Natalie Portman, a remarkable individual born in the 1980s, made history by becoming the first person of her generation to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, a feat she accomplished for her outstanding performance in the film Black Swan, released in 2010.
Natalie Hershlag, her given name, was born on June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel, to Avner Hershlag, a doctor of Israeli descent, and Shelley Stevens, an American-born artist from Cincinnati, Ohio. Her parents, both of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, left Israel for Washington, D.C. when Natalie was still a young child. The family later relocated to New York, where Natalie currently resides.
Natalie's exceptional academic achievements enabled her to attend Harvard University, where she graduated with honors. Her remarkable journey in the entertainment industry began at the tender age of 11, when she was discovered by an agent in a pizza parlor. Initially, she was encouraged to pursue a career in modeling, but Natalie's passion lay in acting. She went on to feature in numerous live performances and made her powerful film debut in Léon: The Professional, released in 1994.
Natalie's impressive filmography includes notable roles in Heat (1995),Beautiful Girls (1996),and Mars Attacks! (1996). Her breakthrough role came in 1999, when she played Queen Amidala in the highly successful Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which grossed over US$431 million worldwide. She then starred in the critically acclaimed comedy dramas Anywhere But Here (1999) and Where the Heart Is (2000),followed by Closer (2004),for which she received an Oscar nomination.
Natalie reprised her role as Padme Amidala in the final two episodes of the Star Wars prequel trilogy: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). Her remarkable performance in Black Swan earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2010.
In addition to her impressive filmography, Natalie received a second Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the film Jackie, released in 2016.
