Natalie Portman, Pictures, Bio, Movie Trailers, Fan Sites

MAIN Art & ... Pop Culture Actresses Natalie Portman

Now internationally known as Queen Amidala in the second Star Wars series, Portman was born on June 9, 1981 in Jerusalem and moved with her parents to New York when she was three.

A child model, she was all of 12 when she auditioned for her first movie role with director Luc Besson who cast her in The Professional in which she plays a girl who trains as an assassin to avenge her brother's death.

The part launched Portman's career, but she continued to appear in minor roles, i.e., opposite Al Pacino in Heat and as the president's disaffected daughter alongside Jack Nicholson and an all-star cast in Mars Attacks! in 1996.

Portman went on to appear in two other critically acclaimed films that year - in Woody Allen's Everybody Says I Love You and in Beautiful Girls, in which she held her own against movie veterans Matt Dillon and Timothy Hutton.

Natalie Portman
The Other Boleyn Girl Movie Trailer

Her Broadway debut came next, in a strong and sensitive performance in the title role of Anne Frank, followed by the biggest role of her career to date - when she signed a 10-year contract to play the pivotal role of Queen Amidala in three new installments of the epic Star Wars series.

Portman's more recent film credits have included appearances in Garden State and alongside Jude Law and Nicole Kidman in the critically acclaimed Cold Mountain, crowning a busy year in film with a Golden Globe winning performance as Best Supporting Actress for her role in Closer and an Oscar nod, as well, for the role.

Her final appearance in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as Queen Amidala was opposite co-star Hayden Christensen as the young Darth Vader.

In 2006, Portman starred in V for Vendetta as a rebel fighter against a futuristic totalitarian British government co-starring Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea, and John Hurt, followed by almost universal derision a year later for her lightweight performance alongside Dustin Hoffman in "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium."

Up next, she co-stars with Scarlett Johannson in the costume drama The Other Boleyn Girl released in February 2008.

Natalie Portman.com - All Natalie Portman news all the time along with rumored projects, photos, a biography, quotes, filmography, audio and video clips.

Star Wars: Bio | Natalie Portman - A star profile From the official Star Wars site.

ClassicNatalie.com - News, pictures, video clips, actress profile and online forum.

Natalie Portman Empire - Established fan community featuring chats and messageboard, picture galleries, video clips, biography and filmography, and links to related articles and Web sites.

Natalie Portman Pictures - 10 picture galleries chronicling Portman's modeling and acting career, biography, factoids and trivia.