Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman

Born in Israel on June 9, 1981, and best known as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequels, she has since moved on to other notable roles and even two Academy Award nominations—one of which she won (Best Actress for her role in Black Swan). Not to be confused with Keira Knightley, who looks a bit like her (and played a body double of her character in The Phantom Menace).

---

Natalie Portman has performed in the following roles:

• Léon: The Professional (1994)
• Heat (1995)
• Beautiful Girls (1996)
• Mars Attacks!! (1996)
• The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Where the Heart Is (2000)
• Zoolander (2001) (cameo)
• Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Cold Mountain (2003)
• Garden State (2004)
• Closer (2004)
• Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• V for Vendetta (2006)
• Goya's Ghosts (2006)
• Paris Je T'Aime (2006) (in a short film)
• Hotel Chevalier (2007) (short film companion piece to The Darjeeling Limited, she also has a very brief cameo in the latter)
• Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)
• The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
• New York I Love You (2009) (also in a short film)
• Black Swan (2010)
• No Strings Attached (2011)
• Your Highness (2011)
• Thor (2011)
• Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Natalie Portman provides examples of the following tropes:

• Academy Award: Won for Black Swan, nominated for Closer.
• Action Girl: In several of her best-known roles, including Mathilda in Léon: The Professional and Padmé in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, she proves to be really handy with a gun.
• Adorkable
• Brainy Brunette
• Celebrity Resemblance: Keira Knightley, who played Padmé's decoy in The Phantom Menace. Apparently, even their mothers couldn't tell them apart with their ceremonial makeup on.
• Character Tics: According to the article "The Beautiful Mind", Natalie has a habit of playing with her toes during an interview.
• Cluster F-Bomb: Wait, what?
• Cryptic Conversation / Hiding Behind the Language Barrier: Used as a joke in an Inside The Actors Studio issue, where she said a line in Hebrew (at around 4:43) and then, when asked of its meaning, playfully answered: "It's for me to know and you to find out". Since then, people on the Internet have been asking about it. (If you want to know, what she said is: In a month, I'm going to Israel to study at the University.) Besides, she mentioned in an interview that she likes using Hebrew as a Secret Language.
• Darker and Edgier: Black Swan. And she pulls it off, winning a Golden Globe and an Oscar.
• Dyeing for Your Art: She had her head shaved on camera for V for Vendetta, and lost 20 pounds to play a ballerina in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan.
• Even the Girls Want Her: She generates a lot If It's You It's Okay girl-crushes among her fellow actresses.
• Foot Focus: If Natalie's ever barefoot in a scene, expect close-ups of her feet.
• Former Child Star: Averted, as she is even more successful now than as a child actor.
• Identical Stranger: With Keira Knightley.
• Ivy League: Portman is a Harvard graduate.
• The Ladette: See Cluster F-Bomb above.
• Like Is, Like, a Comma: She often punctuates her sentences with "like".
• One of Us: She has a bachelor's in psychology from Harvard and has taken graduate courses at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She has published two papers (one in organic chemistry from when she was in high school and one in neuropsychology from when she was in college). And she speaks six languages: she's fluent in English and Hebrew, and has studied German, French, Japanese, and Arabic.
  • She's one of the few people in the world to have a Erdos-Bacon number -- where her scholarly work can be linked to mathematician Paul Erdos and her film work linked to Kevin Bacon. She has a Erdos-Bacon number of 6.
• Pretty in Mink: Has occasionally worn fur, although fake (and she has a puppy in that gallery).
• Romance on the Set: During the making of Black Swan, Natalie started a relationship with film's choreographer Benjamin Millepied. Currently^[when?] they're engaged and have a child together.
  • Which is Hilarious in Hindsight once you see Black Swan, as he's the "would you **** this girl" guy.
• Slasher Smile: Ha! A cute actress like Natalie can't possibly do th... OH MY GOD...
  • Well, seeing as she was praised for her performance in Black Swan, this probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise.
• Stage Name: Her birth name is Natalie Hershlag. Portman was her grandmother's maiden name.