Natalie Portman (Hebrew: נטלי פורטמן, born Natalie Hershlag; June 9, 1981) is an Israeli-American actress. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Leon (known in the United States as The Professional). During the 1990s, Portman had major roles in films like Beautiful Girls and Anywhere but Here, before being cast for the role as Padme Amidala in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy In 1999, she enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology while she was working on the Star Wars films. She completed her bachelor's degree in 2003. In 2001, Portman opened in New York City's Public Theater production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, alongside Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Philip Seymour Hoffman. 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- MotioView More
