Natalie Portman

The US Trends | Natalie Portman | Natalie Portman is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship.Her 1st role was as an orphan taken in by a hit man in the1994 French action film Léon,but major success came when Portman was cast asPadméAmidala in the Star Wars prequel tri-logy(released in1999,2002 and2005).In1999, Portman enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology while still working as an actress.She completed her bachelor\\\'s degree in2003.

In2001, Natalie Portman opened in New York City\\\'sPublic Theater production of Anton Chekhov\\\'sThe Seagull.In2005, Portman received a nomination for the Academy Award forBestSupporting Actress as well as winning theGoldenGlobe Award forBestSupporting Actress-Motion Picture for the dramaCloser. Portman won aConstellation Award forBest FemalePerformance,and aSaturn Award forBest Actress for her starring role in 'V for Vendetta'(2006).She played leading roles in the historical dramas Goya\\\'s Ghosts(2006) andTheOther Boleyn Girl(2008).InMay2008, Portman served as the youngest member of the 61stAnnual Cannes Film Festival jury.Portman\\\'s directorial debut,Eve,opened the 65th Venice International Film Festival\\\'s shorts competition in2008.

In2011, Natalie Portman won the Academy Award,the Golden Globe Award,the Screen Actors Guild Award,and the BAFTA Award for her lead performance as NinaSayers in Black Swan.

Natalie Portman, born Natalie Hershlag on June9,1981 in Jerusalem,Israel.While she was a toddler,Portman\\\'s parents immigrated to the United States.Initially they resided in Washington D.C.,and finally settled in Long Island, New York,where Natalie attendedSyosset High School.

While at a local pizza parlor, Natalie Portman was discovered by a representative of Revlon cosmetics,who encouraged the11-year-old to pursue a modeling career.However,Portman found modeling mundane,and decided to direct her efforts toward acting.Shortly after,she began working with theUsdan Theatre Arts Camp,where she appeared in a number of local productions.

 Natalie Portman made her film debut inLuc Besson\\\'s memorable1994 feature,The Professional.The demanding role,which featured her as hitman\\\'s apprentice,caught the attention of critics and audiences.The following year,she sustained her popularity with a brief but captivating performance as Al Pacino\\\s troubled daughter inHeat(1995).

In her next projects, Natalie Portman held her own alongside Hollywood\\\'s A-list actors and directors.Ted Demme\\\'s heartwarming filmBeautiful Girls(1996)featured her in a pivotal role as a coming-of-age pre-teen.She was noted for her charming performance,opposite an impressive cast,includingMatt Dillon,Timothy Hutton Uma Thurman,and Lauren Holly.Later that year,she took on lighter parts inWoody Allen\\\'s musical EveryoneSaysI LoveYou,with Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts;and inTim Burton\\\'s sci-fi comedyMars Attacks!,with JackNicholson and GlennClose.

After turning down the controversial role of Lolita, Natalie Portman took a brief sabbatical from the big screen.In1997,she spent a year on Broadway in the title role ofThe Diary ofAnne Frank.The play was a critical success,and Portman was credited with delivering a fresh interpretation of Frank\\\'s character.

Natalie Portman returned to film in1999,gaining international recognition with the release of George Lucas\\' eagerly anticipated prequel Star Wars I:The Phantom Menace.Later that same year,she was cast opposite Susan Sarandon in the film version ofMona Simpson\\\'s novelAnwhere ButHere.2000\\\'sWhere theHeart Is featured Portman in a more mature role,in which her character ages 5 years during the course of the film.

In spite of her burgeoning film career, Natalie Portman remained adamant about her education,graduating with honors from Harvard University inJune2003.

Natalie Portman has also completed production on the 2nd and 3rd films in theStar Wars series,reprising her role as Queen Amidala.In2004 Portman starred in2004\\\'s GardenState.In2005,she won aGoldenGlobe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance inCloser co-starringClive Owens,JuliaRoberts and JudeLaw.

Natalie Portman won critical praise for her role in2006\\\'s V for Vendetta.In2008 Portman starred in historical dramaThe OtherBoleyn Girl alongside Scarlett Johansson.

Portman\\\'s next big role came in2010,when she starred inDarren Aronofsky\\\'s Black Swan.Portman reportedly lost 20pounds and went through rigorous dance training for the film,which was a critical success.

Natalie Portman started dating ballet dancer BenjaminMillepied in2009,after meeting on the set of Black Swan.In2010 the couple announced their engagement,and inJune2011 Portman gave birth to her 1stvchild,Aleph PortmanMillepied.