Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman in Rodarte Rex Features

Name
Natalie Portman

Age
27

Date of Birth
9 Jun 1981

Birth Place
Jerusalem, Israel

Natalie Portman (neé Hershlag) spent the first three years of her life in Israel, where she was born in 1981 to a fertility specialist father and an artist mother, who now acts as her agent.

By her own admission ‘a very serious kid’ she turned down the opportunity to model aged ten after being spotted in a Long Island pizza parlour by an agent for Revlon. She decided, instead, to focus on acting and, the same year, won a role as Britney Spears’ understudy in a play called Ruthless. Fast-forward three years, and the ambitious young star landed a lead role in Luc Besson’s film Léon.

During the mid-Nineties, Natalie starred in hit films like Heat, Everyone Says I Love You and Mars Attacks! But it was her role as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy that set her on the road to superstardom.

In 1999, Natalie famously stated that she wouldn't work on any films apart from Star Wars until she had finished her Harvard studies. She graduated from the University with a degree in Psychology in 2003. In 2004, she appeared in the independent movies Garden State and Closer, for which she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.

This year will see Natalie return to the big screen alongside Scarlett Johansson in historical drama The Other Boleyn Girl, and she’s currently shooting drama film Brothers, with co-stars Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal. Any time left for romance? She’s been linked with actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Jake Gyllenhaal, and Nat Rothschild, from the multi-billionaire banking family. She’s also been spotted with former male model Nathan Bogle. Natalie is currently dating musician Devendra Banhart.