Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is an actor, producer, and director with dual Israeli and American citizenship. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.

Portman made her feature film debut as the young protégée of a hitman in Léon: The Professional (1994). While still in high school, she gained international recognition for starring as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and received critical acclaim for playing a precocious teenager in the drama Anywhere But Here (both 1999). From 1999 to 2003, Portman attended Harvard University for a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She continued acting while at university, starring in The Public Theater’s 2001 revival of Anton Chekhov’s play The Seagull and the sequel Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002). In 2004, Portman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won a Golden Globe Award for her role in Closer.

The Star Wars prequel trilogy concluded with Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), following which Portman portrayed a wide variety of roles. She played Evey Hammond in V for Vendetta (2006), Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), and a troubled ballerina in the psychological horror film Black Swan (2010), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Portman went on to star in the romantic comedy No Strings Attached (2011) and featured as Jane Foster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For portraying Jacqueline Kennedy in the biopic Jackie (2016), Portman received her third Oscar nomination.

Portman’s directorial ventures include the short film Eve (2008) and the biographical drama A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015). In 2008, she served as the youngest jury member of the Cannes Film Festival.

Why Natalie Portman is vegan

Natalie Portman is vegan for the animals and the planet.

Portman, who is an advocate for animal rights, became a vegetarian when she was nine years old, a decision which came after she witnessed a demonstration of laser surgery on a chicken while attending a medical conference with her father. She became a vegan in 2011 after reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals and later produced a documentary on factory farming systems in the U.S. by the same title.¹Lindsay, B. 2018. Natalie Portman Swears It’s Never Been Easier to Go Vegan. Vanity Fair. Available: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/06/natalie-portman-vegan-interview [Accessed 12 August 2026].

In 2026, Natalie confirmed that she is still vegan and maintained her plant-based diet throughout her third pregnancy.²Hou, K. 2026. Natalie Portman Opens Up About Pregnancy Wellness and Her Love for Rom-Coms. Elle. Available: https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/a73319835/natalie-portman-pregnancy-lena-dunham-movie-miss-dior-interview-2026/ [Accessed 12 August 2026].

Over the past 15 years, Natalie Portman has never shied away from speaking up for the animals, using her platform to do so at every opportunity and supporting numerous animal rights campaigns.³PETA. 2021. Natalie Portman’s Most Inspiring Quotes on Being Vegan. Available: https://www.peta.org/features/natalie-portman-vegan-quotes/ [Accessed 10 March 2021].

“Three times a day, I remind myself that I value life and do not want to cause pain to or kill other living beings. That is why I eat the way I do.”⁴PETA. 2021. Natalie Portman’s Most Inspiring Quotes on Being Vegan. Available: https://www.peta.org/features/natalie-portman-vegan-quotes/ [Accessed 10 March 2021].