Natalie Hershlag, better known by Natalie Portman, is an Israeli-American actress. Portman was born in Jerusalem, Israel. Her father, Avner Hershlag, is a fertility specialist. Her mother, Shelley Hershlag, is an American homemaker who works as her agent. Portman has studied French, Japanese, German, and Arabic. She can speak Hebrew as well as English.
At the age of four, Portman took dance lessons. When she was 10, said she wanted to focus on acting and auditioned for the off-Broadway show Ruthless. In 1994, she auditioned for the role in The Professional. Léon, known as The Professional, opened on November 18, 1994, marking her feature film debut at age 13.
In 1999, she enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology and completed her bachelor's degree in 2003. In the spring of 2004, Portman took graduate courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In March 2006, she appeared as a guest lecturer at a Columbia University course in terrorism and counterterrorism. Portman is a a vegetarian and an advocate for animal rights. In 2007, she launched her own brand of vegan footwear.
Portman has been nominated for numerous awards. She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for the drama Closer. She won a Constellation Award for Best Female Performance, and a Saturn Award for Best Actress in the film V for Vendetta. For her role in V for Vendetta, Portman had to shave her head and learned to speak with an English accent.
Portman has starred in many films such as Heat (1995), Beautiful Girls (1996), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Anywhere but Here (1999), Where the Heart Is (2000), Zoolander (2001), Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), Cold Mountain (2003), Garden State (2004), Closer (2004), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2004), V for Vendetta (2006) among others. In 2010, Natalie Portman starred in Black Swan and was nominated for her third Golden Globe award for her performance in the film.
Natalie Portman has been romantically involved with American folk singer Devendra Banhart. On the set of Portman's film Black Swan, she met ballet dancer Benjamin Millepied, who acted as her choreographer. On December 27, 2010, a Portman representative said that Portman and Millepied were engaged and expecting a child.
