Celebrity Heights: Natalie Portman

Profile: Natalie Portman

Natalie's talent and star qualities are so obvious that she has scads of Hollywood producers knocking at her door. She's beautiful, extremely talented, down to earth, and is on her way to super stardom.

Natalie is a heavyweight hitter in the making with the potential of becoming a Meryl Streep or Julia Roberts Oscar contender. And, she has so many admirers that she is a box office gold mine for film producers. Her performances in "The Professional", "Beautiful Girls" and "Where the Heart Is" caught everyone's attention, but her role in the "Star Wars" prequels as Queen Padmé Amidala set her career on fire.

Natalie was born June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel, and is the daughter of a physician father specialist and an artist mother. Natalie left Israel at the age of 3, and relocated with her family to Maryland, Connecticut, and finaly to Long Island, New York, where she still resides. Discovered in a New York pizza parlor at the age of 11 by a modeling scout, Natalie was not motivated by just modeling and wanted to find a more career.

She developed an interest in performing arts after spending three summers at Stagedoor Manor Performing Camp. While at Stagedoor Manor, Natalie was cast in the theatre performances of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Cabaret", was the title character in "Anne of Green Gables", and performed in "Tapestry".

Natalie's professional film career started with her role in the 1994 film, "The Professional" as a hit-man's protégé. The following year, she appeared in the crime drama "Heat", alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. In the 1996 film, "Beautiful Girls", Natalie stole the screen from another beautiful actress, Uma Thurman. Her role in "Beautiful Girls" garnered rave reviews for Natalie, and that same year she played in the Woody Allen star studded musical, "Everyone Says I Love You", as well as Mars attacks!

The role that turned Natalie into more than a Broadway and film actress is that of Queen Padmé Amidala, in the first Star Wars prequel. Since her role in "Phantom Menace", Natalie has co-starred with Susan Sarandon in "Anywhere But Here", and starred in the lead role alongside Ashley Judd in the film adaptation of "Where the Heart Is". Natalie has Oscar written all over her and this award is destined for the young sexy actress anytime in her future.