Natalie Portman is an American theater and film actress, film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Place of Birth, Education
She was born on June 9, 1981 in Jerusalem.
Her father, Avner Hershlag, is a doctor, and her mother, Shelley Stevens, is her daughter’s agent.
When the future actress was 3 years old, the family moved from Israel to the United States of America (USA) so that her father could continue his professional development.
Initially, the family lived in Washington, D.C., where Portman attended Charles Smith Jewish Day School.
In 1988, the family moved to Connecticut, and in 1990 finally settled on Long Island, New York.
The actress has citizenship of 2 countries – the USA and Israel.
From the age of 4, Portman danced and performed with local bands. In particular, she studied at Solomon Schechter Jewish Elementary School in Glen Cove, and later graduated from school in Siosset.
In June 2003, she graduated from Harvard and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Career
1990 – 2000
At the age of 10, she tried herself at the auditions for the play “Ruthless!” and became Laura Bell Bundy’s stunt double.
The first high-profile breakthrough occurred in 1994, when Portman got the lead role in Besson’s film Leon. There she played Matilda, a girl who is friends with a killer performed by Jean Reno.
Already in 1995, Portman appeared in the film “Battle”, where Al Pacino and Robert De Niro starred. She played the adopted daughter of one of the main characters.
In 1996, 3 films were released with her at once. First there was the melodrama “Pretty Girls”, then Woody Allen’s musical “Everyone Says I Love You”, and also Tim Burton’s fantastic comedy “Mars Attacks!”.
In 1997, Portman starred in the Broadway production of The Diary of Anne Frank, based on the diary of a Jewish girl who described life during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
In May 1999, George Lucas’ film “Star Wars. Episode I. The Phantom Menace”, where Portman played the queen of the planet Naboo Padmé Amidala. Despite mixed reviews from critics and seven Golden Raspberry nominations, including for the worst on-screen duet of Portman and Jake Lloyd, the film became commercially successful and grossed more than $924 million at the worldwide box office.
In the same year, the actress also starred in the drama “Anywhere, but not here.” She played the role of Anne August, a girl whose views on life did not coincide with the vision of her mother, played by Susan Sarandon. For this work, Portman was nominated for the Young Actor and Golden Globe Awards in the category of Best Supporting Actress.
2000 – 2005
In 2000, Portman played the main role in the film “Where the Heart Is”. She was nominated for Young Actor Awards and Teen Choice Awards, and she also won the YoungStar Awards.
From June to September 2000, she participated in the filming of the film “Star Wars. Episode II. Attack of the Clones”, which took place in Sydney, Spain, Italy and Tunisia. The tape was released in May 2002, but, like the previous episode of the franchise, received restrained reviews from critics.
In July 2001, the actress played Nina in the production of “The Seagull” based on the play by Anton Chekhov at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park in New York.
In the same year, she made a cameo appearance in Ben Stiller’s comedy Exemplary Male, and also had a small role in Anthony Minghella’s war drama Cold Mountain alongside Nicole Kidman and Jude Law.
In 2004, Portman starred in two independent films. She originally played the role of Sam in Zach Braff’s drama Garden Country. Her heroine is a girl with a tendency to pathological lies.
In the same year, she appeared in Mike Nichols’ film “Intimacy”, where she played American stripper Alice Ayres, who moved to London. For this role, Portman received a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for a number of prestigious awards, including an Oscar and a BAFTA.
2005 – 2010
On May 15, 2005, the premiere of the film “Star Wars. Episode III. Revenge of the Sith” – the final part of the prequel trilogy. Unlike the previous two episodes, the film received much warmer reviews from critics and viewers, and also became the highest-grossing film of the year in the United States.
At the end of 2005, the premiere of the film “V for Vendetta” also took place, in which Portman played the main female role. The film was based on the dystopian graphic novel by Alan Moore. The events of the film take place in 2038 in totalitarian Great Britain. Portman’s heroine, Evie Hammond, is arrested for anti-government activities. For this role, the actress shaved her head bald.
In 2006, the actress appeared in the film almanac “Paris, I love you”, where she played in a fragment of Faubourg Saint-Denis. Her character Francine is a future actress who falls in love with a blind boy Thomas, played by Melchior Beslon.
At the end of the same year, Milos Forman’s film “The Ghosts of Goy” was released. In the film, Portman played Ines Bilbatua, the muse of the Spanish artist Francisco Goya.
In 2007, Wong Karwai’s film “My Blueberry Nights”, where Portman appeared in a minor role, opened the competition program of the 60th Cannes Film Festival.
In February 2008, the historical drama “Another of the Boleyn Family” was released. In the film, the actress played Anne Boleyn, and the plot was built around the rivalry between Anne and her sister Mary for the favor of King Henry VIII.
In May of the same year, Portman became the youngest member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. At the same time, she tried herself as a director – her short film “Eve” opened the short film competition at the 65th Venice Film Festival.
In October 2009, the premiere of the military drama “Brothers” took place, where Portman played one of the main roles.
2010 – 2020
In 2010, Portman played the lead role in the film Love and Other Circumstances.
In the same year, Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” was released – one of the most high-profile works in her career. In the film, she played a ballerina, for whom the struggle for a role in “Swan Lake” gradually turns into a painful obsession. For the sake of this role, Portman trained every day for several hours for six months and lost 9 kilograms. This work brought her first a Golden Globe in January 2011, and then an Oscar in February.
On January 21, 2011, the romantic comedy “More Than Sex” was released, where the actress starred with Ashton Kutcher.
After that, Portman appeared in the comedy genre – in the film “Brave with Pepper”, which premiered in April.
After comedies, Portman changed direction again and returned to more serious roles. In 2011, she played Jane Foster in the film “Thor” by Kenneth Branagh.
A year later, she joined Paul McCartney’s album Kisses on the Bottom, and also starred with Johnny Depp in the video for the song My Valentine.
In 2013, Portman returned to the role of Jane Foster in Thor 2: Kingdom of Darkness.
In 2016, she played Jacqueline Kennedy in the film “Jackie” by Larraín. The film tells about the life of the former First Lady of the United States after the murder of her husband. For this role, the actress received a Critics’ Choice Award and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress of the Year.
In 2022, Portman reappeared as Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder.
In addition to acting, she also tried herself in directing. In 2008, she shot the short film “Eve”, and in 2015 she released the biographical drama “A Tale of Love and Darkness”, which she created based on the autobiographical novel by Amos Oz.
Marital Status
While working on Black Swan, Portman began a relationship with French dancer Benjamin Millepied.
On December 27, 2010, the couple got engaged, and on June 14, 2011, they had a son, Alef Portman-Millepied.
On August 4, 2012, they officially got married.
On February 22, 2017, the couple had a daughter, Amalia Portman-Milpied.
On March 8, 2024, Portman and Milpies officially announced their divorce.
