Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman was born Natalie Hershlag on June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel, to a Jewish family. She is the only child of Avner Hershlag, an Israeli-born doctor, and Shelley Stevens, an American-born artist (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 University. 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, o Profissional (1994) (aka "Léon"). Following this role Natalie won roles in such films as Heat - Cidade Sob Pressão (1995), Mulheres Giras (1996), and Marte Ataca! (1996).

It was not until 1999 that Natalie received worldwide fame as Queen Amidala in the highly anticipated US$431 million-grossing prequel Star Wars: Episódio I - A Ameaça Fantasma (1999). She then she starred in two critically acclaimed comedy dramas, A Minha Mãe, Eu e a Minha Mãe (1999) and A Voz do Coração (2000), followed by Perto Demais (2004), for which she received an Oscar nomination. She reprised her role as Padme Amidala in the last two episodes of the Star Wars prequel trilogy: Star Wars: Episódio II - O Ataque dos Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episódio III - A Vingança dos Sith (2005). She received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Cisne Negro (2010).

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