Natalie Portman,
born Natalie Hershlag on June 9, 1981, is a Golden
Globe-winning, Academy Award-nominated Israeli-American
actress.
As a child, Portman spent her school holidays attending
theater camps. After some experience in an off-Broadway
musical, she was cast in Léon (aka The Professional) at
age 12. During the mid-1990s, Portman had roles in the
films Heat, Everyone Says I Love You and Mars Attacks!,
as well as 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 as a psychology major, despite the chance it
might conflict with her acting career. Her recent roles
include Garden State, Closer, and V for Vendetta. For
Closer, she received a Golden Globe, and was nominated
for an Oscar and a BAFTA Award.
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 homemaker 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 center at 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... my 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; when Portman was young, her mother
always accompanied her 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 12
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 instead
of modeling agents, however. Referring to her discovery
in an interview with Blender Magazine, Portman says,
"I was definitely different from the other kids. I
was more ambitious, I knew what I liked and what I
wanted, and I worked very hard. I was a very serious
kid.". Natalie then took "Portman", her
grandmother's maiden name, as her professional stage
surname.
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 12
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 instead
of modeling agents, however. Referring to her discovery
in an interview with Blender Magazine, Portman says,
"I was definitely different from the other kids. I
was more ambitious, I knew what I liked and what I
wanted, and I worked very hard. I was a very serious
kid.". Natalie then took "Portman", her
grandmother's maiden name, as her professional stage
surname.
The following year, she auditioned for Luc Besson's film
Léon (aka The Professional). She was initially turned
down, but through further auditioning won the part. Soon
after getting the part, she took Portman as her stage
name in the interest of privacy (in the Director's Cut
of the film found on DVD she is credited as Natalie
Hershlag). 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 12. That same year she appeared in the short film
Developing, which aired on television.
1995–1999: She was also offered a role in the
film Anywhere But Here, but turned the part down after
learning it would involve a sex scene. Director Wayne
Wang and actress Susan Sarandon demanded a rewrite of
the script. Portman was shown a new draft, and she
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
made Portman 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 said in a 1999
interview that, with the exception of the Star Wars
prequels, she would not act for the next four years in
order to concentrate on studying. She graduated in 2003.
In July 2001, Portman opened in New York City's Public
Theater production of Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by
Mike Nichols, playing the role of Nina alongside Meryl
Streep, Kevin Kline, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The
play opened at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.
That same year she was one of many celebrities who made
cameo appearances in the comedy Zoolander. Star Wars
Episode II: 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 appeared 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 and the final Star Wars
prequel, Star Wars Episode III: 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 faux hawk, 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. Legendary
director Milos Forman hadn't seen any of her work, but
thought she looked like a Goya painting so he requested
a meeting. During the filming of Goya's Ghosts, she
partied in Madrid with co-star Javier Bardem but was
largely unrecognized due to her mohawk. She also
attended soccer games with co-star Stellan Skarsgaard.
2006–present: Portman appeared on Saturday
Night Live 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. 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 (also known as Sally and Dan, The Couple That
Should Be Divorced), plays a fertility specialist (her
father's profession).
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 hairstyle
as a huge accomplishment proving "you don't need
hair to be hot." She is also set to appear in the
movie "Goya's Ghosts" where she plays
"Alicia" , "the stunning actress will be
seen completely naked during torture scenes in the
upcoming film which focuses on revered artist Francisco
Goya."
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." She said 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."
In late 2006 Portman filmed The Other Boleyn Girl, a
historical drama in which she plays Anne Boleyn; Eric
Bana and Scarlett Johansson will co-star in the film.
She was also named one of the hottest women of film and
TV, by Blender Magazine.
Portman recently landed a small role in the 18th season
of the Emmy Award winning series, The Simpsons. She was
the voice of Bart Simpson's love interest, Darcy, from a
neighboring town.
Pop culture references: 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 color named after her (a sheer
plum titled "Natalie"),fashion designer Zac
Posen has referred to her as his "muse"and
writer Kia Abdullah names Natalie as the woman she would
like to be. Portman is among a very small number of
professional actors with a finite Erdős–Bacon
number.
Beliefs: Portman has advocated for environmental
causes from a young age, becoming a member of the
environmental song and dance troupe 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. Host Fareed Zakaria said that he was
"generally wary of celebrities with fashionable
causes", but included the segment with Portman
because "she really knew her stuff". In the
"Voices" segment of the April 29th, 2007
episode of the ABC Sunday Morning Program This Week with
George Stephanopoulos, Portman discussed her work with
FINCA and how it can benefit women and their children in
third world countries.
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!" She then wrote 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’ 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' behavior
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 her role 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 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, Portman went to
a Jewish day school (Solomon Schecter High School Of
Glen Cove), and then attended 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.
Her years at Harvard resulted in the phenomenon of The
Natalies, in which every underclasswoman with that first
name received numerous e-mails and phone messages from
fans.
Relationships: Portman has dated a couple of her
college classmates, and has had romantic links with
actors including Liron Levo, Jake Gyllenhaal, 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, Portman has been
spotted lately with Bernal again. The two were seen
kissing in London and she has stated she has had an
"intimate" relationship with him before. In
the December 2006 issue of Elle magazine, Dustin Hoffman
confirms that Portman and Bernal were dating when
Hoffman and Portman worked together in Toronto, Ontario.
When asked in a June 2002 Rolling Stone interview
whether she "ever wondered, growing up, whether
[she is] gay," she said: "Sure. I've never
dated a woman or anything like that. But ... I think
it's much more the person that you fall in love with —
and why would you close yourself off to fifty percent of
the people? ... I think my personality is more
compatible with men than women."
Natalie Portman Profile,
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