Natalie Portman (born: Netta-Lee Hershlag, [June 9, 1981) is an American-Israeli film actress, director, and Oscar-winner for her role in a Black Swan movie. (Natalie Portman Biography and History)
Portman became famous in 1994 when she starred alongside Jean-Renault in the movie “Leon.” She has since starred in dozens of films, including in the Star Wars trilogy, Closer, Black Swan, and Vundetta. In 2005, she was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Golden Globe Award for her role in the film “Closer.” In 2011, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild and the APTA Award, for her role in the Black Swan movie.
Biography:
Neta-Lee Hershlag was born in Jerusalem, Israel. Her father, Avner Hershleg, is an Israeli doctor specializing in fertility. Mother, Shelly Stevens (nee Edelstein), was born in the United States to American-born parents who came from Jewish families from Austria, Lithuania and Poland. Her paternal grandparents are Mania (nee Portman) and Zvi Yehuda Herslach, who immigrated to Israel from Romania and Poland, respectively. At age 4, her family moved to the United States. They first lived in Washington, moved to Connecticut in 1988, and in 1990 moved to Long Island, New York City, New York, all because of her father’s occupations. “Portman” is her grandmother’s maiden name on her father’s side, and she adopted it as her stage name to keep her private. Although she does not live in Israel, Portman speaks Hebrew and maintains social ties in Israel.
When she was an 11-year-old Portman, Revlon’s agent discovered her in a pizzeria. She was interested in her as a model.