Natalie Portman has a reputation for being one of Hollywood’s finest actresses. The Black Swan star is also a respected producer and has branched out into TV.
She is executive producer on a new drama called Lady in the Lake. She will also appear in the show. The drama is based on Laura Lippman’s novel of the same name.
Personal Background
Natalie Portman, whose maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors, is a badass bitch. She’s also a dedicated and accomplished actress, director, writer, and mom. Born in Jerusalem, Israel, Portman took dancing classes as a child and spent her summers at theater arts camp. As a teen she was approached by a Revlon representative about modeling, but she decided against it and opted instead to pursue acting.
Her film career began with a supporting role in Luc Besson’s 1994 feature Leon: The Professional, but her turn as Al Pacino’s troubled daughter in 1996’s Heat brought her wider attention. From there, she continued to work steadily in both TV and movies, specializing in complicated and often challenging roles.
In a break from her screen persona, Portman appeared on Broadway for a year in the title role of The Diary of Anne Frank, and she made an auspicious directorial debut with 2015’s A Tale of Love and Darkness, which was based on Israeli author Amos Oz’s memoir of his experiences during Mandatory Palestine. The movie is considered a rare gem in a formula-obsessed Hollywood.
More recently, she’s portrayed a dowdy supermarket cashier in 2010’s Hesher, a warrior princess in the bawdy period drama Your Highness, and a hard-bitten pioneer in Terrence Malick’s Hollywood parable Knight of Cups. She’s also appeared alongside Ashton Kutcher in the romantic comedy No Strings Attached and as a superhero in the Marvel franchise Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Jackie (2017), and Thor: Ragnarok (2022). In 2012, she married French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied (he was the choreographer for Black Swan). The couple has two children, Aleph and Amalia.
Acting Career
Natalie Portman began her career as a model, but she quickly discovered that acting was her true passion. She made her film debut in 1994 with the thriller Leon: The Professional, and since then she has worked with some of Hollywood’s most renowned directors and actors. She starred in Ted Demme’s heartwarming Beautiful Girls (1996), Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You (1996), and Tim Burton’s sci-fi Mars Attacks! (1996); and in the action drama V for Vendetta (2005), as Evey, a young woman who joins a freedom fighter to overthrow the British government.
In 2010, Portman starred as ballerina Odette in the psychological thriller Black Swan, for which she won a Best Actress Oscar and an Independent Spirit Award. She also starred as Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and in Marvel’s Thor franchise, bringing a powerful story to the big screen that comic fans have long been eager to see.
In between filming, Portman makes sure to spend time with her family. She is also very choosy about the projects she chooses. She passed on the starring roles in Lolita and Romeo and Juliet because they required nudity, and she once turned down a role in a film called The Smoker because of a love-making scene that she felt was gratuitous.
Philanthropic Efforts
Natalie Portman is a well-rounded individual who has used her fame to support important causes. She has spoken out on issues like the importance of scientific research and education, and she has even starred in films that highlight the need for women’s equality.
Throughout her career, she has made it her mission to bring complex and empowering characters to life on film. She immerses herself in her roles, undergoing intense preparation to ensure that she can capture the essence of each character. For example, she underwent intensive ballet training to play the troubled ballerina in Black Swan, a role that earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award. She also spent countless hours perfecting her accents and mastering the physicality of each dance routine.
One of her most important philanthropic initiatives is her work with the WE Charity, which encourages youth to be active local and global citizens. As an Ambassador, she has helped to raise funds for a number of projects, including the Kisaruni All-Girls Secondary School in Kenya. She also worked to launch a campaign for LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand FINCA’s village banking microfinance program.
As part of her efforts with the Genesis Prize Foundation, Portman will be donating $1 million to programs that promote women’s advancement in all aspects of human endeavors, including educational opportunities, economic advancement, health and safety, and full participation in political activity. The Genesis Prize is an annual $1 million award that honors individuals who serve as inspiration to the next generation of Jews.
Current Projects
As a talented actress, producer and director, Natalie Portman has taken on a variety of roles throughout her career. She earned her Oscar for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan and received nominations for her work in Mike Nichols’ Closer and Pablo Larrain’s Jackie. Despite her numerous accolades, she is still committed to making challenging and meaningful projects on both the big and small screen.
In addition to her work on stage and in television, Portman has also acted in several films, including the dowdy supermarket cashier in Hesher (2010), a seductive stripper in No Strings Attached (2011), and a warrior princess in the period comedy Your Highness (2012). She also threw herself into superhero fare, portraying the wise and witty Jane Foster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor (2011), The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
Currently, she is working on an HBO drama called May December, which stars Julianne Moore and Charles Melton as a married couple with a troubled daughter. This is Portman’s first TV project without her children and she is both directing and executive producing the film. The story centers on Maddie Schwartz, a Jewish housewife in 1960s Baltimore who takes on investigative journalism after noticing a disparity in the media coverage of the killing of Cleo Sherwood (played by Lupita Nyong’o). Portman has been praised for her richly flawed character who is driven by good intentions but often fails to see the impact of her actions on those around her.