| A SHORT NATALIE PORTMAN BIOGRAPHY |
| Born; June 9, 1981 Birthplace; Jerusalem, Israel Height; 5' 3" Fact; Portman is only Natalie's stage name, taken from her grandmother's maiden name. Natalie's real name she likes to keep private, and even though I've read elsewhere what it is, I choose not to put it on my site as Natalie deserves her own privacy and if she wanted people to know she would use it herself. Fact; Natalie speaks some German, Arabic, Hebrew, Japanese and French. Fact; Nat has been a strict vegetarian since the age of eight after attending a Medical Conference with her father where a chicken was used for animal testing. Charity Work; Spokesperson for FINCA's Villiage Banking Call For Action Campaign Awards; Golden Globe Award 2005 for best supporting actress in Closer Oscar nomination for same role. Female Star Of The Year Award at the Showest award ceremony. Films to date; Leon/ The Professional Developing Heat Beautiful Girls Mars Attacks Everyone Says I Love You Anywhere But Here Starwars Episode I;- The Phantom Menace Where The Heart Is Star Wars Episode II-Attack Of The Clones Cold Mountain Garden State Closer Freezone Starwars Episode III;- Revenge Of The Sith V For Vendetta Goya's Ghosts My Blueberry Nights The Other Boleyn Girl Mr Margoriums Wonder- Emporium Paris, Je'taime Zoolander Hotel Chevalier Theatre; Ruthless The Diary Of Anne Frank The Seagull Considered; Lolita House Of Wax Batman Begins Superman Returns |
| Natalie was born in Jerusalem on June 9, 1981, the only child to her Israeli father and American mother. It was a tough decision as to where she should be raised, either her father's homeland or her mother's, but when Natalie was three they decided it would be the best for her if they moved to the US, so they did and settled in Maryland. There, Natalie took singing and dance classes. Four years later they would move to Connecticut where her father attended Yale University. Whilst in one of her classes at school one day Natalie was chosen to appear in a catalogue and had some pictures taken of her. It was these pictures that were seen by Wilhelmina Models, a NY model agency who helped launch the careers of Jessica Lange, Daisy Fuentes and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Natalie would be part of the kids division. In 1990 her family and her moved to Long Island, NY, where Natalie was enrolled in the Creative and Performing Arts in Huntington, where she excelled. She also had private dance lessons as this only occured in the Summer months. One day her mother picked her up from her dance class and they went to a Pizza parlour. It was there that a Representative of Revlon approached Natalie and told her how pretty she was and that they were looking for models. He told Natalie; "You've got a beautiful face, you could be a star!" The photo shoot she found very boring, not being able to express herself but just having to pose. This made her decide that modeling wasn't what she was after, but wanted to persue acting instead. She told Wilhelmina Models just that. and was signed to a new agent who worked with actors. Now that Natalie wanted to be an actress, her parents were concerned about using her true name for the sake of her own privacy. Natalie would change her real Surname for the name of her Grandmother, and so Natalie "Portman" was born. Natalie Portman's first acting job came in the form of playing understudy in an Off-Broadway musical called 'Ruthless'. The actress she played understudy to was Britney Spears! Ruthless ran it's course, with Natalie getting the lead for a sort while when Britney left, but the production came to an end and Natalie's agent went about finding her her next role. Even though out of work as an actress, Natalie still had Grammer school to concentrate on. Shortly after, Luc Besson was holding auditions for the part of a 12 year old in his film that was to be titled 'Leon/The Professional'. Natalie went for an audition but was turned away, being told she was "too young". But later got a call to audition again. Two weeks later she was called up again, this time to do a reading onto videotape, and then again for a third time to read with Jean Reno, the male lead of the film. Natalie got the part! Her parents were a little concerned due to the content of the film, and her mother Shelley was with her at all times during filming. Natalie got on great with Reno, and also Gary Oldman who plays the bad-guy Cop. This was Natalie's first role, and she proved beyond a doubt what she was capable of. In 1994, Natalie was enrolled in the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Camp, which was for gifted youngsters, to be taught the basics of Theatre and Dance.. Natalie also acted in a short film that year, called 'Developing'. She next went for an audition for 'Little Women', but didn't get the part. Next up for Natalie was a small role in Michael Mann's 'Heat'. Although the role was small, Mann chose Natalie because he believed she could make the necessary impact of the character in the small amout of time she's on-screen. She did just that. Also up was 'Beautiful Girls', alongside Matt Dillon and Timothy Hutton. Nat was wonderful in the role of Marty, and impressed director Ted Demme, who said 'In ten years time she's going to run the entire world!' 1996 saw the release of two more films for Nat. First up was 'Mars Attacks', with a celebrity cast including Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Michael J. Fox among others. It's another wacky film from Tim Burton, very strange and amusing, and once again Nat's role isn't huge but she makes an impact. Second was 'Everyone Says I Love you', a musical of sorts directed by Woody Allen. Natalie was worried about doing it for fear of having to sing! Not a great performance by her, Allen is a rather awkward director with strange methods and Nat was a litte uncomfortable with it, but it did her no harm. 1997 was to be a be a significant year for Nat, it's the year she signed on to play a part in a small project called The Phantom Menace! This year the original 3 were re-relesed with extra footage to bring them up to date with the three prequels that were due to be made. Also this year Nat would perform on Broadway in The Diary Of Anne Frank. She was also signed on to play Juliet in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo And Juliet, but was considered to look too young and the part went to Claire Danes instead. And so, in the Summer of '97 the filming of Star Wars; The Phantom Menace, began. This was unlike anything Nat had done before, taking a dual role and often having to rely on her imagination as alot of things would be added later via CGI. Also the heat of the Tunisian desert made it even more hard work. And let's not forget Nat also was still studying, juggling between schooling, filming, and learning her part for 'Anne Frank. When Anne Frank opened it was to mixed reviews, although the reviews of Nat's acting were always of praise.The experience of the role itself for her was a good one, and had been a role she had wished to play since she'd read the book aged 12. She felt she brought a new side to Anne Frank, one that had not been played before. All in all it was a good experience. Next up, in '98, obviously still in between school and study was Anywhere But Here, with Susan Sarandon. Nat and Sarandon hit it off and it shows on screen, although the two in the film are dead opposites, it definately works. The film opened to very good reviews, and Nat was nominated for a Golden Globe Award but unfortunately didn't win. May, 1999, a little film called Star Wars; The Phantom Menace is realeased! Although reviews were not particularly great the film made a mint at the box-office, and catapulted Nat even more into the spotlight with now even more fans. Probably more important to Nat though was her High School Graduation that year. 2000 saw Where The Heart Is for Nat, a movie in which she'd star in with Ashley Judd who Nat thought was the best actress she'd worked with. The two are great together on screen and Nat's complete alter-ego she has to play is a superb performance. If this one didn't show what Nat could do then I don't know what could. Nat and Judd remained friends even after filming had finished. After filming Where The Heart Is Nat started a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at Harvard University. She graduated in July 2003, but did not stop her acting whilst attending Uni. In July 2001 she appeared onstage in New York's Public Theatre in The Seagull, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Philip Seymour Hoffman. That year she also made a small cameo in Zoolander, the spoof male-model movie starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Star Wars; Attack Of The clones was also being filmed this year. AOTC opened in 2002, that year Nat also starred in Cold Mountain with Jude Law, Nicole Kidman,Renee Zelweger, Ray Winstone and Jack White. Next up was the brilliant Garden State in 2004. Starring Scrub's Zach Braff, who also directed, this is a wonderful light-hearted comedy love story. Also up this year was Closer. Starring Jude Law again, as well as Clive Owen and Julia Roberts, Nat shone through in a very unusual role for her as a stripper. Nat won Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globe awards, and was nominated for the same catagory at the Oscars. I always thought Roberts was the supporting actress in Closer to Nat, but obviously not. A well deserved award! 2005 saw Freezone which opened to mixed reviews, but the big one was Revenge Of The Sith, the last of the prequels for the original three and by far the best. At the opening of the movie Nat turned up with a shaved head, which was part of her guise for her next film; V For Vendetta. Based on a graphic Novel by Alan Moore it tells a story of England in the near future in a fascist like state. V is a vigilante who stands for the right of everybody to be free thinking and released from the fascist government. Hugo Weaving is V, it also stars John Hurt and Stephen Rea. 2006 saw another small role in Paris, Je'taime. 2007/2008; Nat can currantly be seen in Goya's Ghosts, The Other Boleyn Girl with Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana, Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium and a small part in The Darjeeling Limited (A short film called Hotel Chevalier which is shown before TDL). |
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| " People are like-'You want your privacy, why would you be in Star Wars?' I didn't know what it was going to be like. It's hard to get people to understand that too, and you know, if you say you don't want to take a picture with someone, they walk away thinking, 'What a bitch!' And that hurts too." ......on the downside of fame. |
| At a glance.... |