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Biography #2 (for Brothers)

Natalie Portman made her debut in Luc Besson's THE PROFESSIONAL, in 1994. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Mike Nichol's CLOSER.

She recently wrapped production on David Gordon Green's YOUR HIGHNESS, co-starring with Danny McBride, James Franco and Zooey Deschanel. The story focuses on an arrogant, lazy prince who must complete a quest to save his father's kingdom. Joining him on the quest is his more heroic brother and love interest, played by Portman. The Universal Pictures film is slated for release October 1, 2010.

Portman is currently in production on Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN, a supernatural thriller that centers on a veteran ballerina who finds herself locked in a competitive situation with a rival dancer, with the stakes increasing as the dancers approach a big performance. She will next begin production on Kenneth Branagh's THOR, portraying Jane Foster, love interest of Thor.

On screen, Portman has starred in over twenty-five films, including HEAT, BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU, MARS ATTACKS!, ANYWHERE BUT HERE, WHERE THE HEART IS, COLD MOUNTAIN, GARDEN STATE, FREE ZONE, V FOR VENDETTA, PARIS JE T'AIME, GOYA'S GHOSTS, MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS, MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM, THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL and NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU. Additionally, she starred in George Lucas' STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 – THE PHANTOM MENACE, STAR WARS: EPISODE II – ATTACK OF THE CLONES, and STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH. The prequels to the wildly popular STAR WARS trilogy of the 70's and 80's rank among the top-grossing films ever produced worldwide. On stage, Portman starred in Mike Nichol's Shakespeare in the Park production of The Seagull, opposite Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Philip Seymour Hoffman; as well as James Lapine's Broadway production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Behind the lens, Portman has taken turns writing, directing and producing. Her credits include EVE which she wrote and directed, telling the story of a young woman who ends up on her grandmother's date. The film debuted at the 2008 Venice Film Festival and stars Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, and Olivia Thirlby. She also wrote and directed a short film for NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU, about a day in the life of a father and daughter in Central Park. The film, released in October 2009, showcases twelve filmmakers who each directed a vignette illustrating the universal theme of love within the five boroughs of New York City.

Additionally, she executive produced and starred in Don Roos' adaptation of Ayelet Waldman's novel Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, opposite Scott Cohen and Charlie Tahan. The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, revolves around a young woman who tries to recover her marriage through her relationship with her stepson.

Portman is currently developing film projects through her production company, Handsomecharlie films, which has an overhead deal with Participant Media. Together with Annette Savitch, VP of Development and Production, the company is focused on finding intelligent, accessible films across varied genres, as well as female-driven comedies. Handsomecharlie films recently set up Booksmart at Fox, and they are partnered with Plan B at Paramount to produce IMPORTANT ARTIFACTS, based on the book by Leanne Shapton, with Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman attached to star. Shooting on their first produced film HESHER was recently completed, starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and directed by Spencer Susser.

In the digital landscape, Portman recently launched www.makingof.com, a behind-the-scenes web portal that looks at entertainment creation. Co-founded with partner and CEO Christine Aylward, www.makingof.com gives users a fresh, unfiltered view of the entertainment industry and provides exclusive access to industry insiders and an interactive entertainment-focused community forum.

Portman became the first Ambassador of Hope for FINCA, an international village banking microfinance program providing small loans and savings programs to the world's poorest families so they may create their own jobs, raise household incomes, and improve their standard of living thereby reducing poverty worldwide. As the Ambassador of Hope, Portman has proved to be a globally aware and dedicated individual who supports the work of FINCA through her advocacy and visits to FINCA International programs in countries such as Guatemala, Ecuador and Uganda. She has also met with high-level United States Members of Congress to lobby for support of international microfinance funding.

A Harvard graduate with a degree in psychology, Portman has also studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem where she learned Arabic and Hebrew, and studied the Anthropology of Violence and Israeli history. Portman currently resides in Los Angeles.

Bio courtesy Lionsgate Films for "Brothers" (13-Dec-2009)


Biography #3 (for The Other Boleyn Girl)

Since her debut at age 11 in Luc Besson's The Professional, Natalie Portman has appeared in the films Beautiful Girls, Everyone Says I Love You, Mars Attacks!, Anywhere But Here, Where The Heart Is, and the stage production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

While completing her psychology degree at Harvard, Portman starred in the Star Wars prequels, Cold Mountain, the Public Theater's Central Park production of The Seagull opposite Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Garden State, and Closer, for which she was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

Portman most recently starred in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Milos Forman's Goya's Ghosts, Wong Kar Wei's My Blueberry Nights, and V for Vendetta. She also appeared in Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. She will next star in Brothers, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, for director Jim Sheridan.

Bio courtesy Columbia Pictures for "The Other Boleyn Girl" (02-May-2008)


Biography #4 (for V for Vendetta)

An actress who brings a timeless beauty and grace with a disarming approach to each of her roles, Natalie Portman has established herself as one of Hollywood's most talented and sought after young actresses.

In addition to V For Vendetta, Portman will appear in the Israeli feature film Free Zone, directed by Amos Gitai. Shot in Israel and Jordan, Free Zone is about the unlikely relationship between two women thrown together by circumstance after one woman (played by Portman) jumps into a cab driven by the other. The two women embark on a journey that involves thugs and political intrigue. The film debuted in competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Portman recently wrapped production on Milos Forman's Goya's Ghosts with Javier Bardem. Produced by Saul Zaentz, the film is set in 1792 when Francisco Goya was Spain's most famous painter. A scandal arises when his teenage muse is framed for heresy by a manipulative monk who is one of the driving forces behind the Spanish Inquisition. Bardem will play the monk and Portman will play the muse as well as her teen daughter, Alicia, who might be the result of an illicit affair with the monk.

She will then go immediately into production early in 2006 on Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Written by and featuring the directorial debut of Zach Helm (Stranger Than Fiction), the fantasy comedy features Portman as the manager of a toy store that seems to come alive when infused by the spirit of its eccentric owner, played by Dustin Hoffman. When his health begins to fail, he wants to turn the store over to her, but her depression has turned the once vibrant store to a gray pallor. Producers on the film are Richard Gladstein and Jim Garavante.

Portman recently starred in the final installment of George Lucas' second Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, with Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor. In 2002, Portman starred as Senator Amidala in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, following the huge success of Lucas' blockbuster hit, Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, in which her character was introduced. Both films, prequels to Lucas' wildly popular Star Wars trilogy of the 70s and 80s, rank among the top-grossing films ever produced worldwide.

Portman won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as an Academy Award nomination in the same category for her role in Mike Nichols' big-screen adaptation of Patrick Marber's Broadway hit Closer. Starring opposite Jude Law, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, and set in London, the film is an intriguing story of passion, drama, love and abandonment involving two couples, which only gets more complicated when the man from the first couple gets acquainted with the woman from the second coupling. Portman plays an enigmatic young American girl from New York, who like the other characters in the film, explores her dark side, sexually and emotionally. Other nods for her work in the film include a nomination for Best Actress from the London Film Critics and nominations for Best Supporting Actress from the Online Film Critics and the Critics' Choice Awards. She was also named Best Supporting Actress by the San Diego Film Critics.

Portman also earned critical acclaim for her work in Zach Braff's Garden State. Written, directed, and co-starring Braff, the film follows the travails of a young man who returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade. Portman plays Sam, a girl who is everything he isn't. A blast of color, hope and quirks, Sam becomes a sidekick who refuses to ride in his sidecar. Her warmth and fearlessness give Braff's character the courage to open his heart to the joy and pain of the infinite abyss that is life. The film also stars Peter Sarsgaard.

Portman received international acclaim for her feature film debut in Luc Besson's The Professional. Starring opposite Jean Reno and Gary Oldman, Portman played Mathilde, a young girl who seeks refuge from a hitman after her parents are killed by a corrupt DEA officer. She received further recognition for her movie-stealing performance in the film Beautiful Girls. Directed by Ted Demme, the bittersweet comedy also starred Timothy Hutton, Uma Thurman, Rosie O'Donnell and Matt Dillon.

Other feature credits include Anthony Minghella's critically acclaimed and Academy Award nominated adaptation of the best-selling novel Cold Mountain, starring opposite Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger; Matt Williams' Where the Heart Is, co-starring Ashley Judd; Wayne Wang's Anywhere But Here, opposite Susan Sarandon (which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress); the Woody Allen musical Everyone Says I Love You, co-starring Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Alan Alda and Drew Barrymore; Tom Tykwer's short film True, as part of the compilation feature film Paris je t'aime; Tim Burton's black comedy Mars Attacks! with Jack Nicholson and Glenn Close; and Michael Mann's Heat with Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer.

Portman first worked with Mike Nichols playing the role of Nina in his Shakespeare in the Park production of The Seagull, opposite Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Philip Seymour Hoffman for the New York Shakespeare Festival. Tom Stoppard's adaptation of Anton Chekhov's classic tale resonates with the contemporary questions of sex, love, family and fame. In the 1997-1998 Broadway season, Portman starred in the title role of The Diary of Anne Frank, praised by USA Today as a landmark performance. Directed by James Lapine, the production took a fresh look at the play, incorporating new material from the 1995 Definitive Edition of Anne Frank's diaries.

Bio courtesy Warner Bros. for "V for Vendetta" (01-Apr-2006)


Biography #5 (for Closer)

Natalie Portman has demonstrated star quality since her first film role in Luc Besson's The Professional as the 10-year old apprentice to an assassin played by Jean Reno. Her auspicious debut led to roles in Michael Mann's Heat, Beautiful Girls, Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You and Tim Burton's Mars Attacks. She became a household name after starring as Queen Amidala in George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace, which became the third highest grossing film of all time. She subsequently appeared in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and the soon to be released Star Wars: Episode III. She made her Broadway debut in the title role of the revival of The Diary of Anne Frank, garnering critical praise. Her other films have included Where the Heart Is, Anywhere But Here and Cold Mountain. She recently starred in Zach Braff's Garden State.

Bio courtesy Sony Pictures Entertainment for "Closer" (12-Dec-2004)


Biography #6 (for Cold Mountain)

Natalie Portman has established herself as one of Hollywood's most talented and sought after young actresses. Portman was most recently seen in George Lucas's blockbuster hit Star Wars: Episode II ­Attack of the Clones reprising the role of Queen Amidala which she introduced in Star Wars: Episode 1 ­The Phantom Menace. Last summer, Portman received critical acclaim in the role of Nina in Mike Nichols' production of a Tom Stoppard version of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull opposite Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Philip Seymour Hoffman at the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park. Portman's most recent films include the coming of age story Where the Heart Is and Wayne Wang's Anywhere But Here, which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

In other screen work, she received international acclaim for her feature debut in Luc Besson's The Professional and in Beautiful Girls. She also starred in Woody Allen's musical Everyone Says I Love You, Tim Burton's black comedy, Mars Attacks! and Michael Mann's Heat with Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro and Val Kilmer. In November 1997, Portman began a six-month starring role on Broadway in the title role of The Diary of Anne Frank, which was praised by USA Today as a landmark performance. She recently completed Garden State written and directed by Zach Braff, of television's Scrubs and will appear in the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode 3.

Bio courtesy Miramax for "Cold Mountain" (01-Jan-2000)