Talented, intelligent, gorgeous and impressively grounded, this porcelain-skinned beauty made an auspicious film debut in 1994's
The Professional. As the only friend of a hit man, the 13-year-old Portman earned rave reviews and quickly landed additional big-screen parts. Yet fame didn't go to her head and she continued to live at home in Long Island, even when appearing on Broadway. Everything could have changed for Portman when she signed on as the heroine of the long-anticipated
Star Wars prequels. But while the blockbuster movies turned her into an international superstar, Portman eschewed the usual pitfalls of young stardom and used her downtime to attend Harvard University. In 2004, a pair of winning performances reminded audiences that the brunette beauty could indeed act;
Garden State director/writer/star Zach Braff handpicked her as his loopy love interest, and she netted an Oscar nod and a Golden Globe award as a savvy stripper in
Closer. Although she is undoubtedly one of Hollywood's biggest names, she boasts uncommon modesty (no nude scenes to date) and a low-profile private life (her reported relationships with Lukas Haas and Gael Garcia Bernal played out away from the tabloids).
Natalie Portman Fast Facts:
- Grandparents were Holocaust survivors.
- Was discovered at the age of 11 by a Revlon scout while she was eating in a New York pizza parlor.
- Portman is actually her grandmother's maiden name.
- Became close friends with Britney Spears when they appeared in the off-Broadway musical Ruthless in the early '90s.
- Turned down the controversial title role in Adrian Lyne's 1997 remake of Lolita.
- Made her Broadway debut in a 1997 revival of The Diary of Anne Frank as the titular character.
- Traveled the globe as FINCA International's Ambassador of Hope to promote aiding female-owned businesses in impoverished nations.
- Natalie Portman Relationships:
- Avner Hershlag - Father
- Devendra Banhart - Ex-significant Other
- Shelley Hershlag - Mother
- Natalie Portman Awards:
- 2000 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
- 2005 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Winner
- 2004 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- College:
- Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (BS in Psychology, 2003)
