Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman (born June 9, 1981) is an Israeli-American actress. 'Portman' is a stage name that she uses instead of Hershlag, her real last name (Portman was her grandmother's maiden name).

She was born in Jerusalem but her family soon relocated to Maryland, then Connecticut, before finally settling down in Long Island, New York. She was discovered in a pizza parlor at the age of eleven by an agent for Revlon, who wanted her to model. After being introduced to acting agents, she made her movie début at the age of twelve, playing a child who befriends a much older assassin in Luc Besson's Léon.

Portman went on to charm critics and viewers alike in Beautiful Girls, and played a minor part in Everyone Says I Love You. She is best known for her role as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequels, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and the upcoming Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. She also played herself in one scene of the 2001 Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander.

Portman has the trademark of often portraying characters that are unusually smart, mature, and/or grown-up for their age.

She recently graduated from Harvard University with a degree in psychology.

Portman has been a vegetarian since she was eight years old.

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