Mini Biography biography Natalie Hershlag

Birth Name
Natalie Hershlag 




Date of Birth
9 June 1981, Jerusalem, Israel 



Nickname
Nat 


Height
5' 3" (1.60 m) 


Mini Biography
Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem, the only child of a doctor father (from Israel) and an artist mother (from Cincinnati, Ohio), who also acts as Natalie's agent. She left Israel for Washington, D.C., when she was still very young. After a few more moves, her family finally settled in New York, where she still lives to this day. She graduated with honors, and her academic achievements allowed her to attend Harvard.

Natalie Portman is an American Israeli actress who currently holds citizenship status to both countries. Her birth name is Natalie Hershlag however she selected the last name “Portman” as her stage name when she became an actress. She speaks both English and Hebrew and has been known to state that even though she loves living in America, her heart will always be in Jerusalem where she was born. Her great grandparents were killed in Auschwitz during WWII.
Portman’s parents met while they were both attending the Ohio State University who returned to Israel prior to her birth. After a brief stay in Jerusalem their family moved to Washington D.C., Connecticut and finally New York.
Portman graduated from Harvard with a degree in psychology and some of the highlights of her education include two research papers that eventually became published in separate scientific journals. She carries an enthusiasm about language and has studied a variety of foreign languages including German, French, Arabic and Japanese.
Most notably, Natalie Portman is known for her role in “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” where she played the role of Padme Amidala throughout the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Still in high school at the time, Portman actually missed the screening of this blockbuster because she was busy studying for her high school exams. She has gone on to star in other major block buster Hollywood films including “The Black Swan” and “V for Vendetta”.
Natalie is an avid environmentalist and has strong beliefs in animal rights. She even travelled to Africa, specifically Rwanda, to assist in the making of “Gorillas on the Brink” along side with Jack Hanna. Along with animal and environmental causes Portman is a strong supporter of economic and anti-poverty events and frequently travels to third world countries to support her personal causes.
Natalie Portman got married in 2012 during a private ceremony away from the spotlight she is typically in the center of to Devendra Banhart who she met on the set of “The Black Swan”. They currently have a son together who was born prior to their marriage in 2011. Portman has publically announced that she plans to raise her son Jewish and is considering raising him in Israel to help reinforce her religious beliefs.
Portman has starred in a number of roles, many of which became box office hits including movies such as “Zoolander”, “Mars Attacks!”, “Cold Mountain”, “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium”, “No Strings Attached” and Marvel’s “Thor”. She has also made her way onto popular television shows as a guest such as “The Simpsons”, “Sesame Street”, and “Saturday Night Live”.
Natalie Portman has an outstanding acting career and has been nominated for over 50 awards, 26 of which she has won. Portman is a celebrity that has stayed true to her roots and her causes throughout her fame and career and even took a break from acting to finish her schooling at Harvard. Portman continues to strive to achieve greatness and pursues her desires with a passion that is unhindered by critics. She even stated once that she doesn’t care if her schooling interferes with her acting career before receiving her degree in Psychology from Harvard University.