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| Birth Name(s) : Natalie Hershlag |
Date of Birth: June 9, 1981 |
| Status:
Single
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Partner:
N/A |
| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Natalie Portman Biography
Natalie Portman is a heavyweight in the making (for all those asleep at the wheel, we're not talking about boxing here); a future Julia Roberts with the potential of becoming a perennial Meryl Strep-like yearly Oscar contender. And she has so many admirers, we might as well rename a state after her because she'll have everyone at her feet soon enough.
Did we mention she's in all the new Star Wars movies? |
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Additional Natalie Portman Biography
Natalie Portman (Hebrew: × ×˜×œ×™ פורטמן‎; born June 9, 1981) is a Golden Globe-winning, Academy Award-nominated Israeli-American actress.
Portman was born Natalie Hershlag (Hebrew: × ×˜×œ×™ הרשל×'‎) 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.
As a child, Portman spent her school holidays attending theater camps. In 1994, 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", her grandmother's maiden name, 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 13. That same year she appeared in the short film Developing, which aired on television. Starting at age thirteen, Portman spent her school holidays attending upscale theater camps Stagedoor Manor and Usdan Camp, where she fell in love with acting, playing roles in camp productions such as the title character in Anne of Green Gables, Dream Laurey in Oklahoma!, and Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
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.
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, and had to have her head shaved in a scene in the movie. 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."
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.
When asked in a June 2002 Rolling Stone interview whether she "ever wondered, growing up, whether 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."
Portman has advocated for environmental causes from a young age, becoming a member of the environmental song and dance troupe at age twelve. She is a self-proclaimed "animal lover," and has been a vegetarian since she was eight years old.
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."
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. |
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Natalie Portman Quote(s)
| I'm going to college. I don't care if it ruins my career. I'd rather be smart than a movie star. |
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