Who is Natalie Hershlag?

Who is Natalie Hershlag? The entertainment and acting world know Natalie Portman, as an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.^[3] In 1999, she enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology while still working as an actress.^[4] She completed her bachelor's degree in 2003.

V for Vendett

In 2001, Portman opened in New York City's Public Theater production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull.^[3] In 2005, Portman received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture for the drama Closer. She shaved her head and learned to speak with a British accent for her starring role in V for Vendetta (2006), for which she won a Constellation Award for Best Female Performance, and a Saturn Award for Best Actress. 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.^[5] Portman's directorial debut, Eve, opened the 65th Venice International Film Festival's shorts competition in 2008.^[6]
In 2011, Portman won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the BAFTA Award for her lead performance as Nina in Black Swan.

Early life

Portman was  born June 9, 1981 in Jerusalem, Israel.^[7][8][9] She is the only child of Shelley (née Stevens), an American homemaker who works as Portman's agent, and Avner Hershlag, an Israeli citizen who is a fertility specialist and gynecologist.^[10][11][12] Portman's maternal ancestors were Jewish immigrants to the United States, from Austria and Russia (her mother's family had changed their surname from "Edelstein" to "Stevens").^[13] Her paternal ancestors were Jews who moved to Israel from Poland and Romania. Her paternal grandfather, whose parents died at Auschwitz, was an economics professor in Israel, and her Romanian-born great-grandmother was a spy for British Intelligence during World War II.^[14][15]
Portman's parents met at a Jewish student center at Ohio State University, where her mother was selling tickets. They corresponded after her father returned to Israel, and were married when her mother visited a few years later. In 1984, when Portman was three years old, the family moved to the United States, where her father received his medical training.^[12] Portman, a dual citizen of the United States and Israel,^[16] has said that although she "really love[s] the States... my heart's in Jerusalem. That's where I feel at home."^[14]
Portman and her family first lived in Washington, D.C., but relocated to Connecticut in 1988, and then settled on Long Island, New York, in 1990.^{[3][17][18][19]}

Education

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

In Washington, D.C., Portman attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. Portman learned to speak Hebrew^[20] in addition to English, and attended a Jewish elementary school, the Solomon Schechter Day School of Glen Cove, New York.^[21] She graduated from Syosset High School in Syosset, Long Island, in 1999.^[22][23][24] Portman skipped the premiere of her film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace so she could study for her high school final exams.^[25]
In 2003, Portman graduated from Harvard College with a B.A. degree in psychology.^{[24][26][27][28]} "I don't care if [college] ruins my career," she told the New York Post, according to a Fox News Channel article. "I'd rather be smart than a movie star."^[29][30] At Harvard, Portman was Alan Dershowitz's research assistant^[31] in a psychology lab. While attending Harvard, she was a resident of Lowell House^[32] and wrote a letter to the Harvard Crimson in response to an essay critical of Israeli actions toward Palestinians.^[33]
Portman took graduate courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the spring of 2004.^[34] In March 2006, she appeared as a guest lecturer at a Columbia University course in terrorism and counterterrorism, where she spoke about her film V for Vendetta.^[35]
Portman has professed an interest in foreign languages since childhood and has studied French,^[36] Japanese,^[36] German,^[37] and Arabic.^[38]
As a student, Portman co-authored two research papers that were published in scientific journals. Her 1998 high school paper, "A Simple Method to Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar," co-authored with scientists Ian Hurley and Jonathan Woodward, was entered in the Intel Science Talent Search, in which she was named a semifinalist.^[24][27][39] In 2002, she contributed to a study on memory called "Frontal Lobe Activation During Object Permanence" during her psychology studies at Harvard.^[40][41]
Owing to her scientific publications, Portman is among a very small number of professional actors with a finite Erdős–Bacon number, a concept that reflects the "small world phenomenon" in academia and entertainment by measuring the "collaborative distance" between that person and Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős – and the number of links, through roles in films, by which the individual is separated from American actor Kevin Bacon.^{[40][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50]}

Career

Early work

Portman started dancing lessons at age four^[3] and performed in local troupes. At the age of ten, a Revlon agent asked her to become a child model,^[3][51] but she turned down the offer to focus on acting. In a magazine interview, Portman said that she was "different from the other kids. I was more ambitious, I knew what I liked and what I wanted, and I worked very hard. I was a very serious kid."^[52]
Portman spent her school holidays attending theater camps. When she was ten, she auditioned for the Off-Broadway show Ruthless!, a musical about a girl who is prepared to commit murder to get the lead in a school play. Portman and future pop star Britney Spears were chosen as the understudies for star Laura Bell Bundy.^[34] In 1994, she auditioned for the role of a child who befriends a middle-aged hitman in Luc Besson's film, Léon (aka The Professional). Soon after getting the part, she took her grandmother's maiden name "Portman" as her stage name, in the interest of privacy and to protect her family's identity.^[3][53] Léon opened on November 18, 1994, marking her feature film debut at age 13. That same year she appeared in the short film Developing, which aired on television.

1995–99

Beautiful Girls

During the mid-1990s, Portman had roles in the films Heat, Everyone Says I Love You, and Mars Attacks!, as well as a major role in Beautiful Girls.^[3] She was the first choice to play Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, but producers felt her age wasn't suitable.^[51] In 1997, Portman played the role of Anne Frank in a Broadway adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Where the Heart Is

 

Also in 1997, Portman was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The first film, The Phantom Menace, began filming in June 1997 and opened in May 1999.^[54][3] Following production on The Phantom Menace, she initially turned down a lead role in the film Anywhere but Here after learning it would involve a sex scene, but director Wayne Wang and actress Susan Sarandon (who played Portman's mother in the film) demanded a rewrite of the script. Portman was shown a new draft, and she decided to accept the role.^[3] The film opened in late 1999, and she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ann August.^[55] Critic Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon called Portman "astonishing" and said that "[u]nlike any number of actresses her age, she's neither too maudlin nor too plucky."^[56] She then signed on to play the lead role of a teenaged mother in Where the Heart Is, which opened in April 2000.

2000–05

Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones

After filming Where the Heart Is, Portman moved into the dorms of Harvard University to pursue her bachelor's degree in psychology.^[3] She said in a 1999 interview that, with the exception of the Star Wars prequels, she would not act for the next four years in order to concentrate on studying.^[57] During the summer break from June to September 2000, Portman filmed Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones in Sydney, along with additional production in London.
In July 2001, Portman opened in New York City's Public Theater production of Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Mike Nichols; she played the role of Nina alongside Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.^[3] The play opened at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.^[58] That same year, she was one of many celebrities who made cameo appearances in the 2001 comedy Zoolander. Portman was cast in a small role in the film Cold Mountain alongside Jude Law and Nicole Kidman.^[3]
In 2004, Portman appeared in the independent movies Garden State and Closer.^[3] Garden State was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and won Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards. Her performance as Alice in Closer earned her a Supporting Actress Golden Globe as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.^[59][60]
The final Star Wars prequel, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, was released on May 19, 2005. The film was the highest grossing domestic film of the year,^[61] and was voted Favorite Motion Picture at the People's Choice Awards. Also in 2005, Portman filmed Free Zone and director Miloš Forman's Goya's Ghosts. Forman had not seen any of her work but thought she looked like a Goya painting, so he requested a meeting.^[62]

2006–09

Portman hosted Saturday Night Live on March 4, 2006.^[63] In a SNL Digital Short,^[64] she portrays herself as an angry gangsta rapper (with Andy Samberg as her Flavor Flav-esque partner in Viking garb) during a faux-interview with Chris Parnell, saying she cheated at Harvard University while high on marijuana and cocaine.^[65] The song, titled "Natalie's Rap," was released – alongside other sketches from the show – in 2009 on Incredibad, an album by the Lonely Island.^[66] In another sketch, she portrays a student named Rebecca Hershlag (her actual surname) attending a Bar Mitzvah, and in an installment of the recurring sketch The Needlers (also known as Sally and Dan, The Couple That Should Be Divorced), plays a fertility specialist (her father's profession).
V for Vendetta opened in early 2006. Portman portrayed Evey Hammond, a young woman who is saved from the secret police by the main character, V. Portman worked with a voice coach for the role, learning to speak with an English accent, and she famously had her head shaved.^[67]
Portman has commented on V for Vendetta's political relevance and mentioned that her character, who joins an underground anti-government group, is "often bad and does things that you don't like" and that "being from Israel was a reason I wanted to do this because terrorism and violence are such a daily part of my conversations since I was little." She said the film "doesn't make clear good or bad statements. It respects the audience enough to take away their own opinion".^[68]
Both Goya's Ghosts and Free Zone received limited releases in 2006. Portman starred in the children's film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, which began filming in April 2006 and was released in November 2007; she has said that she was "excited to do a kids' movie."^[67] In late 2006, Portman filmed The Other Boleyn Girl, a historical drama in which she plays Anne Boleyn; Eric Bana and Scarlett Johansson co-starred. She was named one of the hottest women of film and TV by Blender Magazine.^[69]
In 2006, she filmed Wong Kar-wai's road movie My Blueberry Nights. She won acclaim for her role as gambler Leslie, because "[f]or once she's not playing a waif or a child princess but a mature, full-bodied woman... but she's not coasting on her looks... She uses her appeal to simultaneously flirt with and taunt the gambler across the table."^[70] Portman voiced Bart Simpson's girlfriend Darcy in the episode "Little Big Girl" of The Simpsons' 18th season.^[71]
She appeared in Paul McCartney's music video "Dance Tonight" from his 2007 album Memory Almost Full, directed by Michel Gondry.^[72] Portman co-starred in the Wes Anderson short film Hotel Chevalier, opposite Jason Schwartzman, in which she performed her second nude scene (her first being Goya's Ghosts).^[73] In May 2008, Portman served as the youngest member of the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival jury,^[5] and in 2009, she starred opposite Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal in the drama film Brothers, a remake of the 2004 Danish film of the same name.^[74]
In 2008, Portman at age 27 made her directorial debut at the Venice Film Festival. "Eve", a short movie about a young woman who is dragged along on her grandmother's romantic date, was screened out of competition. Portman said she had always had a fascination with the older generation, and drew inspiration for the character from her own grandmother.^[75]

2010–present

Black Swan

Portman played a veteran ballerina in Darren Aronofsky's 2010 film Black Swan,^[76] a role of which critic Kurt Loder wrote: "Portman gives one of her most compelling performances in this film, which is saying something."^[77] To prepare for the role, she went through five to eight hours of dance training each day for six months and lost 20 lb.^[78] In 2011, she won both the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for best lead actress.^[79][80]
After Portman's Oscar win, controversy arose over who performed the bulk of the on-screen dancing in Black Swan.^[81] Sarah Lane, one of Portman's dancing doubles in the film, claimed that Portman performed only about 5 percent of the full-body shots, adding that she was asked by the film’s producers not to speak publicly about it during the Oscar season.^[82] Director Aronofsky defended Portman by issuing a statement insisting that Portman performed 80% of the on-screen dancing in the movie.^[82]

Your Highness

Portman's next film was No Strings Attached, which was released on January 21, 2011, followed by Your Highness, opposite James Franco and Danny McBride. She also played the role of Jane Foster in Kenneth Branagh's superhero film adaptation Thor.^[83] In 2010, Portman dropped out of the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet in the novel adaptation Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but she continues as producer.^[84]

Social and political causes

Portman, who is an advocate for animal rights, has been a vegetarian since childhood.^[85] She became a vegan in 2009 after reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals.^[86] She does not eat animal products or wear fur, feathers, or leather. "All of my shoes are from Target and Stella McCartney," she has said.^[87] In 2007, she launched her own brand of vegan footwear.^[88]
In 2007, Portman traveled to Rwanda with Jack Hanna, to film the documentary Gorillas on the Brink. Later, at a naming ceremony, Portman christened a baby gorilla Gukina, which means "to play."^[89] Portman has been an advocate of environmental causes since childhood, when she joined an environmental song and dance troupe known as World Patrol Kids.^[90] She is also a member of the One Voice movement.^[91]
Portman has also supported antipoverty activities. In 2004 and 2005, she traveled to Uganda, Guatemala, and Ecuador as the Ambassador of Hope for FINCA International, an organization that promotes micro-lending to help finance women-owned businesses in developing countries.^[92] In an interview conducted backstage at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia and appearing on the PBS program Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria, she discussed microfinance.^[93] Host Fareed Zakaria said that he was "generally wary of celebrities with fashionable causes," but included the segment with Portman because "she really knew her stuff."^[94]
In the "Voices" segment of the April 29, 2007, episode of the ABC Sunday morning program This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Portman discussed her work with FINCA and how it can benefit women and children in Third World countries.^[95] In fall 2007, she visited several university campuses, including Harvard, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Princeton, New York University, and Columbia, to inspire students with the power of microfinance and to encourage them to join the Village Banking Campaign to help families and communities lift themselves out of poverty.^[96]
In 2010, Portman's activist work and popularity with young people earned her a nomination for VH1's Do Something Awards, which is dedicated to honoring individuals who do good.^[97]
Portman is a supporter of the Democratic Party, and in the 2004 presidential race she campaigned for the Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry. In the 2008 presidential election, Portman supported Senator Hillary Clinton of New York in the Democratic primaries. She later campaigned for the eventual Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, during the general election.^[98] However, in a 2008 interview, she also said: "I even like John McCain. I disagree with his war stance – which is a really big deal – but I think he's a very moral person."^[99]

Personal life

Lukas Haas

 

In the May 2002 issue of Vogue, Portman called actor/musician Lukas Haas and musician Moby her close friends.^[100] After starring in the video for his song "Carmensita", she began a relationship with American folk singer Devendra Banhart,^[101] which ended in September 2008.^[102] She met ballet dancer Benjamin Millepied in early 2009, on the set of her film Black Swan, for which Millepied acted as choreographer.^[103] By at least New Year's Eve 2009, the two had begun dating.^[104] On December 27, 2010, a Portman representative told the press that Portman and Millepied are engaged and she has given birth to a son June of 2011.^[105][106]
On the concept of the afterlife, Portman has said, "I don't believe in that. I believe this is it, and I believe it's the best way to live."^[14] She has said that she feels more Jewish in Israel and that she would like to raise her children in the Jewish religion: "A priority for me is definitely that I'd like to raise my kids Jewish, but the ultimate thing is to have someone who is a good person and who is a partner."^[107]

Filmography

Film roles

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Léon	1994	Mathilda	Also known as The Professional
Developing	1994	Nina	23-minute short film
Heat	1995	Lauren Gustafson
Beautiful Girls	1996	Marty
Everyone Says I Love You	1996	Laura Dandridge
Mars Attacks!	1996	Taffy Dale
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace	1999	Padmé Amidala
Anywhere but Here	1999	Ann August
Where the Heart Is	2000	Novalee Nation
Zoolander	2001	Herself	Cameo
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones	2002	Padmé Amidala
Cold Mountain	2003	Sara
Garden State	2004	Samantha
Closer	2004	Alice Ayres
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith	2005	Padmé Amidala
Free Zone	2005	Rebecca	received a limited US theatrical release in April 2006
V for Vendetta	2006	Evey Hammond
Paris, je t'aime	2006	Francine	Ensemble film with 18 segments. She appears in the segment directed by German writer-director Tom Tykwer.
Goya's Ghosts	2006	Inés Bilbatúa & Alicia
My Blueberry Nights	2007	Leslie
The Darjeeling Limited	2007	Jack's Ex-Girlfriend
Hotel Chevalier	2007	Jack's Ex-Girlfriend	13-minute short companion piece to The Darjeeling Limited
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium	2007	Molly Mahoney
The Other Boleyn Girl	2008	Anne Boleyn
The Other Woman	2009	Emilia Greenleaf[108]	Originally titled Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, with limited theatrical release in February 2011[109]
New York, I Love You	2009	Rifka
Brothers	2009	Grace Cahill
Hesher	2010	Nicole
Black Swan	2010	Nina Sayers
No Strings Attached	2011	Emma Kurtzman
Your Highness	2011	Isabel
Thor	2011	Jane Foster

Television roles

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Sesame Street	2003–2004	Herself/Natalie	Season 34, Episode: "Oscar Needs a Change of Scenery"[110] Season 35, Episode: "Alan's Vacation Replacement"[110]
Saturday Night Live	2006	Host	Season 31, Episode 13
The Armenian Genocide	2006	Aurora Mardiganian (narration)	Documentary film[111][112]
The Simpsons	2007	Darcy	Season 18, Episode: "Little Big Girl" (voice)[71]

Theatrical roles

Production	Year	Role	Notes
Ruthless!	1994
The Diary of Anne Frank	1997	Anne Frank
The Seagull	2001

Awards

Awards and award nominations

Award	Award category	Year	Title of work	Result
Academy Award	Best Actress[80]	2011	Black Swan	Won
Academy Award	Best Supporting Actress	2005	Closer	Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award	Best Actress	2011	Black Swan	Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics Award	Best Actress[113]	2010	Black Swan	Won
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	2005	Closer	Nominated
British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award (BAFTA)	Best Actress in a Leading Role[114]	2011	Black Swan	Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award	Best Supporting Actress	2005	Closer	Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award	Best Acting Ensemble (with Jude Law, Clive Owen, and Julia Roberts)	2005	Closer	Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award	Best Actress[115]	2011	Black Swan	Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Award	Best Supporting Actress	1996	Beautiful Girls	Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Award	Most Promising Actress	1996	Beautiful Girls	Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Award	Best Supporting Actress	2009	Brothers	Nominated
Golden Globe Award	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture	2000	Anywhere but Here	Nominated
Golden Globe Award	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture[116]	2005	Closer	Won
Golden Globe Award	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama[79]	2011	Black Swan	Won
Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Screen Couple (with Jake Lloyd)	1999	Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace	Nominated
Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Supporting Actress	2003	Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones	Nominated
Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Screen Couple (with Hayden Christensen)	2003	Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones	Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards	Best Female Lead[117]	2011	Black Swan	Won
Irish Film and Television Award	Best International Actress	2005	Garden State	Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle Award	Actress of the Year	2005	Closer	Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle Award	Actress of the Year	2011	Black Swan	Nominated
MTV Movie Award	Best Female Performance	2005	Garden State	Nominated
MTV Movie Award	Best Female Performance	2011	Black Swan	Nominated
MTV Movie Award	Best Kiss (with Zach Braff)	2005	Garden State	Nominated
MTV Movie Award	Best Kiss (with Mila Kunis)	2011	Black Swan	Nominated
MTV Movie Award	Best Jaw Dropping Moment	2011	Black Swan	Nominated
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Award	Best Acting by an Ensemble[118] (with Jude Law, Clive Owen and Julia Roberts)	2004	Closer	Won
New York Film Critics Online Award	Best Actress[119]	2010	Black Swan	Won
Online Film Critics Society Award	Best Supporting Actress	2005	Closer	Nominated
Online Film Critics Society	Best Actress[120]	2010	Black Swan	Won
People's Choice Award	Favorite Look	2005		Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Award	Best Supporting Actress[121]	2004	Closer	Won
Satellite Award	Best Supporting Actress – Drama	2005	Closer	Nominated
Satellite Award	Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	2005	Garden State	Nominated
Satellite Award	Best Actress in a Drama	2010	Black Swan	Nominated
Saturn Award	Best Performance by a Younger Actor	2000	Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace	Nominated
Saturn Award	Best Actress	2003	Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones	Nominated
Saturn Award	Best Actress	2006	Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith	Nominated
Saturn Award	Best Actress	2006	V for Vendetta	Won
Saturn Award	Best Actress	2010	Brothers	Nominated
Saturn Award	Best Actress[122]	2011	Black Swan	Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role[123]	2011	Black Swan	Won
Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress	2000	Where the Heart Is	Nominated
Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress: Drama/Action Adventure	2002	Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones	Won
Teen Choice Award	Choice Chemistry (with Hayden Christensen)	2002	Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones	Nominated
Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress: Drama	2005	Closer	Nominated
Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress: Drama	2005	Garden State	Nominated
Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress: Action/Adventure	2005	Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith	Nominated
Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Liar	2005	Garden State	Nominated
Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Liplock	2005	Garden State	Nominated
Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Love Scene	2005	Garden State	Nominated
Teen Choice Award	Choice Movie Actress: Drama/Action Adventure	2006	V for Vendetta	Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association Award	Best Actress	2011	Black Swan	Nominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award	Best Supporting Actress	2005	Closer	Nominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award	Best Supporting Actress	2005	Garden State	Nominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle	Best Actress	2011	Black Swan	Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award	Best Actress	2010	Black Swan	Nominated
Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress	2000	Anywhere but Here	Nominated
Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress	2001	Where the Heart Is	Nominated

 

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