Natalie Portman

She was romantically involved with Devendra Banhart, an American folk singer. Their relationship ended in 2008.

She is an advocate for animal rights, does not wear fur and turned a vegan. However, she discontinued her vegan diet during her pregnancy as she craved for eggs and cheese. She resumed the diet after delivery.

She is the Ambassador of Hope for FINCA International, which encourages women entrepreneurs in developing countries by providing financial aid. She has worked on various anti-poverty causes.

Natalie Portman was born on June 9, 1981 as Natalie Hershlag in Jerusalem, Israel to Avner Hershlag, Israeli fertility specialist and gynaecologist and Shelley Stevens, a homemaker.

In 1984, when she was three, her parents immigrated to the United States from Israel. Her father came as a medical trainee and they stayed in Washington, D.C. They later moved to Connecticut and then Jericho, New York.

She attended the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Washington, D.C. and later the Solomon Schechter Day School in Glen Cove, New York. In 1999, she graduated from the Syosset High School in Syosset, Long Island.

Since she turned four, she started learning dance and performed in various local troops. She also attended many theatre camps during her childhood days.

She attended the American Theatre Dance Workshop in New Hyde Park, New York, where she trained in ballet and modern dance. She also went to the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts in Wheatley Heights.

On November, 18, 1994, she made her film debut with ‘Léon: The Professional’, a thriller directed by Luc Besson. After she signed the film, in order to protect her family identity, she took her grandmother’s maiden name ‘Portman’.

In 1995, she played ‘Lauren Gustafson’ in the Michael Mann crime film, ‘Heat’. The film was a commercial success and also earned good reviews from critics.

In 1996, she appeared as ‘Marty’ in the film, ‘Beautiful Girls’. The same year, she was seen in the Woody Allen film ‘Everyone Says I Love You’ and the film, ‘Mars Attacks!’ directed by Tim Burton .

In 1997, she played the role of ‘Anne Frank’ in the stage paly, ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’, which was an adaptation of the book of the same name. The play opened at the Music Box Theatre, Manhattan.

In May 1999, she starred in the epic space opera film titled, ‘Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace’. The film was a massive commercial success but received mixed reviews from the critics.

‘Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace’ was one of the highest grossing Star Wars films, which earned $924.3 million worldwide during its initial run. In 2012, a 3D version of the film was released, which made it the ‘14th-highest-grossing film of all time’.

She starred in ‘Black Swan’ which was a box office success and critically acclaimed flick. The film won awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, Chicago Film Critics Association, Los Angeles Film Critics Association and San Diego Film Critics Society.