biography

Natalie Portman was born on June 9th, 1981 in Jerusalem, Israel. Portman isn’t her real last name; however, it is her grandmother’s maiden name. She is the only child, born to her father, a doctor, and her mother, an artist. At the age of three Natalie and her family moved to Washington, D.C. and later to Connecticut when she was seven. The family moved again when Natalie was nine, to Long Island, New York, where she still resides today.

Natalie was discovered by a modeling agency at the age of eleven while working at a pizza parlor in Long Island. Her early acting experiences came from the Usdan Theater Arts Camp where she played the bubble headed blond, Dora, in “Fiorello”. She also performed at the theater as a feminist Annie in “Annie get your Gun.” Her first big break into film and her acting career came when she landed a role in 1994’s “The Professional” where she played Mathilda. The highly acclaimed movie from French director Luc Besson started tongues wagging in Hollywood. Her spectacular performance in this movie made her an instant star.

She was soon cast in a minor but powerful role as Lauren in “Heat”(1995) starring Hollywood greats Al Pacino, Robert Deniro, and Val Kilmer. Her character, Lauren, was a troubled girl who was unable to deal with her biological father’s hatred of her and turns to suicide as an answer. That same year Natalie starred in a short film “Developing”, where she played the daughter of a single, breast cancer stricken mother.

Her career continued to grow and expand and 1996 brought three new projects. The first was “Mars Attacks” with Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, and Danny Divito. She was cast in the role of Taffy, the Presidents daughter, who rebuilds the world after aliens destroy everyone else. She was able to surface her comedic talent in this spoof comedy. Her next movie was “Beautiful Girls” where she played Marty, a neighborhood olita who falls for an older man. She was graced with well known actors, Matt Dillon, Timothy Hutton and Uma Thurman in this film but critics have said that it was Natalie who stole the show. Her final film of ’96 was Woody Allen’s musical comedy “Everyone Says I Love You” along with Goldie Hawn, Drew Barrymore and Alen Alda. She plays the small but significant role of Laura, a sister that has been stung by love.

Her most famous role to date is in the prequel “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace” where she plays Queen Padme Naberrie Amidala, ruling over a dying kingdom. She is also due to appear in the next 2 Star Wars features which are due out in 2001 and 2003.

Meanwhile Natalie attends public school and is a straight A student. Her favorite subjects are Biology and Math. She is also a vegetarian. She decided on this eating pattern after watching her father, who is an infertility specialist, perform laser surgery on a chicken. She plans on attending college after high school and told USA Today, “I’m going to college. I don’t care if it ruins my career. I’d rather be smart than a movie star.” She has also been quoted as saying “There’s so much else to do in the world. To just be interested in doing films would limit my life.” Talent, intelligence, beauty, and a sense of what’s important. It sounds as though Natalie will be successful no matter what her career path may be.