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Natalie Portman Profile |
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Birth Date: June 9, 1981
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Birth Place: Jerusalem, Israel
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Birth Name: Natalie Hershlag
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Height: 5'3"
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Biography |
Natalie Portman was born on June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem,
Israel. The daughter of an infertility specialist and an
artist, Natalie (who uses her grandmother's maiden name in
order to protect her privacy) left Israel at the age of 3
and relocated with her family to Maryland, Connecticut, and
finally to Long Island, New York, where her parents still
reside.
Discovered by a modeling scout at a New York pizza parlor at
the age of 11, Natalie was not motivated by modeling and
wanted to find a more fulfilling job. Although she had no
initial desire to become an actress, Natalie developed an
interest in performing after attending the Stagedoor Manor
Performing Camp for three summers.
Her first acting experiences came from her summers at
Stagedoor Manor, where she was cast in theater performances
of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Cabaret, Anne of Green Gables
(in the title role), and Tapestry.
natalie in the professional
Natalie's film career started with her role in the 1994
film, The Professional (a.k.a. Leon), as a hit-man's protge.
The following year, she appeared in the crime-drama Heat,
alongside heavy hitters Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, and
was noticed in the 1996 film, Beautiful Girls, stealing the
screen from another beautiful actress, Uma Thurman.
Her role in Beautiful Girls garnered rave reviews for
Natalie, and that same year she could be seen in the Woody
Allen star-studded musical, Everyone Says I Love You, as
well as Mars Attacks!
After having turned down roles in movies like Lolita (due to
her feeling that young actors should not be exposed to sex
at such a young age) and the role of Juliet in William
Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (because of the age difference
between Portman and Leonardo DiCaprio), Natalie refused the
supporting role in The Horse Whisperer, opting instead to
star as Anne Frank in the Broadway production of The Diary
of Anne Frank. She was nominated for a Tony award for her
performance.
natalie in star wars
But the role that turned Natalie into more than a
Broadway/film actress is that of Queen Padm Amidala, in the
first Star Wars prequel. Her three-film contract, which
started with 1999's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom
Menace, has transformed her into a historic film character.
Ironically, Natalie had never even seen the original three
Star Wars movies before being cast by George Lucas.
Natalie's graduation from Syosset High School took place the
same summer that the much-hyped prequel was released.
After her role in Phantom Menace, Natalie co-starred with
Susan Sarandon in Anywhere But Here (1999), and starred in
the lead role alongside Ashley Judd in the film adaptation
of Where the Heart Is (2000).
natalie in closer
Her next projects were Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the
Clones (2002), Cold Mountain (2003), Garden State (2004),
and True (2004). In 2004, she wowed audiences in Closer,
co-starring Jude Law, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. She took
home a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (in Closer)
and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category
for this role.
Trilingual (Natalie speaks Hebrew, English and Japanese) and
having aspirations of becoming a doctor, Natalie studied
psychology at Harvard University and is currently studying
at Hebrew University in Jerusalem while filming Free Zone
(due for release in 2005). In 2005, she will also appear as
Senator Amidala/Padm Naberrie-Skywalker in the third
installment of the Star Wars prequel series, Episode III -
Revenge of the Sith.
Her other 2005 credits include V for Vendetta, The Smoker
and Paris, je t'aime.
Often referred to as "the new Audrey Hepburn," Natalie
surely has a bright film career ahead of her... if she
decides to remain an actress, that is. |
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Other
Information |
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 been a vegetarian since the age of 8.
Has taken dance lessons since the age of 4.
Says that math was her favorite subject in school "because
there's always an answer."
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 Allred that 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.
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 Leon: 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.
Dated Lukas Haas. [July 2001]
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]
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 a several of her co-stars twice: Ashley
Judd in Heat (1995) and Where the Heart Is (2000); Lukas
Haas in Mars Attacks! (1996) and Everyone Says I Love You
(1996); 'Julia Roberts' in Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
and Closer (2004/I); Jude Law in Cold Mountain (2003) 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). She has
also worked for director Mike Nichols on two occasions: for
the play The Seagull and Closer (2004/I).
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: Episode IV - A New Hope (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).
Shares a birthday with Johnny Depp and Michael J. Fox.
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 Leon: 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 (2006).
Worked with a vocal coach to learn how to speak with a
British accent for V for Vendetta (2006).
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.
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 Sawyer since 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 she 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: Episode IV - A New Hope (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.
Measurements: 34A-25-35 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).
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 $3.250 million to purchase a four-bedroom,
4,866-sq.-ft. home in Los Angeles' 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 originally a vegetarian, but later became a vegan in
2009.
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.
Was in a relationship with Devendra Banhart (March-September
2008).
Was in a relationship with Gael García Bernal (March
2003-May 2004). They rekindled their romance for a short
time in early 2007.
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 eight 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) and Mo'Nique for Precious
(2009).
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 (2006). 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).
Has naturally curly, dark brown hair.
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. |
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