Natalie Hershlag (born June 9, 1981), better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.In 1999, she enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology while still working as an actress.She completed her bachelor's degree in 2003. In 2001, Portman opened in New York City's Public Theater production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull.In 2005 Portman won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the BAFTA Award for her lead performance as Nina in Black Swan.
