Professional life

Early-1994: Portman started taking dancing lessons at the age of four, performed in local troupes, and dreamed of dancing on Broadway. At the age of ten Portman was discovered in a pizza parlor by an agent for Revlon, who offered her an opportunity to model. She asked to be introduced to acting talent scouts.

Starting at age 13, Portman spent her school holidays attending upscale theatre camps Stagedoor Manor and Usden Camp, where she forged her love for acting, playing roles in the camp productions such as the title character in Anne of Green Gables, Dream Laurey in Oklahoma! and Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 1993 Portman was handed her first professional role as an understudy for the off-Broadway musical Ruthless!’’.

Her inaugural experience in professional theatre led her to audition for Luc Besson's 1994 film Léon (aka The Professional). She was turned down for the role as she was simply too young, but further auditioning won her the part. Soon after Portman was given the part, she decided to use Portman, her grandmother's maiden name, as her stage name in the interest of privacy. The film opened on November 18, 1994 making her film début at the age of twelve playing an orphaned girl who befriends a much older assassin. That same year she auditioned for a role in the short film Developing which aired on television.

1995-1999: She was cast in the high-budget action film Heat. Although she had a small role, she starred alongside some of the industry's biggest names such as Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer. Following the success of Leon, Portman had gained considerable fame for her performance and was approached for the role of Marty in Ted Demme's Beautiful Girls. Following an audition, she was cast in Woody Allen's comedy-musical Everyone Says I Love You. 

She was also given a role in Tim Burton's famously star-studded Mars Attacks!. She was the first choice to play Juliet in the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet, but turned it down because of the adult content and the age difference between her and Leonardo DiCaprio. In 1996, to Portman's surprise, casting director for the new Star Wars films Robin Gurland contacted her to see if she was interested in playing the female lead in the new films. 

Portman, still only 14 years old and having never seen the original three Star Wars films, was speculative at first about the commitment she was making and what impact it would have on her life, as the role would ultimately see her participate in three films over the course of a decade. After meeting with George Lucas and Rick McCallum she signed on to the prequel trilogy. 

Portman then auditioned for the role of Anne Frank in the Broadway revival of The Diary of Anne Frank. The decision to participate in this production caused her to pull out of the film The Horse Whisperer. In mid-1997, production began on the first of the three Star Wars prequel films, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

She returned to complete her junior year in high school, whilst studying she also performed The Diary of Anne Frank. She did eight shows a week while attending classes full-time. The play was performed for a month at the Colonial Theater in Boston before making its Broadway debut at the Music Box Theater in early December. She would receive a Tony nomination for her role as Anne Frank. 

She was also offered a role in the film Anywhere But Here, but after reading the script turned down the role as her character was involved in a sex scene. Director Wayne Wang and actress Susan Sarandon rushed to her support and demanded a rewrite of the script, allegedly saying they would not continue their involvement in the film unless the young actress’s wishes were respected. Portman was shown a new script and she happily joined the project. In early 1999, The Phantom Menace opened and became the highest grossing film of the year and the highest grossing film out of the Star Wars series. 

Its massive audience and mainstream appeal saw Portman become an instant star. Portman then signed on to play a persevering teenaged mother in Where the Heart Is. After filming Where the Heart Is, she moved into the dorms of Harvard. Anywhere But Here opened in late 1999; she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ann August.

2000-2006: While pursuing her bachelor's degree in psychology at Harvard, she went to Sydney to film Attack of the Clones. After additional production took place in London in 2001 for Attack of the Clones she prepared for her role in New York's Public Theatre production of Chekhov's The Seagull, in which she played the notoriously difficult role of Nina opposite the likes of Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Philip Seymour Hoffman, all directed by Mike Nichols. That same year she was one of many celebrities who made cameo appearances in the comedy Zoolander. 

In 2002, Attack of the Clones opened around the world. Rumors began to circulate that she and Star Wars co-star Hayden Christensen had developed a relationship, although she declined to confirm any of the accusations. Portman was cast in the film Cold Mountain alongside Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. After graduating from Harvard in 2003, Cold Mountain opened to great success although she only had a short scene in the film. 

That was followed in 2004 by starring roles in the successful independent movies Garden State and Closer, winning a Supporting Actress Golden Globe for her role as Alice in Closer. She was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the same role.

During 2002, Portman was featured in top attractiveness lists in several publications (Sexiest Female Movie Star, Empire Magazine; 25 Hottest Stars Under 25, Teen People; 50 Most Beautiful People, People).

2005 saw a close to the Star Wars prequel trilogy, with Revenge of the Sith released world-wide on May 19, hailed as the greatest of the prequels and being the second highest grossing film of the year. It was voted Favorite Motion Picture at the People's Choice Awards. 

Portman had her head shaved on screen for the film adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel V for Vendetta, set for release on March 17, 2006. Natalie plays Evey Hammond, the young woman who is saved from the secret police by the main character, V. She first showed off her new look at the premieres of Revenge of the Sith at the Cannes Film Festival, American premiere, and Berlin premiere. 

She enjoyed having a shaved head, especially after all the hairstyles she had for the Star Wars prequels. She kept her hair shorn short for most of 2005, had a faux-hawk Mohawk, and briefly sported a full Mohawk in late August. In 2005 Portman filmed Goya's Ghosts in Spain with Oscar-nominated actor Javier Bardem and Oscar-winning director Miloš Forman (Amadeus). 

She begins work on Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium in Toronto in 2006. In 2006, Natalie will make her Saturday Night Live debut as she is set to host the show on March 4, 2006 with band Fall Out Boy.

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