Natalie Portman (
Neta-Lee Hershlag) born June 9, 1981)
is an Israeli-born American (with dual citizenship) actress, producer, and director. Her first role was in the 1994 action thriller
Léon: The Professional, opposite Jean Reno, but mainstream success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the
Star Wars prequel trilogy (released in 1999, 2002 and 2005). In 1999, she enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology while still working as an actress. She completed a bachelor's degree in 2003.
In 2001, Portman opened in New York City's Public Theater production of Anton Chekhov's
The Seagull. In 2005, Portman won a Golden Globe Award and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama
Closer.
She won a Constellation Award for Best Female Performance and a Saturn
Award for Best Actress for her starring role in the political thriller
V for Vendetta (2006). She played leading roles in the historical dramas
Goya's Ghosts (2006) and
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). In May 2008, she served as the youngest member of the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival jury. Also in 2008, Portman directed a segment of the collective film
New York, I Love You. Her first feature film as a director,
A Tale of Love and Darkness, was released in 2015. Portman is also known for her portrayal as Jane Foster, the love interest of Marvel superhero Thor, in the film adaptation
Thor (2011), and its sequel,
Thor: The Dark World (2013).
In 2010, Portman starred in the psychological horror film
Black Swan. Her performance received widespread critical acclaim and she earned her first Academy Award for Best Actress, her second Golden Globe Award, the SAG Award, the BAFTA Award and the BFCA Award in 2011.
In January 2011, Portman became an ambassador of Free the Children, an international charity and educational partner, spearheading their Power of a Girl campaign. She hosted a contest challenging girls in North America to fundraise for one of Free The Children’s all-girls schools in Kenya.
As incentives for the contest winner, she offered her designer Rodarte
dress, worn at the red carpet premier of Black Swan, along with tickets
to her next premiere.
Free the Children’s all-girls school was also the beneficiary of
proceeds from sales of Nude Grege #169, the lipstick Portman designed
for Christian Dior.
It was announced in May 2012 that Portman would be working with watch designer Richard Mille to develop a limited-edition timepiece with proceeds supporting Free the Children.
In February 2015, Portman was among other alumni of Harvard University including Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, Darren Aronofsky and Susan Faludi who wrote an open letter to the school demanding it divest its $35.9 billion endowment from coal, gas, and oil companies.
Later that year in May, she spoke at the annual Harvard Class Day to the graduating class of 2015
