immodest and men who were
   praying heckled the pair until police stepped in and suggested they
   return later. The site is under the authority of Orthodox Judaism, and
   Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, who is responsible for the site, said the
   actors' behaviour violated the code of conduct.

   It was reported that on July 8, 2005, Portman was pulled over by the
   NYPD while driving in a transit tunnel underneath New York City for
   looking unusual and having an expired registration. She had a shaven
   head from playing a freedom fighter in V for Vendetta, and had just
   arrived back in the United States from Israel and film shooting in
   Berlin. The policeman told her not to drive in the tunnel, but to take
   the bridge instead. "I've never had that happen to me before," Portman
   said. "It's supposedly random... I didn't understand that logic. If
   you're a suspect, don't take the tunnel, take the bridge?"

Education

   Portman held a 4.0 GPA throughout high school. She has said that she
   was "used to As" but admits to reading about institutional grade
   inflation in the Ivy Leagues in the New York Times. She reported on a
   talk show, "I'd rather be smart than be a movie star" and that her goal
   was to graduate from college even if it ruined her acting career.
   Despite her high profile and the affluence of her parents, at 13 she
   switched ("because I couldn't stand it anymore") to the public Syosset
   High School in Syosset, New York, graduating in June of 1999. Portman
   reportedly had to miss the premiere of Star Wars: Episode I so she
   could study for her high school final exams.

   After high school, Portman enrolled at Harvard University where she
   graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology on June 5, 2003. In
   2005 Portman pursued graduate studies at Hebrew University in
   Jerusalem. Portman is credited as a research assistant to Harvard
   Professor Alan Dershowitz's The Case For Israel. She was a research
   assistant to Dr. Stephen M. Kosslyn's psychology lab as well, and made
   a cameo appearance as a guest lecturer for the Terrorism and
   Counterterrorism course at Columbia University in early March of 2006,
   discussing themes from her film V for Vendetta.

   In addition to Hebrew and English, Portman has studied and/or can speak
   (to some degree) French, Japanese, and German. She has recently been
   learning to speak Arabic.

   As a student, Portman co-authored two research papers which were
   published in professional scientific journals. Her 1998 high school
   paper on the "Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen" was entered in the
   Intel Science Talent Search. In 2002, she contributed to a study on
   memory called "Frontal Lobe Activation During Object Permanence" during
   her psychology studies at Harvard.

Relationships

   Portman keeps her personal life as far away from the media spotlight as
   possible. She has always had many close male friends and rumored
   suitors who are frequently named as her boyfriends; the unverified
   gossip is often repeated as fact in tabloids and biographies. In
   reality, Portman has dated a couple of her college classmates, and has
   had alleged romantic links with actors including Liron Levo, Jake
   Gyllenhaal,, Hayden Christensen, and Gael García Bernal. In the May
   2002 issue of Vogue Portman called actor/musician Lukas Haas and
   musician Moby her close friends. She was linked to Maroon 5 frontman
   Adam Levine, but he claims they are friends. Recently, she is
   reportedly dating Nat Rothschild, of the famous multi-billionaire,
   Jewish banking family. But despite the rumors of her and Rothschild,
   Natalie has been spotted lately with Gael again. The two were seen
   kissing in London and Natalie has stated she has had an "intimate"
   realtionship with him before.

Trivia

     * Portman was an understudy in the off-Broadway play, Ruthless!, in
       which Britney Spears had a role. At a Manhattan hotel in 2003 they
       co-hosted a carnival-themed New Year's Eve party together.
     * A number of songs and albums are named after her, by artists such
       as Intel One, Team Sleep, Sage Francis, and Ozma. The make-up brand
       Stila has a lip colour named after her (a sheer plum titled
       "Natalie"), and fashion designer Zac Posen has referred to her as
       his " muse".
     * She is one of the few people with a finite Erdős-Bacon number,
       meaning she has both appeared in film (giving her a Bacon number)
       and co-authored at least one academic paper (giving her an Erdős
       number). These numbers are 9, 2, and 7, respectively.
     * In one skit of the March 4, 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live
       that she hosted, Portman, Maya Rudolph, and Rachel Dratch portray
       high school classmates. The name of Portman's character is Rebecca
       Hershlag, an in-joke for those aware that Hershlag is her real last
       name.
     * Because of what her role in V for Vendetta called for, she
       surprised a lot of fans when she turned up at the Revenge of the
       Sith premiere with her head shaved.
     * Keira Knightley, as handmaiden Sabé, doubled for Portman's
       character Queen Amidala in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
     * Portman also claims that she will never be in a horror movie or any
       "Jennifer Love Hewitt" movie. She was referring to the hit horror
       classic I Know What You Did Last Summer
     * Turned down the title role in Lolita
     * Though she stated that she would never be in a horror movie she was
       offered the lead role in Warner Brothers House Of Wax but she
       turned it down.
     * She was briefly considered for the role of Rachel Dawes in Batman
       Begins, though the part was written for Katie Holmes she was
       considered in case Holmes declined the offer.
     * Portman was also considered for the role of Lois Lane. However she
       was never screen tested or contacted with the information.
       Respectively Kate Bosworth took over the role.
     * She owns a summer home in Sea Cliff, New York.

Selected filmography

   Year Title Role Notes
   1994 Léon (aka The Professional) Mathilda
   1995 Heat Lauren Gustafson
   1996 Beautiful Girls Marty
   1996 Mars Attacks! Taffy Dale
   1996 Everyone Says I Love You Laura Dandridge
   1999 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Padmé Amidala
   1999 Anywhere But Here Ann August
   2000 Where the Heart Is Novalee Nation
   2001 Zoolander (Herself) cameo
   2002 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones Padmé Amidala
   2003 Cold Mountain Sara
   2004 Garden State Samantha
   2004 Closer Alice Ayres/Jane Jones
   2005 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Padmé Amidala
   2005 Free Zone Rebecca Received a limited theatrical release in the
   United States in April 2006
   2006 V for Vendetta Evey Hammond
   2006 Paris, je t'aime Francine In post-production as of November 2005
   2006 Goya's Ghosts Ines/Alicia
   2007 Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Molly Mahoney post-production
   2007 My Blueberry Nights ??? Post-production
   2007 The Other Boleyn Girl Anne Boleyn Filming
   2008 Indiana Jones 4 Indiana Jones' daughter (unconfirmed) In
   pre-production

Theatre

     * The Diary of Anne Frank (1999)
     * The Seagull (2001)

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