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From SCIFIPEDIA
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Natalie Portman at the Golden Globes
Natalie Portman, born June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel, caught the world's attention in 1994 with her unforgettable performance as assassin-wannabe Mathilda in the film Léon (also known as The Professional and The Cleaner). She followed her first success with three more films released in 1995, Beautiful Girls, Heat, and Tim Burton's sci-fi extravaganza, Mars Attacks!
Portman graduated from her Long Island, New York, high school in June 1999, then entered Harvard University, from which she graduated in June 2003. She continued to pursue her acting career throughout her time at school, headlining both Anywhere but Here and Where the Heart Is, among other features, and taking stage roles in The Diary of Anne Frank and The Seagull. In fact, she turned down a starring role in The Horse Whisperer (Scarlett Johansson stepped into the role) in order to play Anne Frank on Broadway.
Then came Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which filled theaters with ecstatic fans in 1999. Portman breathed life into Queen Padmé Naberrie Amidala, with costumes, makeup, and most particularly hairdos, that dazzled. She fulfilled her ten-year Star Wars contract with two more outings, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), although her original blaster-toting, adventurous Amidala saw less and less action as the series drew to a close.
Her post-Star Wars triumphs include garnering an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of the free-spirited, streetwise Alice in Mike Nichols's Closer.
For her role in V for Vendetta (written by the Wachowskis of The Matrix fame, based on Alan Moore's graphic novel), Portman shaved her head and learned to speak with an English accent.
In 2006, Portman voiced a part in Paris, je t'aime and starred in Goya's Ghosts among an international cast of actors including Javier Bardem and Randy Quaid. She continued in the vein of internationally relevant films, appearing in Darjeeling Limited with Bill Murray and Adrien Brody and starred in the fantasy film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium which also featured Dustin Hoffman.
In 2008, Portman completed The Other Boelyn Girl in which she plays Anne Boelyn. She will also appear in Brothers and New York, I Love You.
External Links
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