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| Natalie Portman |
Date of Birth:
9 June 1981, Jerusalem, Israel
Birth Name
Natalie HershlagNickname
NatHeight
5' 3" (1.60 m) |
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Mini Biography
Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem, the only child of a doctor father (from Israel) and an artist mother (from Cincinnati, Ohio), who also acts as Natalie's agent. She left Israel for Washington, D.C., when she was still very young. After a few more moves, her family finally settled in New York, where she still lives to this day. She graduated with honors, and her academic achievements allowed her to attend Harvard.
She was discovered by an agent in a pizza parlor at the age of 11. She was pushed towards a career in modeling but she decided that she would rather pursue a career in acting. She was featured in many live performances, but she made her powerful film debut in the movie Léon: The Professional (1994) (aka "Léon"). Following this role Natalie won roles in such films as Heat (1995), Beautiful Girls (1996), and Mars Attacks! (1996).
It wasn't until 1999 that Natalie received worldwide fame as Queen Amidala in the highly anticipated US$431 million-grossing prequel Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). She then she starred in two critically acclaimed comedy dramas, Anywhere But Here (1999) and Where the Heart Is (2000), followed by Closer (2004/I), for which she received an Oscar nomination.
She was discovered by an agent in a pizza parlor at the age of 11. She was pushed towards a career in modeling but she decided that she would rather pursue a career in acting. She was featured in many live performances, but she made her powerful film debut in the movie Léon: The Professional (1994) (aka "Léon"). Following this role Natalie won roles in such films as Heat (1995), Beautiful Girls (1996), and Mars Attacks! (1996).
It wasn't until 1999 that Natalie received worldwide fame as Queen Amidala in the highly anticipated US$431 million-grossing prequel Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). She then she starred in two critically acclaimed comedy dramas, Anywhere But Here (1999) and Where the Heart Is (2000), followed by Closer (2004/I), for which she received an Oscar nomination.
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Spouse
| Benjamin Millepied | (4 August 2012 - present) 1 child |
Trade Mark
Often portrays characters that are rather smart, mature, and grown up for their age.
Brown eyes
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Trivia
Turned down a role in The Horse Whisperer (1998) to act in "The Diary of Anne Frank" on Broadway.
Graduated from Syosset High School, Syosset, New York. [29 June 1999]
Has taken dance lessons since the age of 4.
Stated in a TV interview that with the exception of the Star Wars prequels, she will not act for the next four years in order to concentrate on studying at Harvard University. [1999]
Can speak two languages, Hebrew and English (her native languages), fluently. Also knows some conversational French, German, and Japanese and Spanish.
Originally turned down the role of Ann August in the film Anywhere But Here (1999) because of the love scene between herself and Corbin Allredthat required nudity. Susan Sarandon, who had co-star approval, said she couldn't continue the movie without Portman, so the script was re-written without the scene and she accepted the role.
Was a member of the environmental song and dance troupe The World Patrol Kids under her real name, Natalie Hershlag.
She is an only child.
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She went to Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp in 1994 and 1995 where she was Anne in "Anne of Green Gables" in 1994 and "Tapestry" in 1995.
She was discovered in a pizza parlor and was originally turned down for the role of Mathilda in Léon: The Professional (1994) because she was too young.
David Letterman and Harpers and Queen magazines said that she is "the new Audrey Hepburn".
Turned down the title role in Adrian Lyne's Lolita (1997), due to her feelings about young adult actors/actresses being exposed to sex in films.
Before she was cast in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), she had never seen the original Star Wars trilogy. She admitted to James Lipton on "Inside the Actor's Studio" in 2004 that before being cast she didn't know the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek.
Moved to the US when she was 3 years old.
Turned down the role of Wendy in The Ice Storm (1997) because she felt the material was "too dark." The role went to Christina Ricci, who has said she often gets the projects Natalie turns down.
Said would never be in a horror movie or any other "Jennifer Love Hewitt type" film
Has said in interviews that when she gets older, she would like to be a doctor like her father.
Was reportedly caught using a fake ID trying to sneak into Boston club called the Roxy. The performer Moby insisted that she was invited by him and refused to perform unless she was admitted. She was admitted, and security watched her as she stood in the back, watched the show, and didn't drink. She later stated in an online interview that the story about sneaking into the Roxy club in Boston was not true and that she and her friends went home after they were denied entrance.
Takes pride in the fact that she is a role model for girls and choses roles that are positive so that they will have a positive role model to look up to.
Her father is a fertility specialist.
Auditioned for Little Women (1994).
Became interested in acting after spending three summers at the prestigious (and expensive) Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp.
Is very close to her parents and says, "The best part about being friends with your parents is that no matter what you do, they always love you."
Grew up in Syosset, Long Island, New York, where she still resides.
Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.
Natalie was born on her mother's 29th birthday.
One of Teen People Magazine's 25 Hottest Stars under 25 [2002]
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Went to Usdan Camp for the arts as a child.
The makeup brand Stila has a lip gloss named after her.
As of November 2010, she has appeared on "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993) 15 times.
Voted the 15th Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire Magazine September 2002.
Graduated from Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2003 with a Artium Baccalaureus degree in Psychology.
Has a passion for travel. In late 2003 and early 2004 she travelled alone to Morocco and Guatemala.
Favorite actor is Ben Kingsley.
Is trained in ballet, jazz, and tap dancing.
She has worked with or appeared with several of her co-stars twice: Ashley Judd in Heat (1995) and Where the Heart Is (2000); Lukas Haas inMars Attacks! (1996) and Everyone Says I Love You (1996); 'Julia Roberts' in Everyone Says I Love You (1996) and Closer (2004/I); Philip Seymour Hoffman in the play The Seagull and Cold Mountain (2003); John Carroll Lynch in Beautiful Girls (1996) and Anywhere But Here(1999); Stellan Skarsgård in Goya's Ghosts (2006) and Thor (2011); Olivia Thirlby in New York, I Love You (2009) and No Strings Attached(2011/I). She has also worked with director Mike Nichols on two occasions: for the play The Seagull and Closer (2004/I). She has also appeared alongside Jude Law three times in Cold Mountain (2003), Closer (2004/I), and My Blueberry Nights (2007) and with Hayden Christensen three times in the Star Wars prequels and New York, I Love You (2009).
As a young girl, she was an understudy for the lead character in the off-Broadway show, "Ruthless," alongside Britney Spears. They still keep in touch, and recently threw a party together in New York City.
Fashion designer Zac Posen refers to her as his "muse."
Both she and Sofia Coppola have played the daughter of a character played by Al Pacino, and also both appeared in a film featuring Pacino and Robert De Niro. Sofia Coppola was in all three Godfather films (though she had only an uncredited part in the 2nd), and Portman was in Heat(1995). Portman and Coppola appeared together in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).
Close friends with Jake Gyllenhaal, Mila Kunis and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Her comedic influences are Lily Tomlin and Diane Keaton. She said in an interview, "I love Lily Tomlin and I love Diane Keaton. They're sort of my heroes. Diane Keaton can do anything. She's just the best there is."
Has a song named after her by the band TeamSleep.
She and director Tom Tykwer became good friends after working together on True (2004).
She spoofed her role in Star Wars before becoming involved in the series. In Mars Attacks! (1996), she gives a medal to Lukas Haas in a scene resembling the award ceremony at the end of Star Wars (1977). The medals were given out by Princess Leia, the daughter of Portman's future character, Queen Amidala. In addition, the recipients of those medals, Haas and Harrison Ford, appeared together in Witness (1985).
Was considered for a role in Elizabethtown (2005).
Has a CD named after her by Chicago-based DJ Intel One. The CD was done for charity, given away, and titled "Love: A Tribute to Natalie Portman." It featured songs by Shelley Duvall, Common, The Roots, and others.
She has worked with two Draculas as well as two Frankenstein monsters. In Léon: The Professional (1994), she worked with Gary Oldman, who played Dracula for Francis Ford Coppola. In Heat (1995), she appeared with Robert De Niro, who played The Creature for Kenneth Branagh. In Star Wars, she works with Christopher Lee, who played both roles for Hammer studios.
Had to miss the premiere of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) so she could study for her high school final exams.
Has a song named after her by the band Ozma.
Bears a striking resemblance to Keira Knightley. Knightley played Sabé, the Queen's decoy, in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace(1999). When in makeup, not even the mothers of the actresses could tell them apart.
She hesitantly shot an explicit nude scene for Closer (2004/I), in the scene where Alice (Portman) strips for Larry (Clive Owen). Ultimately, Portman and director Mike Nichols agreed not to use it, as the scene was effective enough without it.
Shaved her head for V for Vendetta (2005).
Worked with a vocal coach to learn how to speak with an English accent for V for Vendetta (2005).
Still takes ballet classes.
Learned how to play the piano and conduct for Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007).
Named #42 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.
Named #49 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)
Says her performances in Everyone Says I Love You (1996) is her worst. Her failure, she believes, is her inability to improvise.
Several months after shaving her head, she was traveling through Ireland and stopped for directions at a bed and breakfast. The owners refused to allow her even onto their porch. They did, however, give her directions.
Voted Peta's Sexiest Female Vegetarian in 2002.
A radio station once had a contest to find out where she went to school; Backstreet Boys tickets were the prizes.
Her mother is American (the daughter of one Russian parent, one Austrian) and her father is Israeli (son of a Polish father).
In 1999, magazines reported that Portman started a new trend - wearing logo T-shirts - when they snapped photos of her at her 18th birthday wearing a snug Nesquik shirt. (However, logo T-shirts had already been popular since at least the 1970s) She had borrowed the shirt from her best friend's eight-year-old brother; he was appalled.
In 2005, she spent a few months in Madrid partying with Javier Bardem and friends. She was mostly unrecognizable to fans because of her Mohawk.
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Occasionally shelters dogs.
Once during an interview, she offered a metaphor for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the David Hare play "Via Dolorosa." It's about a man who jumps out of a burning building and lands on a passerby, breaking the passerby's leg. The passerby says, "You broke my leg," and the man breaks his other leg to shut him up.
Said that it was while working on The Seagull (2002) (V) that she became aware that acting is much more about the process than the product. Most helpful was when she would peek over Philip Seymour Hoffman's shoulder at the notebook he kept, in which he wrote questions and then answers about his character's feelings.
She became the first client of Artists Management Group to land representation at the powerhouse Creative Artists Agency. CAA refused to work with clients of its former founder Michael Ovitz's AMG; as soon as the one-time super-agent sold out his interest in the management firm, CAA went straight after Portman.
Was surprised and amused to discover that her apartment in the heart of Kings Cross, London, was across the street from a brothel.
Took diving courses in Eilat, Israel. Diving is one of her favorite hobbies.
For her 2003 New Year's party, she wore a Zac Posen dress that had more than $10,000 worth of crystals sewn onto it. She also attended Moby's much-hyped secret Naked NYE party.
As the first day of Cold Mountain (2003) filming fell on Halloween, Portman came to set dressed as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz", only to realize she was the only one who'd dressed up.
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.
When she arrived at a London airport to do re-shoots for the third Star Wars prequel, a customs official--going by her size--asked Natalie if she was traveling with a guardian.
Is a close friend and well-known customer of Zac Posen, a friend of Jeanine Lobell and her husband Anthony Edwards, as well as Jonathan Safran Foer. Portman has also been friends with Isaac Mizrahi since she was 14, and friends with Mike Nichols and his wife Diane Sawyersince she was 15.
Attended a soccer game in Madrid with Stellan Skarsgård. Afterwards, the team gave her her own jersey.
While in northern Iraq in 2004, the 1st Battalion 5th Infantry hung a giant poster of her in their command hanger after discovering that most of the men in the unit were big fans.
Was considered for the role of Jane Austen in Becoming Jane (2007), but the role went to Anne Hathaway.
Her parents met at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
Her father Avner was born on September 12, 1951, and her mother Shelley was born on June 9, 1952.
Has a slight indentation on her head that was visible during the time she her head shaved. The indentation was the result of being delivered by vacuum extraction.
Named #61 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).
Director Milos Forman sought her out for an audition after seeing her on the cover of Vogue. He said that she looked like a Goya painting.
She currently lives in Long Island, New York, and also shares a home in London, England. She has lived in Long Island, New York since she was a child. [2007]
Listens mostly to R&B, Old School Hip-Hop and 90s Alternative Rock. Some of her favorite groups and artists are A Tribe Called Quest,Radiohead, Stevie Wonder, Portishead, Wu Tang Clan, and Nirvana.
Footage of her and Leonardo DiCaprio as Juliet and Romeo in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996) was actually shot before executives had her replaced with Claire Danes due to the age difference between Natalie and Leonardo.
Unwinds by singing karaoke at Winnie's, a NYC bar in Chinatown.
While in Morocco, she lived in a tent and traveled by camel. She visits Morocco regularly.
There is a band named after her: Natalie Portman's Shaved Head.
Named #2 on Empire Magazine's 100 Sexiest Movie Stars (2007) and was ranked #2 on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' the actress list (2008).
During the royal premiere of the Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), she met 'Prince Charles'. The prince asked her whether she had also been in the original Star Wars (1977), which had been released four years before her birth.
Was listed as a potential nominee for the 2008 Razzies for Worst Actress, for her performances in Goya's Ghosts (2006) and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007). She didn't make the final ballot.
Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008.
Replaced Eva Green in Closer (2004/I).
Sold her 2,088-square-foot house in Sea Cliff, New York for $1.750 million. She had purchased it in 2002 for $1.375 million. [2007]
Sold her two-bedroom loft in Manhattan's West Village for $6.55 million. She purchased the property in 2005 for $5.7 million. [2008]
She paid $3.25 million to purchase a four-bedroom, 4,866-sq.-ft. home in Los Angeles's Hollywood Hills area. Previous owners were Dermot Mulroney and Catherine Keener. [2009]
Was in attendance at the wedding of her Your Highness (2011) co-star Zooey Deschanel to Benjamin Gibbard (13 September 2009).
Is best friends with Rashida Jones and a close friend of Robert Pattinson.
Was originally cast as Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights (2011), but was replaced by Gemma Arterton, who was later replaced by Kaya Scodelario, after dropping out of the project.
Was in consideration for the role of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010) after Emily Blunt dropped out of the project, but Scarlett Johansson was cast instead.
Engaged to Black Swan (2010) choreographer Benjamin Millepied, with whom she is expecting their first child [December 28, 2010].
In New York, she led a viewing of A Powerful Noise (2008) a documentary about women fighting adversity. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar held another viewing in Los Angeles [6 March 2009].
Was in consideration for the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), but Anne Hathaway was cast instead.
Is one of 9 actresses to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich (2000), Renée Zellweger for Cold Mountain (2003),Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line (2005), Helen Mirren for The Queen (2006), Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006), Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008), Mo'Nique for Precious (2009/II) and Octavia Spencer for The Help (2011).
She has said one of the most difficult challenges of filming Black Swan (2010) was her speaking voice. She stated throughout her career, so far, director Mike Nichols has given her consistent criticism on how childish her voice normally sounds and encouraged her to work with vocal coaches to make it sound deeper and more adult. The role of Nina required her to regress backwards to make her voice more child-like. She felt it was taking her back to a point she worked hard to leave behind.
Was briefly referenced in The Social Network (2010). Portman was approached by writer Aaron Sorkin when writing the screenplay to the film to get insider information on Harvard University at that time because she was a fellow student of Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin, and also Divya Narendra and Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.
In the spring of 2004 she completed one semester of graduate courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Jerusalem, Israel.
She entered a project into the Intel Science Talent Search in the late 1990's while at Syosset High School. Her project, titled "A Simple Method to Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar," took her to the semi-finals of the Intel contest. She graduated Valedictorian of Syosset High School in 1999 and went on to study Psychology and Neuroscience at Harvard University, graduating in 2003.
In 2006, she appeared as a guest lecturer at Columbia University in a political science course titled "Terrorism & Counterterrorism." She led the class in a discussion about politically infused violence referencing her most recent film at the time, V for Vendetta (2005). Her appearance was part of an MTV short-series, "Stand Ins," where college professors were replaced with a celebrity instructor for one day.
She often broke down and cried offstage while part of the Broadway adaptation of "The Diary of Anne Frank" in 1997, where she portrayed Anne Frank, because of her personal connections to the events. Her grandparents lost most of their family members in the Holocaust including her paternal great grandparents who were killed at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.
Was a resident of Lowell House during her first year at Harvard University.
Did not have a Bat Mitzvah due to her parents being more secular than religious Jews. She attended a Conservative Jewish day school through seventh grade more to preserve her sense of Israel and her Hebrew than a religious motivation.
Is a dual citizen of the United States and Israel.
Was voted "Most Likely to be on Jeopardy" in the senior superlatives at Syosset High School.
In January 2011, she became the new face of Dior in the Miss Dior Cherie ad campaign. On February 27, 2011, a video of top Dior designer,John Galliano, going on an anti-Semitic rant in Paris surfaced online. Portman released a statement condemning Galliano's actions, specifying she was "shocked and disgusted," and as a proud Jewish woman refused to associate herself with him from that point on. Since the Miss Dior Cherie ad campaign was set to officially launch two days after the video surfaced, Dior was forced to take legal action to work out a settlement in order to keep Portman as a spokesperson. Galliano was fired on March 1, 2011 and the ad campaign launched as originally planned.
Paid for all of her own ballet training to prepare for the role of Nina in Black Swan (2010).
Where the Heart Is (2000) contains her first on-screen love scene.
One month before filming began for The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Portman began taking daily classes to master the English accent under dialect coach Jill McCullough.
Was in consideration for the role of Ryan in Gravity (2013/II) but Sandra Bullock was cast instead.
Was ranked #8 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 of 2011 list.
Is a spokeswoman for FINCA, a financial charity who gives and recycles small loans to women in poverty stricken countries so they can start small businesses. FINCA's president Rupert Scofield has spoken about feeling lucky to have Portman as a celebrity spokeswoman because she is, "extremely intelligent and committed." Portman has traveled to several countries as a FINCA ambassador and worked with many of the women FINCA's donations have helped.
Was the one who led her Brothers (2009/I) co-star Bailee Madison to Guillermo del Toro for a role in Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010). Portman spoke about her young co-star with Alfonso Cuarón, who is a good friend of Guillermo del Toro, and then recommended Madison for a role. She ultimately was cast as a lead character, Sally Hirst. In July 2011, Guillermo del Toro spoke in an interview about how Bailee Madison was "a miracle" and that they had Portman to thank for it.
Was one of the first actresses offered the role of Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) along with Carey Mulligan and Ellen Page, but Portman declined due to exhaustion. The role ultimately went to Rooney Mara.
In September 2011 she traveled to Paris, France with fiancé Benjamin Millepied and their son Aleph to celebrate Millepied's retrieval of an award from the French Minister of Culture. Millepied was awarded the "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres".
Owns and operates her own film production company, Handsomecharlie Films, with Annette Savitch. As of 2011, every film produced by the company (except for the short film "Eve", which Portman wrote and directed) has featured Natalie in a lead or supporting role. As well as acting in the films produced by Handsomecharlie Films, she is also credited as an executive producer.
Huge fan of professional wrestling.
On October 18, 2011, she added a fan-voted Spike TV Scream Award for Best Actress in the film Black Swan (2010) to the collection of other awards she received for the same film and category.
Favorite actresses include Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton.
Participated in a live reading of the 1960 film The Apartment (1960) where she read the part of Fran Kubelik originally portrayed by Shirley MacLaine. The sold out reading directed by Jason Reitman was held on November 17, 2011 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Portman read alongside J.K. Simmons, Ken Jeong, Nick Kroll, and her No Strings Attached (2011/I) co-star Mindy Kaling.
Was a vegetarian from 1989 until 2009 when after reading the book Eating Animals she opted to become a vegan. However she resumed vegetarianism after falling pregnant with her son Aleph to give him the necessary supplements and also due to her insatiable craving for eggs and cheese. Following her son's birth she resumed veganism once again.
Served on the jury at the 2011 Gotham Independent Film Awards alongside Nicole Kidman and Jodie Foster.
Voted #21 on Ask men's top 99 'most desirable' women of 2012.
Returned to work 10 months after giving birth to her son Aleph in order to begin filming Untitled Terrence Malick Project (2013).
Gave birth to her 1st child at age 30, a son Aleph Portman-Millepied on June 14, 2011. Child's father is Benjamin Millepied.
Married her boyfriend of 3 years and father of her 13-month-old son Aleph Benjamin Millepied. It was a private ceremony in Big Sur, California. [August 4, 2012]
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