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Natalie Portman is an actress, producer, and director with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Portman made her film debut in Luc Besson's Léon: The Professional where she starred as a vengeful child assassin. She followed this by appearing in Michael Mann's crime thriller Heat (1995), Ted Demme's romantic comedy Beautiful Girls (1996), and Tim Burton's science fiction comedy Mars Attacks! (1996). Three years later, her supporting role as the precocious, responsible daughter of a narcissistic mother played by Susan Sarandon in the drama Anywhere but Here earned Portman her first Golden Globe Award nomination. In the same year, Portman played Padmé Amidala in the first of the Star Wars prequel trilogy Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace which garnered her international recognition. She reprised the role in its sequels Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).
For her role as a stripper in the 2004 romantic drama Closer she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Two years later Portman portrayed vigilante Evey Hammond in the political thriller V for Vendetta for which she received the Saturn Award for Best Actress. In the same year, she hosted Saturday Night Live. In 2009, she starred as an adulteress in The Other Woman, which she also executively produced. In 2010, Portman's performance as a mentally tortured ballerina in Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller Black Swan garnered her the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
In 2011, she appeared in the comedies No Strings Attached and Your Highness. In the same year, Portman also played Jane Foster, the titular superhero's scientist girlfriend in Thor. She reprised this role in its sequel Thor: The Dark World (2013). In 2015, she starred in Terrence Malick's romantic drama Knight of Cups, and made her feature film directorial debut with A Tale of Love and Darkness, an adaptation of Amos Oz's autobiographical novel of the same name; she also starred in the film. The following year, Portman played Jacqueline Kennedy in the biographical drama Jackie, for which she received nominations for Best Actress at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Oscars.