Natalie Hershlag born June 9, 1981, better known by her stage name
Natalie Portman, is an Israeli-American actress. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film
Léon. During the 1990s, Portman had major roles in films like
Beautiful Girls and
Anywhere but Here, before being cast for the role as Padmé Amidala in the
Star Wars prequel trilogy.
In 1999, she enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology while she was working on the
Star Wars films.
She completed her bachelor's degree in 2003.