Biography
Natalie Portman was born on June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel as
the only child of a Doctor (father) and an artist (mother, who also
acts as Natalie's agent). Natalie left Israel for Washington when
she was still very young. After a few more moves, her family
finally settled in New York, where she lived until her graduation
from high school. She graduated with honors, and her academic
achievements allowed her to attend Harvard. She was discovered by
an agent in a pizza parlor at the age of 11. She was pushed towards
a career in modeling but she decided that she would rather pursue a
career in acting. She was featured in many live performances, but
she made her powerful film debut in the movie _Léon (1994)_ (qv)
(The Professional). Following this role Natalie won roles in such
films as _Heat (1995)_ (qv), _Beautiful Girls (1996)_ (qv) and
_Mars Attacks! (1996)_ (qv). It wouldn't be until 1999 when she
received worldwide fame as Queen Amidala in the highly anticipated
$431 million grossing Prequel _Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom
Menace (1999)_ (qv). Natalie next starred in two critically
acclaimed comedy dramas _Anywhere But Here (1999)_ (qv), and _Where
the Heart Is (2000)_ (qv).
Biography courtesy of the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com).
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