NATALIE PORTMAN

Hailed as a child prodigy for her uncommonly skilled performances in Luc Besson's "The Professional" (1994) and Michael Mann's "Heat" (1995), Natalie Portman dodged the "child star curse" bullet to become a major big screen draw in her twenties. Even as a teen, Portman's talent for portraying sensitive old souls reflected her own grounded, emotionally evolved persona, as well as her ability to plan her career and choose roles wisely. She offered a Golden Globe-nominated performance as the level-headed daughter of flighty single mom Susan Sarandon in "Anywhere But Here" (1999), before transforming into a sci-fi pin-up as regal queen Padme Amidala in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy (1999, 2002, 2005). Her foray into mega blockbuster territory - including "V for Vendetta" (2006) - proved Portman's screen appeal as an empowered, intelligent and irresistibly cute screen star. Throughout her career Portman maintained "acclaimed actress" status with a Golden Globe-winning turn in Mike Nichols' "Closer" (2004) and Oscar-winning performance in Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" (2010), as well as returned regularly to independent films like "Garden State" (2004), where her charm, emotional accessibility and increasing dramatic range made her one of the most bankable young women on the big screen. Born Natalie Hershlag in Jerusalem, Israel, on June 9, 1981, the only child and her family immigrated to the United States when she was still a toddler; first to Washington D.C. and Connecticut before settling on New York's Long Island. Portman loved dancing and singing lessons as a child, and was already dreaming of the Broadway stage when she was discovered at age 10 by a modeling scout at a local pizza place. When she expressed her interests in acting rather than modeling, she was put in touch with acting agents and began developing her dramatic skills at theater camps. In 1993, she landed her first professional acting job in an off-Broadway musical production. Less than a year later, the 11-year-old was on a plane to Paris to shoot her first feature film. Her star quality and a maturity beyond her age were already evident in Luc Besson's "The Professional" (1994), where she played an orphan apprenticed to a hit man (Jean Reno) who serves as her mentor, while she serves as his savior. The auspicious debut won Portman plenty of positive notices, even by those who found the characters' oddly matched (but platonic) relationship troubling. She made her directorial debut with a segment in the film compilation "New York, I Love You" (2009), also starring as a Hasidic diamond broker and bride-to-be in another segment directed by Mira Nair. Portman went on to serve as producer and co-star alongside Rainn Wilson and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt in the indie film "Hesher" (2009) before starring with Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire in "Brothers" (2009). Directed by Jim Sheridan, the drama was a remake of Scandinavian filmmaker Susanne Bier's film about the results of a soldier's wartime disappearance on the wife, children and brother he left behind. In 2010, Portman teamed with Mila Kunis to portray rival dancers in "Black Swan" (2010), a psychological thriller from director Darren Aronofsky. Almost immediately, Portman was touted as a possible front runner for an Academy Award, which later became a reality following an Indie Spirit nod and Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe wins for Best Actress. At the same time she was enjoying intense critical success culminating in an Oscar nomination, the actress announced she was pregnant and engaged to Benjamin Millepied, a choreographer she had met on the set of "Black Swan." Her new year was topped with a Best Actress Oscar win, followed by the female lead in the comic book fanboy favorite, "Thor" (2011), followed by the birth of her son in June.

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