Natalie Portman

2.1. Early Life and Upbringing

Natalie Hershlag was born on June 9, 1981, in West Jerusalem, Israel, to Jewish parents. Her father, Avner Hershlag, is an Israeli-born gynecologist, and her mother, Shelley Stevens, an American-born artist, later became Portman's agent. Portman is an only child. Her maternal ancestors immigrated from Austria and Russia to the U.S., while her paternal grandparents, who lost family in the Holocaust, immigrated to Israel from Poland after World War II. One of her paternal great-grandmothers, born in Romania, is said to have been a spy for British Intelligence during World War II. Portman holds dual citizenship in Israel and the United States. Some Hebrew sources claim that her birth name was "Neta-Lee Hershleg" (נטע-לי הרשלג^Hebrew) and that her first name was later Americanized to "Natalie". However, Portman herself has stated that her name has "always been Natalie" and that she doesn't know where "Neta-Lee" came from.

At the age of three, Portman and her family moved to the United States. They first lived in Washington, D.C., where Portman attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. In 1988, they relocated to Connecticut, and by 1990, they settled permanently on Long Island, New York. While on Long Island, she attended the Solomon Schechter Day School of Nassau County, a Jewish elementary school. Portman began studying dance at age four and performed with local groups. She described her early life as ambitious and serious, knowing what she liked and working hard to achieve it. Her native language is Hebrew.

2.2. Education and Academic Pursuits

Portman graduated from Syosset High School in 1999. During her high school years, she maintained an average of over 90% on exams, achieving straight A's. Her 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. She famously skipped the world premiere of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace to study for her high school finals.

In 1999, Portman was accepted into both Harvard University and Yale University, ultimately choosing to attend Harvard, where she resided in Lowell House. She pursued a bachelor's degree in psychology, studying advanced Hebrew literature and neurobiology. She also served as a research assistant for Professor Alan Dershowitz in a psychology lab. In 2002, she contributed to a study on memory titled "Frontal Lobe Activation during Object Permanence: data from near-infrared spectroscopy." Portman graduated from Harvard in 2003.

Following her undergraduate studies, Portman continued her intellectual pursuits. In spring 2004, she participated in Middle East studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In March 2006, she served as a guest lecturer at Columbia University for a course on terrorism and counterterrorism, where she discussed her film V for Vendetta. Portman is a polyglot, fluent in English and Hebrew, and also speaks French, German, Japanese, and Arabic to various degrees. She has stated that she would "rather be smart than a movie star," emphasizing her commitment to education over her acting career.

3.1. Early Career and Debut

At the age of ten, Portman was approached by a Revlon agent at a pizza restaurant to become a child model, an offer she declined to focus on acting. She auditioned for the 1992 off-Broadway musical Ruthless!, a dark comedy about a girl willing to commit murder for a lead role in a school play, where she was chosen as an understudy for Laura Bell Bundy, alongside future pop star Britney Spears.

Six months after Ruthless! concluded, Portman auditioned for and secured a leading role in Luc Besson's action drama Léon: The Professional (1994). For this film, she adopted her paternal grandmother's maiden name, Portman, as her stage name to protect her family's privacy. She played Mathilda, a twelve-year-old orphan who forms an unlikely bond with a hitman (played by Jean Reno). Her parents were initially hesitant due to the script's explicit sexual and violent content, but agreed after Besson removed Mathilda's nudity and direct killings. Portman herself found nothing objectionable after these changes, though her mother was reportedly displeased with some "sexual twists and turns" in the final cut that were not in the script. Critics offered mixed reviews; Hal Hinson of The Washington Post praised her "genuine sense of tragedy," while Peter Rainer of the Los Angeles Times felt she wasn't "enough of an actress to unfold Mathilda's pain" and criticized Besson's sexualization of her character. Portman later commented on playing sexualized youngsters as a child, stating, "there's a surprising preponderance of that kind of role for young girls. Sort of being fantasy objects for men, and especially this idealised purity combined with the fertility of youth, and all this in one. ... It was definitely interesting to think about - why men write the female characters they do. Just like the way they write the male character. How much is wish-fulfilment fantasy, and why."

After The Professional, Portman returned to school and filmed a part in Marya Cohn's short film Developing (1994) during her summer break, playing a young girl coping with her mother's cancer. She also attended the Stagedoor Manor performing arts camp, appearing in productions of Anne of Green Gables and later Cabaret. Michael Mann cast her in a small role as the suicidal stepdaughter of Al Pacino's character in the action film Heat (1995), impressed by her ability to portray dysfunction without hysteria. Ted Demme, having seen her in The Professional, cast her as a precocious teenager in the ensemble comedy-drama Beautiful Girls (1996), a role Janet Maslin of The New York Times called "scene-stealingly good." In 1996, she also had brief roles in Woody Allen's musical Everyone Says I Love You and Tim Burton's comic science fiction film Mars Attacks!.

Portman was initially cast opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996) but dropped out due to being considered too young for the role by studio executives. She also declined Adrian Lyne's Lolita due to its excessive sexual content. Portman later expressed regret that her early roles led to a series of offers to play sexualized youngsters, making her reluctant to take on "sexy stuff."

Instead, Portman made her Broadway debut as Anne Frank in a revival of The Diary of Anne Frank, which ran from December 1997 to May 1998. She prepared by visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam twice and meeting Miep Gies, who had preserved Anne's diary, finding a personal connection to the story given her own family's history with the Holocaust. The experience was emotionally taxing, as she attended high school during the day and performed at night, leading her to write personal essays about it for Time and Seventeen magazines. Critical reception for her portrayal was mixed, with some praising her "ineffable grace" while others found her performance lacking in charm or intelligence.

3.2. Rise to Stardom: Star Wars and Transition to Mature Roles

Portman began filming her role as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy in 1997, marking her first major big-budget production. The first film, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, was released in 1999 during her senior year of high school. Unfamiliar with the franchise, she watched the original Star Wars trilogy before filming and worked closely with director George Lucas on her character's accent and mannerisms, drawing inspiration from actresses like Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, and Katharine Hepburn. Despite mixed critical reception, the film grossed over 924.00 M USD worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film at that time and establishing Portman as a global star. Filming in arduous locations in Algeria proved challenging for Portman. She did not attend the film's premiere so she could study for her high school finals.

After The Phantom Menace, Portman initially turned down a lead role in the coming-of-age film Anywhere but Here (1999) due to a planned sex scene. However, director Wayne Wang and co-star Susan Sarandon insisted on a script rewrite, and Portman accepted the part after reviewing the new draft. Her performance as Ann August earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination, with Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon calling her "astonishing" and noting her avoidance of typical teenage melodrama.

In 2000, Portman's sole screen appearance was in Where the Heart Is, a romantic drama filmed in Texas, where she played a pregnant teenager. Following this, she began attending Harvard University to pursue a bachelor's degree in psychology, significantly reducing her acting commitments for the next few years. During her summer break in 2000, she filmed Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones in Sydney and London, reprising her role as Amidala. She was excited to portray a confident young woman who was not dependent on the male lead. In 2001, she returned to Broadway to perform in Anton Chekhov's drama The Seagull, directed by Mike Nichols and co-starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, where critics like Linda Winer praised her "astonishing lyricism." Also in 2001, Portman made a cameo in the comedy Zoolander.

Portman famously stated, "I don't care if [college] ruins my career. I'd rather be smart than a movie star." In 2002, she contributed to a scientific study on memory. After graduating from Harvard in 2003, her only screen appearance that year was a brief role as a young mother in the war film Cold Mountain. She described this period as the "most difficult time" in her life, feeling criticized for her Star Wars performances and struggling to find work. She actively sought the Cold Mountain role, with Mike Nichols providing a letter of support that helped her regain confidence.

3.3. Critical Acclaim and Diverse Roles

In 2004, Portman starred in the romantic comedy Garden State, written and directed by its star Zach Braff. She was the first actor to join the film, connecting with her character, a spirited young woman with epilepsy. Her role was later described as a prime example of the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" trope, a character type designed to aid a male protagonist's spiritual journey, a categorization Portman later found upsetting.

She followed this with a role as a mysterious stripper in Closer, a romantic drama directed by Mike Nichols, based on the play of the same name. Co-starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, and Clive Owen, this marked Portman's first sexually explicit adult role, which she accepted as a reflection of her personal maturity. Although she filmed nude scenes, they were removed from the final cut at her insistence, as she deemed them inessential to the story. Closer grossed over 115.00 M USD worldwide against a 27.00 M USD budget. Critics lauded her performance; Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it a "blazing, breakthrough performance," noting how deeply she delved into her character's core. She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture and received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, the final installment of the prequel trilogy, was Portman's first film release of 2005, earning over 848.00 M USD worldwide and becoming the second-highest-grossing film of the year. She then played a Jewish-American girl in Free Zone, a drama by Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai. For this role, she studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and read memoirs of Yitzhak Rabin, which allowed her to explore both the role and her heritage. Controversy arose when she filmed a kissing scene at the Western Wall, a site where gender segregation is enforced, leading to an apology from Portman. Critics generally disliked the film's heavy-handed approach to Middle East conflicts.

Portman's final film role in 2005 was Evey Hammond in the political thriller V for Vendetta, based on the comics of the same name, depicting an alternative future where a neo-fascist regime controls the United Kingdom. Drawn to the script's provocative nature, she worked with a dialect coach for her English accent. A scene involving her character's torture required her head to be shaved on camera, an experience she viewed as an opportunity to shed vanity. Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle considered it Portman's strongest performance to date, noting how she kept focus on her words and actions despite her bald head. She received the Saturn Award for Best Actress for this role.

In 2006, Portman hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live, where one of her sketches, "Natalie's Rap," was later released on the Lonely Island's 2009 album Incredibad. She appeared in the "Faubourg Saint-Denis" segment of the anthology film Paris, je t'aime. Later that year, she starred in Miloš Forman's Goya's Ghosts, playing dual roles. She insisted on a body double for nude scenes after discovering they were added to the script on set. The film received negative reviews, but Roger Ebert praised Portman's "fearless conviction."

Portman began 2007 by replacing Jodie Foster in Wong Kar-wai's romantic drama My Blueberry Nights, his first English-language film. She trained with a poker coach for her role as a gambler, which Richard Corliss of Time magazine commended for its "vibrancy, grittiness and ache." Her next appearance was in Hotel Chevalier, a short film by Wes Anderson that served as a prologue to his feature The Darjeeling Limited (in which Portman had a cameo). In Hotel Chevalier, she performed an extended nude scene, which she later regretted due to the undue focus it received, vowing not to appear nude again. Seeking diverse genres, Portman accepted a role in the children's film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. She also appeared in Paul McCartney's music video "Dance Tonight".

In 2008, Portman and Scarlett Johansson portrayed rival sisters Mary and Anne Boleyn in the period film The Other Boleyn Girl. Portman was excited to work opposite another actress her age, noting the rarity of such casting. The film had modest box-office earnings, and Derek Elley of Variety criticized Portman's English accent. She served as a jury member at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

3.4. Major Filmography and Genre Exploration

In 2009, Portman's first film role was in Love and Other Impossible Pursuits (also known as The Other Woman), a poorly received adaptation of Ayelet Waldman's novel. She appeared in a faux perfume commercial titled Greed, directed by Roman Polanski, and in the anthology film New York, I Love You, she directed a segment and starred in another directed by Mira Nair. Portman then starred opposite Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal in the drama film Brothers, a remake of a 2004 Danish film. For her role as a war widow, she spoke with military wives to prepare. The film was shot during the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike, which presented challenges due to the lack of a written script for certain scenes. Claudia Puig of USA Today found her performance "subdued and reactive."

After producing and co-starring in the black comedy Hesher (2010), Portman played a ballerina overwhelmed by the prospect of performing Swan Lake in Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror film Black Swan. She trained for five to eight hours daily for six months with professional ballerina Mary Helen Bowers and lost 20 lb ^{(9 kg)}. Her performance garnered widespread acclaim; Dan Jolin of Empire described her as "simultaneously at her most vulnerable and her most predatory." Black Swan became a sleeper hit, grossing over 329.00 M USD worldwide against a 13.00 M USD budget, and earned Portman numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress. Following her Oscar win, controversy arose regarding who performed the bulk of the on-screen dancing, with Portman's dance double, Sarah Lane, claiming the actress performed only about five percent of the full-body shots. Aronofsky defended Portman, insisting she performed 80 percent of the on-screen dancing.

Portman next served as an executive producer for No Strings Attached (2011), a romantic comedy co-starring Ashton Kutcher. She described making the film as a "palate cleanser" after the intensity of Black Swan. Despite unfavorable reviews, it was a commercial success. She then agreed to the film Your Highness (2011) for the opportunity to play an athletic and foul-mouthed character, which she found rare for actresses. The film was critically dismissed for its reliance on scatological humor and proved to be a box-office bomb. In her final film release of 2011, Portman portrayed Jane Foster, a scientist and love interest to the titular character (played by Chris Hemsworth) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Thor. She was drawn to the idea of Kenneth Branagh directing a character-driven big-budget film and helped develop her role by reading biographies of scientists like Rosalind Franklin. Richard Kuipers of Variety praised Portman's "sterling work in a thinly written role" for adding dimension to the film's romantic subplot. Thor earned 449.30 M USD worldwide, ranking as the 15th highest-grossing film of 2011.

In 2012, Forbes listed Portman as one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. Her only screen appearance that year was in Paul McCartney's music video "My Valentine," alongside Johnny Depp. The following year, she reprised her role as Jane Foster in Thor: The Dark World, which grossed over 644.00 M USD worldwide, becoming the 10th highest-grossing film of 2013. In 2014, Forbes included her in their Forbes Celebrity 100 list, estimating her income from the previous year at 13.00 M USD.

In 2015, Portman appeared alongside an ensemble cast, including Christian Bale, in Terrence Malick's experimental drama film Knight of Cups, her first project after giving birth. She filmed her scenes within a week of returning to work, improvising most of them without a traditional script or dialogue. She noted that shooting with Malick influenced her own directorial venture, A Tale of Love and Darkness, released the same year. Based on Israeli author Amos Oz's autobiographical novel of the same name set in Jerusalem during the last years of the British Mandate of Palestine, the Hebrew-language film starred Portman, who also produced and co-wrote it. She had wanted to adapt the book for a decade but waited until she was old enough to play the lead role of a mother. A. O. Scott of The New York Times praised it as a "conscientious adaptation" and recognized Portman's potential as a filmmaker. She also produced and starred in the Western film Jane Got a Gun, which faced numerous production difficulties, including director and cast changes, and grossed less than 4.00 M USD against its 25.00 M USD budget.

In 2016, Portman portrayed Jacqueline Kennedy in the Pablo Larraín-directed biopic Jackie, focusing on Kennedy's life immediately after the 1963 assassination of her husband. Initially intimidated by the role, she extensively researched Kennedy by watching videos, reading books, and listening to audiotapes of her interviews, and worked with a dialect coach to adopt Kennedy's unique speaking style. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called it an "incandescent performance," describing her Jackie as "both inscrutable and naked, broken but unquestionably resilient, a mess and yet fiercely dignified." She won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination. She also served as a producer for the comedy horror film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and starred in Rebecca Zlotowski's French-Belgian drama Planetarium. In 2017, Song to Song marked Portman's second collaboration with Terrence Malick, which, like their previous film, polarized critics.

In 2018, Portman starred in the science fiction film Annihilation, based on Jeff VanderMeer's novel. She played a biologist and former soldier studying a mysterious quarantined zone of mutating organisms. She was pleased to headline a rare female-led science fiction film and underwent movement training for action sequences. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian noted Portman's "strong, fiercely compelling presence" and praised her for playing the part without unnecessary sentimentality. The film received a limited theatrical release and was distributed internationally on Netflix. Her next appearance was in Xavier Dolan's first English-language film, the ensemble drama The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018), which was critically panned. She then starred as a troubled pop singer in Vox Lux, sharing the part with Raffey Cassidy. Drawn to showcasing the negative effects of fame, she researched musicians and listened to Sia's music, who wrote her songs in the film. For the climactic dance routines, she trained with her then-husband, Benjamin Millepied, who choreographed the sequence. While the film received mixed reviews, Portman's performance was praised, with Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph comparing its audacity to her roles in Black Swan and Jackie.

Unused footage from Thor: The Dark World and a new voice-over were used for Portman's brief appearance in the 2019 superhero film Avengers: Endgame. She then portrayed a psychologically troubled astronaut (based on Lisa Nowak) in the drama Lucy in the Sky, directed by Noah Hawley. The film was poorly received, though Portman's performance was praised. The following year, she narrated the Disney+ nature documentary Dolphin Reef and voiced Jane Foster in the animated series What If...?.

In 2022, Portman reprised her role as Jane Foster in the sequel Thor: Love and Thunder, in which her character becomes Mighty Thor. She agreed to return to the franchise after meeting with director Taika Waititi, who offered to portray her character in an "adventurous and fun and funny" way. In preparation, Portman took the Mjolnir prop home to practice using it for her stunts. Nick Allen at RogerEbert.com praised her performance, noting that "In both her human and her heroic state, Portman's performance conveys why it's great to see Jane again." Portman received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Superhero Movie. In a 2022 readers' poll by Empire magazine, Portman was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time.

3.5. Directorial and Production Ventures

In 2008, Portman launched her own production company, named handsomecharlie films, after her late dog. Her directorial debut, the short film Eve, opened the short-film screenings at the 65th Venice International Film Festival. The film is about a young woman who attends her grandmother's romantic date, and Portman drew inspiration for the older character (played by Lauren Bacall) from her own grandmother. She also directed a segment and starred in another for the anthology film New York, I Love You (2009).

In 2015, Portman made her feature directorial debut with A Tale of Love and Darkness, a Hebrew-language biographical drama based on Amos Oz's autobiographical novel. She also produced and co-wrote the film, and starred as Oz's mother. She had wanted to adapt the book for a decade, waiting until she was old enough to play the leading role of a mother herself, and collaborated closely with Amos Oz on the script.

In 2021, Portman and her producing partner, Sophie Mas, co-founded the production company MountainA, signing a first-look television deal with Apple TV+. The company's first project was May December (2023), a drama from filmmaker Todd Haynes, starring Portman and Julianne Moore, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Portman played an actress researching for her role as a woman (played by Moore) whose marriage to a much younger man was controversial. She was pleased to work with Haynes and to play a morally ambiguous character. Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent praised the film as being "galvanised by the tremendous performances from Portman and Moore." Portman received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

MountainA also produced the HBO documentary series Angel City (2023), about the inaugural season of Angel City FC, a National Women's Soccer League team co-founded by Portman. The company's third project was Lady in the Lake (2024), an Apple TV+ miniseries adaptation of Laura Lippman's thriller novel. Portman played a 1960s housewife in Baltimore who becomes an investigative journalist after an unsolved murder. Production in Baltimore was briefly paused when the crew received threats of violence.

3.6. Recent and Upcoming Projects

Continuing her collaboration with Apple TV+, Portman is set to star in Fountain of Youth, an adventure film directed by Guy Ritchie. She will also star alongside Jenna Ortega in Cathy Yan's thriller film The Gallerist.

3.7. Endorsements and Brand Ambassadorships

Beyond her acting career, Portman has been a longtime ambassador for Dior. She signed with the brand in 2010 and has starred in multiple advertising campaigns, including for the Miss Dior fragrance, inspired by Catherine Dior. In 2012, Britain's Advertising Standards Authority banned a Dior advertisement featuring Portman wearing Dior mascara after a complaint from L'Oreal, ruling that the ad "misleadingly exaggerated the likely effects of the product."

In March 2011, Portman voluntarily promoted a fundraising campaign for Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, aimed at raising funds for the construction of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower at the hospital's Ein Kerem campus.

4.1. Animal Welfare and Environmentalism

Portman has been a staunch advocate for animal rights since childhood. She became a vegetarian at age eight after witnessing a demonstration of laser surgery on a chicken during a medical conference with her father, an experience that profoundly influenced her commitment to animal welfare. In 2009, she became a vegan after reading Jonathan Safran Foer's book Eating Animals, and later produced a documentary of the same title about factory farming systems in the U.S. In September 2017, she was honored with the Ongoing Commitment Award by the Environmental Media Association Awards for her work on the film.

She consciously avoids wearing animal products and has praised animal-friendly products from designers like Stella McCartney and brands like Target. In 2007, she launched her own brand of animal-friendly footwear. In the same year, Portman traveled to Rwanda with Jack Hanna to film the documentary Gorillas on the Brink, and later named a baby gorilla "Gukina" at a naming ceremony. Portman's commitment to environmental causes dates back to her childhood, when she was part of an environmental song and dance troupe called World Patrol Kids. In 2019, she gave a pro-vegan speech to 16,000 students at WE Day California, linking veganism with feminism.

4.2. Social and Political Advocacy

Portman has actively supported anti-poverty initiatives. 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 finance women-owned businesses in developing countries. In a segment on the PBS program Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria, she discussed microfinance, with host Fareed Zakaria noting her deep understanding of the subject. In April 2007, she discussed her work with FINCA on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, highlighting its benefits for women and children in Third World countries. In fall 2007, she visited several university campuses, including Harvard, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Princeton, New York University, and Columbia University, to promote microfinance and encourage students to join the Village Banking Campaign.

Portman is a supporter of the Democratic Party. She campaigned for Senator John Kerry in the 2004 United States presidential election and supported Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primaries, later campaigning for Senator Barack Obama. While she disagreed with John McCain's war stance, she considered him a moral person. In 2010, her activism and popularity among young people earned her a nomination for VH1's Do Something Awards. In 2011, she and her then-fiancé Benjamin Millepied signed a petition to President Obama supporting same-sex marriage. She also supported Obama's re-election campaign in 2012.

In 2009, Portman signed a petition defending Roman Polanski, who was charged with drugging and raping a thirteen-year-old girl in 1977 and has been a fugitive for decades. In February 2018, she publicly expressed regret over signing the petition, stating it was a mistake.

In January 2011, Portman was appointed an ambassador for WE Charity (formerly 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 WE Charity's all-girl schools in Kenya. In May 2012, it was announced that Portman would collaborate with watch designer Richard Mille to develop a limited-edition timepiece, with proceeds benefiting WE Charity. In December 2019, she made a second visit to Kenya with WE Charity, speaking with young girls striving to improve their lives through education.

In January 2018, Portman donated 50.00 K USD to the Time's Up initiative. She participated in the 2018 Women's March in Los Angeles, speaking about the "sexual terrorism" she experienced at age thirteen after the release of Léon: The Professional. She revealed that her first fan letter was a "rape fantasy" and that a local radio station created a countdown to her eighteenth birthday. In September 2023, Portman spoke at a United Nations Spotlight Initiative event to eliminate violence against women and girls, urging member states to reinvest in ending gender-based violence.

In 2020, Portman endorsed the "defund the police" movement. She collaborated with JusticeLA to create a public service announcement, #SuingToSaveLives, highlighting the health of people in L.A. County jails amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Later in 2020, Portman was announced as a co-founder and investor in an almost all-female group that was awarded a new franchise in the National Women's Soccer League. The new team, Angel City FC, began play in the 2022 NWSL season.

4.3. Stance on Israel and Related Issues

Portman has been described by Haaretz as "one of Israel's outspoken supporters." She has actively supported the "Holy Land," including raising funds for the reconstruction of northern Israel after the Second Lebanon War.

In 2002, while at Harvard, Portman wrote a letter to The Harvard Crimson in response to an essay critical of Israeli actions toward Palestinians. She argued that the essay misleadingly compared the situation to racial apartheid and stated that "most Israelis and Palestinians are indistinguishable physically." She has also criticized the Israeli government, specifically Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing disappointment with his 2015 re-election and finding his comments racist.

In November 2017, Portman was announced as the recipient of the Genesis Prize for 2018, which included 2.00 M USD in prize money. However, in April 2018, Portman announced she would not attend the awards ceremony, citing "recent events in Israel" that made her uncomfortable. While she did not specify which events, it was suggested to be a reference to the killings and wounding of Palestinian protestors by Israeli fire during the 2018-2019 Gaza border protests. Her decision sparked backlash from Israeli politicians, including Culture Minister Miri Regev and Knesset member Oren Hazan, who accused her of aligning with the BDS movement and called for her Israeli citizenship to be revoked.

Portman clarified her stance, stating, "I am not part of the BDS movement and do not endorse it. Like many Israelis and Jews, I can be critical of Israel's leadership without wanting to boycott the nation." She explained that she did not want to "appear as endorsing" Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was scheduled to speak at the ceremony. She emphasized that "the mistreatment of those suffering from today's atrocities is not in line with my Jewish values," adding, "Because I care about Israel, I must stand up against violence, corruption, inequality, and abuse of power." Later in 2018, Portman criticized the passing of the highly controversial Nation-State Bill, describing it as "racist, and there's nothing else to say about that." She is also a member of the OneVoice Movement.

On October 18, 2023, Portman called for the release of hostages held by Hamas and condemned their actions. She also advocated for Israeli children who had been kidnapped, urging support for their release. Additionally, she publicized information about Dror Israel on [https://www.instagram.com/natalieportman/ Instagram] to raise funds for children near the Gaza border and called on the Red Cross to address ongoing breaches of International Humanitarian Law within Israel. On November 12, 2023, she participated in the March for the Republic and Against Antisemitism in Paris in response to the rise in antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

5.1. Multilingualism and Cultural Identity

Portman is a polyglot, fluent in English and Hebrew, and also speaks French, German, Japanese, and Arabic to various degrees. She considers Hebrew her native language, though it is sometimes noted she speaks it with a slight accent. In 2006, Portman expressed a strong connection to her Jewish identity, particularly in Israel, and shared her desire to raise her children Jewish, emphasizing the importance of having a partner who is a good person.

5.2. Marriage and Family

Portman has discreetly dated actors Zach Braff and Jake Gyllenhaal. She also had relationships with musician Devendra Banhart and Israeli actor Liron Levo.

She met French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied in 2009 while working on the film Black Swan, where he was the choreographer. The couple announced their engagement and Portman's pregnancy in December 2010. Their son, Aleph Portman-Millepied, was born in June 2011. Portman and Millepied married on August 4, 2012, in a Jewish ceremony in Big Sur, California. Their daughter, Amalia Millepied, was born in February 2017.

In January 2013, Millepied was appointed director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet, leading the family to relocate to Paris in the autumn of 2014. Portman expressed interest in obtaining French citizenship during this period. In January 2014, Millepied announced he was in the process of converting to Judaism. In 2016, the family moved back to Los Angeles from Paris. In 2017, Portman purchased a Montecito mansion, which she sold for 8.00 M USD in 2021.

In early 2023, reports surfaced alleging an extramarital affair by Millepied, which the couple never publicly addressed. On March 8, 2024, it was officially announced that Portman and Millepied had finalized their divorce.

5.3. Other Personal Details

Portman was a smoker but quit on December 31, 2010, after becoming pregnant, and has been a non-smoker since 2011. Her favorite movie is Dirty Dancing, and she is a fan of its star, Patrick Swayze. She also admires actor Ben Kingsley. Portman is known to be a voracious reader, often posting about her favorite books on [https://www.instagram.com/natalieportman/ Instagram] with the hashtag "#nataliesbookclub." In December 2020, she recommended Mieko Kawakami's Summer Story (English title Breasts and Eggs), praising Kawakami's depiction of contemporary Japanese women. A dialogue between Portman and Kawakami was later published in March 2021. Portman is also known for her polite demeanor, always greeting co-stars, crew, and backstage staff. Her height is 63 in ^{(160 cm)}.

6.1. Major Accolades

Portman has received numerous awards for her work, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Her most significant awards include:

• Academy Award for Best Actress: 2010 for Black Swan
• Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture: 2004 for Closer
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture - Drama: 2010 for Black Swan
• BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role: 2010 for Black Swan
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: 2010 for Black Swan
• Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress: 2010 for Black Swan and 2016 for Jackie
• Saturn Award for Best Actress: 2006 for V for Vendetta

She has also received nominations for:

• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress: 2004 for Closer
• Academy Award for Best Actress: 2016 for Jackie
• Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture: 1999 for Anywhere but Here
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture - Drama: 2016 for Jackie and 2023 for May December
• BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role: 2016 for Jackie
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: 2016 for Jackie

6.2. Critical Reception and Public Image

Portman's performances have consistently garnered critical praise, with reviewers often highlighting her ability to portray complex characters with depth and nuance. From her early roles, critics noted her precocious talent and ability to convey emotional complexity. Her transition to more mature roles after her Harvard education was met with acclaim, particularly for her work in Closer and V for Vendetta.

Her portrayal of Nina Sayers in Black Swan is widely considered a career-defining performance, earning her an Academy Award and solidifying her reputation as a leading dramatic actress. Similarly, her depiction of Jacqueline Kennedy in Jackie was lauded for its meticulous detail and emotional resonance.

Portman has maintained a public image as an intelligent, articulate, and principled individual, often using her platform to advocate for social and environmental causes. Her commitment to animal rights, women's rights, and other humanitarian efforts has further shaped her public persona. In 2012, she topped Forbes' list of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, and in 2022, she was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time in an Empire magazine readers' poll, reflecting her enduring impact and high regard within the industry and among audiences.

7.1. Film

7.2. Television

7.3. Stage

• Ruthless!! (1994)
• The Diary of Anne Frank (1997)
• The Seagull (2001)

7.4. Music Videos

• "Dance Tonight" by Paul McCartney (2007)
• "Carmensita" by Devendra Banhart (2008)
• "My Valentine" by Paul McCartney (2012)