About Me
First Name: Natalie, from the Latin natale domini (Christmas Day)
But that's a Christian holiday, and Natalie is of Jewish descent? So what does it mean in Jewish? We've gotten so many suggestions/translations that we've chosen not to write nothing so we won't offend noone. Except english teachers.
Last Name: Portman; stage name, which happens to be her maternal grandmother's maiden name. Reportedly first adopted because of fears she would discredit her parents in case her performance in The Professionnal was unsatisfactory. She has since kept the name in order to help maintain her privacy and to keep her family out of the spotlight. She does use her real name in school however.
Birth: Tuesday June 9th, 1981, in Jerusalem, Israel
Homes: Natalie and her family lived in Jerusalem until she was 3 years old. Due to her father's medical training and career advancements, the family then moved to Washington D.C. in 1984, and then on to Connecticut in 1988. They moved again to Long Island, New York in 1990. That's where she lived until her acceptance to Harvard in 1999 which made her stay 4 years in Boston. She now lives in Soho, NYC.
Height: 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm), according to her driver's license (shown on the 05/21/99 Late Show with David Letterman appearance). However, people who have seen or met her in real life say that she's actually a fair bit shorter than that—more like 5' 0" or 5' 1".
Weight: Probably less than you.
Hair: Dark brown, often dyed a reddish-brown, fairly long and naturally curly; she blow-dries them straight most of the time for media appearances.
Eyes: Brown
Languages: English and Hebrew; also some French and Japanese she studied at school.
Father's Occupation: M.D. (Ob-Gyn/Infertility Specialist)
Mother's Occupation: Homemaker and full-time mother; she also enjoys art as a hobby.
Siblings: None
Pets: One dog, a female Poodle-Schnauzer mix named Noodles; reported to have a propencity for getting into trouble. Noodles inherited an unfortunate Schnauzer trait: "smelly" anal glands. Like most Schnauzers, hers were surgically removed.
UPDATE: There is a new dog in Natalie's life, Charlie. He has been seen with her a number of times now so it must be assumed that Noodles has passed away :-(
Discovered: At age 11, by a Revlon model scout in a Long Island pizza parlor. This led to her getting her own acting agent, which soon led to her highly successful film debut in The Professional (a.k.a. Leon in Europe).
Before the launch of her film career, Natalie appeared in many plays at Usdan Theater Arts Camp. She played the dumb blonde, Dora, in Fiorello and the feminist Annie in Annie get your Gun.
Acting Trade Marks: Portrays characters that are smart, mature, and grown-up for their age. She is known for getting in and out of character very quickly. Oddly enough, Natalie says she has terrible stage fright, and is afraid to miss her lines in live theater performances.
Schooling: A straight-A student since grade school, she graduated with a slew of honors from her Long Island High School (Syosset High School) in June 1999.
She then decided to study Psychology in Harvard for 4 years and graduated on June 5th of 2003.
Favorite Subjects: Biology, Math, Science, Languages, Politics, Psychology
Career Ambitions: There have been many, including doctor, veterinarian, astronaut, Broadway dancer, writer, scientist, photographer, full-time acting, and international relations.
Hobbies: Dancing (ballet, jazz, tap), reading, writing, ice-skating (which she picked up during the filming of Beautiful Girls), modeling, and of course, acting.
Habits: Collecting purses and small bags, eyebrow-tweezing, does Lily Tomlin impressions, generally considers herself as a bit of an obsessive-compulsive.
Addictions: Chocolate, Jolly Ranchers Candies
Eating Habits: Natalie has been a strict vegetarian since she was 8, after seeing a demonstration of laser surgey on a chicken at a medical conference with her father. She does not eat meat of any kind but does eat eggs and drinks at least one glass of skim milk every day. She avoids gelatin and cheeses that contain rennet (a milk-curdling enzyme taken from the stomach of small farm animals like calves or sheep).
Favorite Foods: Pizza, chocolate, tea, ice cream, skim milk
Sports: Track and field, plays football with her friends, does not show any particular interest in professional sports.
Famous Friends: Actors Lukas Haas, Shawn Hatosy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Macaulay Culkin and Jimmy Fallon
Actresses Liv Tyler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler Susan Sarandon and Ashley Judd
Designer Isaac Mizrahi and Zac Posen
Bald musician Moby and singer Britney.
Favorite Musicians: Björk, PJ Harvey, Juliana Hatfield, Alannis Morissette, Lauryn Hill, The Jackson 5, Jurassic 5, Moby, Portishead, Radiohead, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, The Beatles, 60's folk rock
Favorite Song: Ben by Michael Jackson
Favorite Movies: Dirty Dancing, Schindler's List, Amelie, Y Tu Mama Tambien
Favorite Actors: Ben Kingsley, Brad Pitt, John Turturro, Patrick Swayze.
Favorite Actresses: Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Grey.
Favorite TV Shows: Friends, Ellen, Dawson's Creek, Jerry Springer
Favorite Books: The Diary of Anne Frank
Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
Favorite Country: Israel
Favorite City: Paris
Favorite Designers: Zac Posen, Isaac Mizrahi, Helmut Lang, Miu Miu, Prada Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch.
Favorite Make-up: Kiehl's lip gloss, Vincent Longo Water Canvas Foundation, powder blush and beige eyeshadow
