Natalie Portman

Who is Natalie Portman?

Golden Globe and Academy Award winning actress, Natalie Portman has proved to be one of the most versatile and talented actresses in the entertainment industry. This Israeli born, American actress has appeared in some of the most successful and critically acclaimed films. She gained recognition after she starred in the ‘Star Wars’ series of films. With a degree in psychology from Harvard, Natalie Portman along with her acting career, served as a guest lecturer in Columbia University on terrorism and counter-terrorism. She has also pursued graduate courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is well versed in Arabic, German, Japanese and French. She served as the youngest member of the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival jury. Named one of the ‘50 Most Beautiful People’ by People’s Magazine, Portman is known for her trademark brown eyes, sweet voice and petite figure. Some of her well known films include, ‘Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace’, ‘Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones’, ‘Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith’, ‘V for Vendetta’, ‘Black Swan’ and ‘No Strings Attached’.

Career

On November, 18, 1994, she made her film debut with ‘Léon: The Professional’, a thriller directed by Luc Besson. After she signed the film, in order to protect her family identity, she took her grandmother’s maiden name ‘Portman’.

In 1995, she played ‘Lauren Gustafson’ in the Michael Mann crime film, ‘Heat’. The film was a commercial success and also earned good reviews from critics.

In 1996, she appeared as ‘Marty’ in the film, ‘Beautiful Girls’. The same year, she was seen in the Woody Allen film ‘Everyone Says I Love You’ and the film, ‘Mars Attacks!’ directed by Tim Burton .

In 1997, she played the role of ‘Anne Frank’ in the stage paly, ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’, which was an adaptation of the book of the same name. The play opened at the Music Box Theatre, Manhattan.

In May 1999, she starred in the epic space opera film titled, ‘Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace’. The film was a massive commercial success but received mixed reviews from the critics.

In November 1999, she starred in the American comedy film, ‘Anywhere but Here’, which was directed by Wayne Wang. The film was based on a novel of the same name.

In 2000, she played the role of ‘Novalee Nation’, a seventeen year old pregnant girl, who is abandoned by her boyfriend in the film, ‘Where the Heart Is’. The film was the directorial debut of Matt Williams.

In 2001, she played ‘Nina’ in the play, ‘The Seagull’, which opened at Central Park as a part of the New York Shakespeare Festival. The play also starred Meryl Streep.

In 2002, she reprised her role in the sequel of the ‘Star Wars’ movie, ‘Star Wars Episode II: Attack of The Clones’. Film critics reviewed the film positively.

In 2003, she played herself on the ‘Oscar Needs a Change of Scenery’ episode of the American children’s TV series, ‘Sesame Street’. The same year, she appeared in the hit film, ‘Cold Mountain’.

In 2004, she starred in the comedy drama film, ‘Garden State’ and that year she also played the role of ‘Alice Ayres’ in the film, ‘Closer’. The very same year, she played herself on the TV series, ‘Sesame Street’.

In 2005, she starred in the film, ‘Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith’ and the film, ‘Free Zone’. The following year, she hosted an episode of show ‘Saturday Night Live’ and narrated the documentary film, ‘The Armenian Genocide’.

In 2006, she starred in the Spanish American film, ‘Goya’s Ghosts’ opposite Javier Bardem and Stellan Skarsgård. That year she also starred in ‘V for Vendetta’ and ‘Paris, je t’aime’.

In 2007, she starred in the comedy film, ‘The Darjeeling Limited’, the Wong Kar-wai film ‘My Blueberry Nights’ and other films such as ‘Hotel Chevalier’ and ‘Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium’.

In 2007, she played a voice role in the ‘Little Big Girl’ episode of the animated sitcom, ‘The Simpsons’. The following year, she played, ‘Anne Boleyn’ in the drama film, ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’.

In 2008, she made her directorial debut with the short film titled, ‘Eve’. The film premiered at the 65th Venice International Film Festival, which was held in Venice, Italy.

In 2009, she appeared in the anthology series of short films, ‘New York, I Love You’, in which she also directed a segment. That year, she was seen in the films, ‘The Other Woman’ and ‘Brothers’.

In 2010, she delivered an Academy Award winning performance in the Darren Aronofsky film, ‘Black Swan’. That year she was seen in the film, ‘Hesher’, in which she was also a producer.

In 2011, she starred in the romantic comedy film, ‘No Strings Attached’, played the role of ‘Isabel’ in the film ‘Your Highness’ and also appeared in the film, ‘Thor’. The next year, she played a voice role in the ‘Moonshine River’ episode of the animated sitcom, ‘The Simpsons’.

She appeared in the American superhero film ‘Thor, The Dark World’ in 2013.