Look up Natalie in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Natalie may refer to:

• Natalie (given name), people with the given name Natalie

People[link]

• Natalie (singer), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter
  • Natalie (Natalie album), 2005
• Shahan Natalie, Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis

Music[link]

• Natalie (Natalie Cole album), 1976
• "Natalie" (song), by Swedish singer Ola Svensson

Film[link]

• Nataile (film), a 2010 South Korean film

Literature[link]

• Natalie Natalia, 1971 novel by Nicholas Mosley

Internet[link]

• Natalie (website), Japanese entertainment news website

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007)

10 Years is an American alternative metal band, formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999.

History[link]

[edit] Early Years, Into the Half Moon (1999–2001)

10 Years was initially formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999 with singer Mike Underdown, drummer Brian Vodinh, bassist Lewis Cosby, and guitarists Ryan "Tater" Johnson (also of The American Plague) and Matt Wantland. In 2001, Cosby left and the band recruited Andy Parks on bass. They independently recorded Into the Half Moon the same year.

[edit] Killing All That Holds You, The Autumn Effect (2002–2006)

Lead vocalist Mike Underdown left the band to pursue a career in acting and start up a new band 'Courage, You Bastards' in Los Angeles, Ca. 10 Years soon recruited current vocalist Jesse Hasek from another local band. In 2002, Parks decided to leave the band and Cosby returned. The band then released their independent album Killing All That Holds You in 2004.

10 Years was then signed to Universal Records in 2005 and released their major label debut, The Autumn Effect on August 16, 2005 with the songs "Wasteland" and "Through the Iris" picking up regional radio play. Their first single, "Wasteland" spent over 12 months on the rock charts, finally reaching #1 at active rock radio in December 2005.

That same summer, the band toured with Disturbed and Ill Niño. In the fall of 2005, they toured with Breaking Benjamin and Smile Empty Soul, then followed up with the Masters of Horror tour with Mudvayne and Sevendust. They opened for Korn and Mudvayne on Korn's See You on the Other Side tour. They also toured with Korn and Deftones on the Family Values Tour, which started in late July 2006.

In mid February 2006, "Wasteland" reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. "Wasteland" has been certified Gold by the RIAA.

In mid-2006, the band toured Australia in a lineup which included Hatebreed, Disturbed and Korn.

Their first music video, "Wasteland", addresses the social problem of human rights as well as addiction around the world. The video received a nomination for Best Direction and Best Art Direction at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, but did not win either.

On March 27, 2006, an EP was released on iTunes containing acoustic versions of "Wasteland" and other tracks from The Autumn Effect.

[edit] Division (2006–2008)

On November 19, 2006, 10 Years unveiled and confirmed the title Division for their second album.^[1] The band would begin recording Division in late June 2007 after spending the better part of a year writing.

Lewis told in an interview that the album is "so different from the first one [The Autumn Effect], but it's still 10 Years," and, "It just sounds like [the songs] would be from a totally different album, which was, you know, the goal."^[2] It was also revealed that the track titled "Focus" was co-written with Stone Temple Pilots and former Army of Anyone guitarist Dean DeLeo.^[1]

On May 21, 2007 a demo song titled "All Your Lies" from Division was released onto their MySpace along with a post stating the band had chosen producer Rick Parasher to produce the new album.^[3] On September 7, the band announced on their MySpace that the album was finished and would be released in 2008, following a tour with Dir En Grey, Sevendust, Operator, Thousand Foot Krutch and Chevelle.

On January 29, 2008, "Beautiful," the new single from Division, was released to iTunes and a snippet was also posted on the band's MySpace page. Division was released on May 13, 2008 after being pushed back due to finalization of the album's artwork.^[4]

10 Years was featured on the Revolution Stage of Linkin Park's Summer Projekt Revolution 2008 tour with Atreyu, Hawthorne Heights and Armor For Sleep.

They went on tour with Mudvayne until mid December 2008.

[edit] Feeding the Wolves (2009–2011)

10 Years announced that their upcoming third major label album would be entitled Feeding the Wolves. The album was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson and mixed by Chris "Lord" Alge. The band has mentioned the album is of their heaviest material to date and "very similar to some of their early songs."

Throughout the first half of 2010, the band went back and forth between putting on live shows and working in the studio. Before the album was released, the band debuted new songs at live performances such as "Dead in the Water", "Now is the Time", and the new album's first single ""Shoot It Out" ". ^[5][6]

On June 12, 2010, ""Shoot It Out" " was featured on Sirius/XM Radio. The track was released to radio later that month,^[7] and was made available for download on iTunes July 6.^[8] Feeding the Wolves was released on August 31, 2010.

To promote the album's release, the band opened Shinedown's 2010 Carnival of Madness summer tour alongside Chevelle, Puddle of Mudd, and Sevendust.^[9] In the fall they joined Sevendust again on the Hard Drive Live tour with support from Since October and Anew Revolution.

In December, the band went on a mini-headline tour,^[10] where they played some older songs that they had not played in some time. February 2011, their new single "Fix Me" releases to radio while they headline a spring tour with Hollywood Undead.

On June 17 and 18 the band shot a music video for "Fix Me" in Columbus, Ohio with production company Thunder Down Country.^[11] The video was released via YouTube on August 9, 2011.^[12]

[edit] Minus The Machine Palehorse Records (2012-present)

On twitter the band has shown pictures of Brian Vodinh's home basement turned studio for future workings on their next album.

On April 2nd, 2012, the band announced on Facebook that their upcoming record, Minus The Machine, is to be released on July 30th on their own independent label, Palehorse Records, which the band stated is a part of Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. They also announced a 4-week headlining tour to support the record, which begins on June 27th in New Orleans.

On May 11th, the band unveiled the cover art of the album and it was announced that the album's release has been pushed back to July 31st.^{[citation needed]} 10 Years will release their first single "Backlash" on radio and iTunes on June 21st.

Band members[link]

Current

• Jesse Hasek – Vocals (2002–present)
• Ryan "Tater" Johnson – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (1999–present)
• Lewis "Big Lew" Cosby – Bass (1999–2001, 2002-present)
• Brian Vodinh – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals (2009–present) Drums (1999–present)

Live

• Matt Brown – Drums (2010-present)
• Sam Anderson – Drums (2010)
• Kyle Mayer – Drums (2010)
• Brandon Estelle - Drums (2010-2011) and select dates.

Former

• Mike Underdown – Vocals (1999–2001)
• Andy Parks - Bass (2001–2002)
• Matt Wantland – Guitar (1999–2009)

Timeline[link]

id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:Bass value:orange legend:Bass
id:Rhythm_Guitar value:blue legend:Rhythm_Guitar
id:Lead_guitar value:green legend:Lead_Guitar
id:drums value:yellow legend:Drums
id:lines value:black legend:Studio Albums

at:01/01/2001 color:black layer:back
at:27/08/2004 color:black layer:back
at:16/08/2005 color:black layer:back
at:01/05/2008 color:black layer:back
at:31/08/2010 color:black layer:back

bar:mike text:"Mike Underdown"
bar:jesse text:"Jesse Hasek"
bar:tater text:"Ryan Tater Johnson"
bar:wantland text:"Matt Wantland"
bar:andy text:"Andy Parks"
bar:lewis text:"Lewis Cosby"
bar:brian text:"Brian Vodinh"
bar:kyle text:"Kyle Mayer"
bar:sam text:"Sam Anderson"
bar:matt text:"Matt Brown"

width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:mike from:start till:01/01/2001 color:Vocals
bar:jesse from:02/01/2001 till:end color:Vocals
bar:tater from:start till:end color:Lead_Guitar
bar:wantland from:start till:03/05/2009 color:Rhythm_Guitar
bar:brian from:start till:31/08/2010 color:Drums
bar:brian from:05/05/2009 till:end color:Rhythm_Guitar
bar:lewis from:start till:01/01/2001 color:Bass
bar:lewis from:02/01/2002 till:end color:Bass
bar:andy from:02/01/2001 till:01/01/2002 color:Bass
bar:kyle from:06/06/2010 till:05/07/2010 color:Drums
bar:sam from:06/07/2010 till:31/07/2010 color:Drums
bar:matt from:01/08/2010 till:end color:Drums

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Extended plays[link]

• 2006: Acoustic EP

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• 10 Years on Myspace

Natalie Imbruglia
Imbruglia at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.
Background information
Birth name	Natalie Jane Imbruglia
Born	(1975-02-04) 4 February 1975 (age 37) Sydney, Australia
Genres	Pop, pop rock, alternative rock
Years active	1989–present
Labels	RCA / BMG (1997–2004) Brightside / Sony BMG (2004–2008) Malabar / Island (2009–2010)
Website	natalieimbruglia.com

Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( /ɪmˈbruːliə/; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit, "Torn". The subsequent debut album Left of the Middle (1997) sold over 7 million copies worldwide. Further releases, White Lilies Island (2001) and Counting Down the Days (2005), have been unable to match the commercial success of her debut, although the latter did become her first UK #1.

She co-starred in the 2003 film Johnny English and made her leading actress debut in the 2009 film Closed for Winter. Imbruglia is ranked #90 on VH1's Top 100 Sexiest Artists.^[1]

Early life[link]

Natalie was born on 4 February 1975, in Sydney, Australia, the first of the four daughters to Elliot Imbruglia, her father of Italian descent (originally a Sicilian from Lipari)^[2][3] and Maxene Anderson, her Anglo-Australian mother.^[4] Imbruglia grew up in Berkeley Vale, New South Wales, between Sydney and Newcastle. At the age of 15, she moved to Sydney with her family.^[2] Imbruglia studied ballet, tap, and highland dancing as a child, hoping to make a career out of it.

Imbruglia auditioned for Australian television commercials and appeared in spots for Coca-Cola and the popular Australian snack Twisties. By age 16, she left high school to start a career in acting. She soon obtained the chance to play a regular role on the Australian soap opera Neighbours.^[5] By the end of her second year, she left the show to move to London in 1994,^[2] immersing herself in the city's club scene. Natalie occasionally met with Anne Barret, who would become her future manager and convinced her to register a demo with four songs.^[2] Her effort paid off and she was signed to BMG Publishing, after coming up with a demo of the song "Torn" which greatly impressed RCA Records.

Career[link]

[edit] 1997–2000: Left of the Middle

She has received an MTV Award for Best New Artist in 1998, and 3 constitutive Grammy Award nominations in 1999. She has sold over 9 million albums worldwide. She was ranked No. 11 on Rock on the Net's list of single artists of the year in 1998, and No. 76 in 2001. Imbruglia has tied up her 4-album record deal with BMG after the delivery of her compilation album, Glorious: The Singles 1997–2007.

Imbruglia's first internationally released single, "Torn" (1997) (original version from Danish singer Lis Sørensen "Brænt"), was a cover of an Ednaswap song. Instantly the single became one of the biggest hits of the 90s, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart in November 1997^[6] and number one on airplay around the world and was number one on the Billboard Airplay chart for 14 weeks. The single went on to sell over a million copies in the United Kingdom alone.

It was also released as a radio single in the US, but not in buyable CD-format. The single quickly hit No. 1 on the Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart, where it stayed for 14 weeks. At the time, singles not released commercially were unable to chart to the overall Hot 100 chart (combined sales and airplay), so "Torn" made no appearance on it for a while. By the time the policy was changed in late 1998 to allow airplay-only songs, "Torn" was already heading down the charts, so its peak on the Hot 100 only ended up being at #42. The single also topped the Top 40 Mainstream/CHR Pop and Adult Top 40 charts.

In October 1997, it broke the all-time airplay record in the UK for being the most played (more than 2000 plays) for six consecutive weeks. It was finally No. 1 for 14 weeks in the UK radio chart, a record that is being tied by only Simply Red's Fairground. It was the No. 1 radio single in the US from March to July 1998. It was knocked down to No. 2 by The Goo Goo Dolls' Iris.

Rick Dees, in his Top 40 Chart show also declared "Torn" as the 'number one radio single of 1990s' in their 2000 Millennium Countdown show, broadcast from KIIS-FM on New Year's Eve.

Imbruglia made a surprise appearance alongside David Armand midway through a performance of his 'interpretative dance' routine to sing her hit song Torn at Amnesty International's The Secret Policeman's Ball (2006).

Imbruglia's debut album Left of the Middle was released on 8 December 1997. It sold 350,000 copies in the UK 3 weeks after its initial release and was certified platinum. It has sold over 6 million copies to date. It broke the record of the highest selling debut album by a pop/rock/alternative female artist, more than Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, and Meredith Brooks combined in its first week according to Billboard. The second single released in the UK, after "Torn" was "Big Mistake", which debuted at number-two. "Wishing I Was There" followed and it was less successful than her first two singles, reaching number 19. However, "Wishing I Was There" was a smash hit on the UK radio, peaked at No. 2 in summer 1998, and was a summer smash hit in the US radio, peaked at No. 14 on the Top 40 Show. The final single from Left of the Middle was "Smoke", and the reception was much more divided compared to the other singles. It was a hit in the UK and made the top 5, while in Australia it just missed the top 40. Eventually, the album became a million-seller after charting well in many countries and entering the Top 10 in the US and UK. In 1999, she recorded a cover of the song Never Tear Us Apart by INXS with Tom Jones which appeared on his album Reload.

Left of the Middle was certified platinum by RIAA within 4 weeks of release (3 April 1998) and was certified 2X platinum in November 1998.

As of 2011, 'Torn' holds the record for most played song on Australian radio since 1990, played more than 300,500 times since its 1998 release, an average of 75 times a day, based on data compiled by the Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA).^[7]

[edit] 2001–2004: White Lilies Island and Johnny English

Imbruglia's next album, White Lilies Island, arrived in 2001. It is named after the island where her English and main home is situated on the banks of the River Thames at Windsor. The writing process, in which Imbruglia co-wrote every track, took almost three years to complete. The album's first single, "That Day", was very different stylistically from her previous singles, but it did not reach the UK Top 10. In the US, "Wrong Impression" was released as the first single and it enjoyed small success, charting in the Hot 100 Singles chart and the Adult Contemporary chart. The track was also released in the UK as a second single, and it did slightly better than That Day. "Beauty On The Fire", the final single, experienced minimal success and barely entered charts worldwide, and did not make the top 50 in Australia. The album, which gained brief notoriety in the Sony BMG copy protection rootkit scandal, still managed to sell over 1 million copies but failed to repeat the widespread success of Left of the Middle.

Imbruglia (centre) in Naples, Italy, in 2005

Imbruglia's third album was ready in November 2003. Imbruglia's record label refused to release it due to it being too rock and not radio-friendly. She was later given songs to record with Swedish pop producers, Bloodshy & Avant, which she refused to do. Imbruglia and her record label parted ways at the beginning of 2004. Four months later she signed with a new label Brightside Recordings, which was formed by a former Innocent Records executive, Hugh Goldsmith.

[edit] 2005–2008: Counting Down the Days

In April 2005, Imbruglia released her third studio album Counting Down the Days in the UK with "Shiver" as its first single. "Shiver" was a huge success, and it became her longest running single in the UK since "Torn." It topped UK airplay charts for several weeks, reaching eighth place in the UK charts. It also became the most played song of 2005. The song's acclaim and reception paid off and Counting Down The Days became her first album to reach the top spot on the album charts.

It was decided that 'Sanctuary' would be second single from the album. The promo singles were sent to radio stations. The decision was later changed to the title track "Counting Down the Days", with radio stations being asked to play the album version, because the radio mix was not finished. The single was released on 25 July but it did not have as much success in the singles chart as "Shiver," although it managed to reignite interest in its parent album and also received a lot of airplay in the UK. Due to the single, the album managed to re-enter the top 40 in the official UK charts.

Imbruglia had a choice to either release 'Perfectly' as her third single, or use the GBP200,000 funding from BMG to do a tour. She decided to do a small European tour (as she had not done a proper tour since Left of the Middle) in late October and November to promote the album. Though the album never entered UK Top 40 again, she proved once again that she had maintained a dedicated fan base; several concerts, especially those in London, sold out.

The album is the 100th best-selling album in 2005, selling 204,877 copies in the UK alone.^[8]

Imbruglia started working on her fourth album in late 2005. In mid 2007 the plans changed and Imbruglia's record company decided to release the single collection instead. The compilation is a celebration of Imbruglia's 10 years in the music industry. The only single lifted from the album – "Glorious" premiered in BBC Radio 1 on the Chris Moyles Show. The promotion included a special acoustic gig. It can be found on iTunes. The Singles Collection debuted at No. 5 in the UK Music charts, and boasted 5 new songs, including the single "Glorious", as well as a bonus DVD featuring all Imbruglia's Music Videos. The album has sold around 600,000 copies worldwide to date.

[edit] 2009–2011: Come to Life

Imbruglia in Bucharest, Romania, in 2008

She parted ways with her record label.^[9] She is no longer associated with Brightside Recordings. It has been confirmed that Imbruglia obtained the rights to the songs recorded for the album and is going to release her fourth studio album on her own independent label, Malabar Records.^[10] She confirmed that the songs included on the record were co-written with Ben Hillier, Dave McCracken, Daniel Johns, Gary Clark, Jamie Hartman, Paul Harris and Shep Solomon. Some of the tracks were produced by Hillier and mixed by Danton Supple, who previously collaborated with the singer on her album White Lilies Island. The album was scheduled to be released in March 2009 with the first single being sent to radio stations in February.^[11] It has now been confirmed by Imbruglia that the first single will be sent to radio around July, as she had a “last-minute inspiration" and also had some new material offered from Chris Martin.^[12] In an interview with BBC Radio 1 she said that "there is some electronic stuff in there". The album is confirmed to be titled Come to Life.^[13][14] According to The Sun, Imbruglia and Chris Martin of Coldplay collaborated on "a string of tracks, which are likely to feature on her forthcoming album".^[15] Martin later confirmed the information. In an interview he said he had asked Imbruglia to record one of the band's songs which, he thinks, turned out great adding "we've given her the best Coldplay song of all time [. . .] she sounds [. . .] brilliant on it. I think she has a very unique talent and an incredibly unique voice."^[16] She later stressed that she recorded two songs written by him saying "if Chris Martin calls with two songs, you don't think, you say, 'Yes'."^[17] It was confirmed that the songs were mixed by Michael Brauer. He also informed that there are actually three songs written by Chris, which were recorded by Imbruglia and that the album is finished and awaits mastering.^[18] Two songs – "My God" and "Apologise" – leaked to the Internet in early February. It was confirmed that the latter was co-written with Jamie Hartman of Ben's Brother and will not be included on her fourth album.^[19] A version of "Apologise" performed by Ben's Brother was released instead in 2009 as the first single from their second album, Battling Giants. Tracks confirmed to be part of the album include "Fun", "Lukas", and "Want", which were mixed by Michael Brauer.^[20] The music video for a pre-single track, "Wild About It", was filmed in London on 25 July 2009.^[21] In July 2009, it was announced that the album will be released via Island Records outside of Australia and New Zealand. A record deal for distribution in Australia and New Zealand is expected to be announced soon.^[22] Universal Music is set to release the album locally in Australia on 9 October 2009,^[23] and New Zealand on 5 October 2009.^[24][25]

The first official single taken from Come to Life, "Want", which was written by Imbruglia, Daniel Johns (credited Kat Kourtney), Gary Clark, and Chris Martin,^[26] was released on 28 September 2009, to critical acclaim, but poor worldwide chart performances.^[27] On 3 August 2009 the music video of "Wild About It" was released.

Come to Life was released on 12 October 2009 in Europe, and in the UK on 3 May 2010, with a new lead single "Scars". The video for "Scars" was filmed on 26 February 2010 according to her Twitter. "Scars" was sent to radio in the UK on 22 March 2010; however, due to no support from radio networks, the single release was cancelled. There was further news that the single would be released with a 5 July date, however the video and single cannot be found on the internet anywhere. The release of her album was also cancelled in the UK.

Imbruglia is currently working on her fifth album, which is scheduled for a Fall/Autumn 2012 release.

Other ventures[link]

In May 2010, after Dannii Minogue, who is a judge on the British version of The X Factor, declined to judge the Australian show, Imbruglia became one of the new judges instead. The series began airing on Channel Seven in the second half of 2010. The auditions took place in June 2010. Imbruglia mentors the Girls category and her final three contestants that she chose for the top twelve live stages were Hayley Teal, Sally Chatfield and India-Rose Madderom. Chatfield came second to Altyian Childs. Imbruglia has since been nominated for a TV Week Silver Logie for Most Popular TV Presenter. In March 2011, it was announced that she was replaced by Natalie Bassingthwaighte as a judge on the third season of The X Factor.^[28]

Personal life[link]

Natalie Imbruglia performs in Amsterdam, 1 November 2005

On New Year's Eve 2003, Imbruglia and her boyfriend of three and a half years, Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns, were married in a beach ceremony in Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia. While Imbruglia lived mainly in Windsor, Berkshire, UK, on an island named "White Lilies" (also the name of her second album), Johns lived in Newcastle, Australia.^[29] On 4 January 2008, Imbruglia and Johns released a statement announcing their divorce, citing distance as the main reason.^[30] However, the two remain friends.

Natalie Imbruglia is the eldest sister of singer-songwriter Laura Imbruglia.

Personal causes[link]

• Imbruglia is an ambassador for Virgin Unite and supports campaigns to end poverty and to bring attention to the disease known as obstetric fistula.
• She appeared in a sketch at the Secret Policeman's Ball for Amnesty International on 31 October 2006.
• She has also spoken publicly of suffering from clinical depression to raise awareness about the disorder.^[31]
• 2008 saw her support the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign in support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, alongside fellow celebrities: comedian Alan Carr, DJ & presenter Edith Bowman, actress Anna Friel and supermodel Twiggy.

Looks and fashion[link]

Imbruglia was named 6th most naturally beautiful woman of all time in 2004.^[32] Audrey Hepburn topped the poll in which only experts like fashion editors, model agents and make-up artists could vote. The voting was decided on the "most naturally beautiful woman, inside and out". She was ranked 90th on the VH1 100 Sexiest Artists.^[33]

She has been seen sporting tattoos of Sanskrit/Hindi inscription "Shreya" on her neck, Chinese word for courage on her left foot and Sanskrit Aum on her lower back.

Imbruglia stated that she has never had any plastic surgery but added "I wouldn't rule it out because I don't know how I'll feel in the future." She also stated she'd like to "grow old gracefully, wrinkles and all".^[34]

Besides modelling for L'Oréal, Imbruglia also modelled Sass and Bide's "The Mad Ones" dress to raise money for cancer research.

Discography[link]

• Left of the Middle (1997)
• White Lilies Island (2001)
• Counting Down the Days (2005)
• Come to Life (2009)

Film career[link]

Television[link]

Endorsements[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Natalie Imbruglia

• Official website
• Natalie Imbruglia at the Internet Movie Database
• Article in the Indian press about Natalie Imbruglia's involvement in the Campaign to End Fistula
• Natalie Imbruglia discusses the global importance of the water cycle with Ecover Wateraid
• ELLE TV: A Trouser Suit Story

Natalie Portman
Portman at the premiere of Black Swan during the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Natalie Hershlag (Hebrew: נטלי הרשלג‎) (1981-06-09) June 9, 1981 (age 31) Jerusalem, Israel
Alma mater	Harvard College, A.B. 2003
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Agent	International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Spouse	Benjamin Millepied (2012–present)
Children	1
Notes [1]

Natalie Hershlag^[2][3] (Hebrew: נטלי הרשלג‎; born June 9, 1981), better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but mainstream success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (released in 1999, 2002 and 2005).^[4] In 1999, she enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology while still working as an actress.^[5] She completed her bachelor's degree in 2003.

In 2001, Portman opened in New York City's Public Theater production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull.^[4] In 2005, Portman received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture for the drama Closer. She won a Constellation Award for Best Female Performance, and a Saturn Award for Best Actress for her starring role in V for Vendetta (2006). She played leading roles in the historical dramas Goya's Ghosts (2006) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). In May 2008, she served as the youngest member of the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival jury.^[6] Portman's directorial debut, Eve, opened the 65th Venice International Film Festival's shorts competition in 2008.^[7] Portman directed a segment of the collective film New York, I Love You.

In 2011, Portman won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, Independent Spirit Awards, and the BAFTA Award for her lead performance as Nina Sayers in Black Swan.

Early life[link]

Portman was born in Jerusalem, Israel.^[8][9][10] She is the only child of Shelley (née Stevens), an American homemaker who works as Portman's agent, and Avner Hershlag, an Israeli citizen who is a fertility specialist and gynecologist.^[11][12][13] Portman's maternal ancestors were Jewish immigrants to the United States, from Austria and Russia (her mother's family had changed their surname from "Edelstein" to "Stevens").^[14] Her paternal ancestors were Jews who moved to Israel from Poland and Romania. Her paternal grandfather, whose parents died at Auschwitz, was an economics professor in Israel, and her Romanian-born great-grandmother was a spy for British Intelligence during World War II.^[15][16]

Portman's parents met at a Jewish student center at Ohio State University, where her mother was selling tickets. They corresponded after her father returned to Israel, and were married when her mother visited a few years later. In 1984, when Portman was three years old, the family moved to the United States, where her father received his medical training.^[13] Portman, a dual citizen of the United States and Israel,^[17] has said that although she "really love[s] the States... my heart's in Jerusalem. That's where I feel at home."^[15]

Portman and her family first lived in Washington, D.C., but relocated to Connecticut in 1988, and then settled on Long Island, New York, in 1990.^{[4][18][19][20]}

Education[link]

In Washington, D.C., Portman attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. Portman learned to speak Hebrew^[21] in addition to English, and attended a Jewish elementary school, the Solomon Schechter Day School of Glen Cove, New York.^[22] She graduated from Syosset High School in Syosset, Long Island, in 1999.^[23][24][25] Portman skipped the premiere of her film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace so she could study for her high school final exams.^[26]

In 2003, Portman graduated from Harvard College with a A.B. degree in psychology.^{[25][27][28][29]} "I don't care if [college] ruins my career," she told the New York Post. "I'd rather be smart than a movie star."^[30][31] At Harvard, Portman was Alan Dershowitz's research assistant.^[32][33] While attending Harvard, she was a resident of Lowell House^[34] and wrote a letter to the Harvard Crimson in response to an essay critical of Israeli actions toward Palestinians.^[35]

Portman took graduate courses at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the spring of 2004.^[36] In March 2006, she was a guest lecturer at a Columbia University course in terrorism and counterterrorism, where she spoke about her film V for Vendetta.^[37]

Portman has professed an interest in foreign languages since childhood and has studied French,^[38] Japanese,^[38] German,^[39] and Arabic.^[40]

As a student, Portman co-authored two research papers that were published in scientific journals. Her 1998 high school paper, "A Simple Method to Demonstrate the Enzymatic Production of Hydrogen from Sugar", co-authored with scientists Ian Hurley and Jonathan Woodward, was entered in the Intel Science Talent Search.^[41] In 2002, she contributed to a study on memory called "Frontal Lobe Activation during Object Permanence: Data from Near-Infrared Spectroscopy" during her psychology studies at Harvard.^[42][43] This publication placed Portman among a very small number of professional actors with a defined Erdős–Bacon number.^[42][44][45]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Portman started dancing lessons at age four^[4] and performed in local troupes. At the age of ten, a Revlon agent asked her to become a child model,^[4][46] but she turned down the offer to focus on acting. In a magazine interview, Portman said that she was "different from the other kids. I was more ambitious, I knew what I liked and what I wanted, and I worked very hard. I was a very serious kid."^[47]

Portman spent her school holidays attending theater camps. When she was ten, she auditioned for the Off-Broadway show Ruthless!, a musical about a girl who is prepared to commit murder to get the lead in a school play. Portman and future pop star Britney Spears were chosen as the understudies for star Laura Bell Bundy.^[36] In 1994, she auditioned for the role of a child who befriends a middle-aged hitman in Luc Besson's film, Léon (aka The Professional). Soon after getting the part, she took her grandmother's maiden name "Portman" as her stage name, in the interest of privacy and to protect her family's identity.^[4][48] Léon opened on November 18, 1994, marking her feature film debut. That same year she appeared in the short film Developing, which aired on television.

1995–99[link]

During the mid-1990s, Portman had roles in the films Heat, Everyone Says I Love You, and Mars Attacks!, as well as a major role in Beautiful Girls.^[4] She was the first choice to play Juliet in William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, but producers felt her age wasn't suitable.^[46] In 1997, Portman played the role of Anne Frank in a Broadway adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Also in 1997, Portman was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The first film, The Phantom Menace, began filming in June 1997 and opened in May 1999.^[4][49] Following production on The Phantom Menace, she initially turned down a lead role in the film Anywhere but Here after learning it would involve a sex scene, but director Wayne Wang and actress Susan Sarandon (who played Portman's mother in the film) demanded a rewrite of the script. Portman was shown a new draft, and she decided to accept the role.^[4] The film opened in late 1999, and she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ann August.^[50] Critic Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon called Portman "astonishing" and said that "[u]nlike any number of actresses her age, she's neither too maudlin nor too plucky."^[51] She then signed on to play the lead role of a teenaged mother in Where the Heart Is, which opened in April 2000.

2000–05[link]

Amos Gitai with Hana Laszlo and Natalie Portman on the set of Free Zone, (2005)

After filming Where the Heart Is, Portman moved into the dorms of Harvard University to pursue her bachelor's degree in psychology.^[4] She said in a 1999 interview that, with the exception of the Star Wars prequels, she would not act for the next four years in order to concentrate on studying.^[52] During the summer break from June to September 2000, Portman filmed Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones in Sydney, along with additional production in London.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2001, Portman opened in New York City's Public Theater production of Chekhov's The Seagull, directed by Mike Nichols; she played the role of Nina alongside Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.^[4] The play opened at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.^[53] That same year, she was one of many celebrities who made cameo appearances in the 2001 comedy Zoolander. Portman was cast in a small role in the film Cold Mountain alongside Jude Law and Nicole Kidman.^[4]

In 2004, Portman appeared in the independent movies Garden State and Closer.^[4] Garden State was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and won Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards. Her performance as Alice in Closer earned her a Supporting Actress Golden Globe as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.^[54][55]

The final Star Wars prequel, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, was released on May 19, 2005. The film was the highest grossing domestic film of the year,^[56] and was voted Favorite Motion Picture at the People's Choice Awards. Also in 2005, Portman filmed Free Zone and director Miloš Forman's Goya's Ghosts. Forman had not seen any of her work but thought she looked like a Goya painting, so he requested a meeting.^[57]

2006–09[link]

Portman at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival (jury member)

Portman hosted Saturday Night Live on March 4, 2006.^[58] In a SNL Digital Short, she portrays herself as an angry gangsta rapper (with Andy Samberg as her Flavor Flav-esque partner in Viking garb) during a faux-interview with Chris Parnell, saying she cheated at Harvard University while high on marijuana and cocaine.^[59] The song, titled "Natalie's Rap," was released – alongside other sketches from the show – in 2009 on Incredibad, an album by the Lonely Island.^[60] In another sketch, she portrays a student named Rebecca Hershlag (her actual surname) attending a Bar Mitzvah, and in an installment of the recurring sketch The Needlers (also known as Sally and Dan, The Couple That Should Be Divorced), plays a fertility specialist (her father's profession).

V for Vendetta opened in early 2006. Portman portrayed Evey Hammond, a young woman who is saved from the secret police by the main character, V. Portman worked with a voice coach for the role, learning to speak with an English accent, and she famously had her head shaved.^[61]

Portman has commented on V for Vendetta's political relevance and mentioned that the main character, who recruits Evey to join an underground anti-government group, is "often bad and does things that you don't like" and that "being from Israel was a reason I wanted to do this because terrorism and violence are such a daily part of my conversations since I was little." She said the film "doesn't make clear good or bad statements. It respects the audience enough to take away their own opinion".^[62]

Both Goya's Ghosts and Free Zone received limited releases in 2006. Portman starred in the children's film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, which began filming in April 2006 and was released in November 2007; she has said that she was "excited to do a kids' movie."^[61] In late 2006, Portman filmed The Other Boleyn Girl, a historical drama in which she plays Anne Boleyn; Eric Bana and Scarlett Johansson co-starred. She was named one of the hottest women of film and TV by Blender Magazine.^[63]

In 2006, she filmed Wong Kar-wai's road movie My Blueberry Nights. She won acclaim for her role as gambler Leslie, because "[f]or once she's not playing a waif or a child princess but a mature, full-bodied woman... but she's not coasting on her looks... She uses her appeal to simultaneously flirt with and taunt the gambler across the table."^[64] Portman voiced Bart Simpson's girlfriend Darcy in the episode "Little Big Girl" of The Simpsons' 18th season.^[65]

She appeared in Paul McCartney's music video "Dance Tonight" from his 2007 album Memory Almost Full, directed by Michel Gondry.^[66] Portman co-starred in the Wes Anderson short film Hotel Chevalier, opposite Jason Schwartzman. In May 2008, Portman served as the youngest member of the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival jury,^[6] and in 2009, she starred opposite Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal in the drama film Brothers, a remake of the 2004 Danish film of the same name.^[67]

In 2008, Portman at age 27 made her directorial debut at the Venice Film Festival. "Eve", a short movie about a young woman who is dragged along on her grandmother's romantic date, was screened out of competition. Portman said she had always had a fascination with the older generation, and drew inspiration for the character from her own grandmother.^[68]

2010–present[link]

Portman being interviewed at the premiere of No Strings Attached, January 11, 2011

Portman played a veteran ballerina in Darren Aronofsky's 2010 film Black Swan,^[69] a role of which critic Kurt Loder wrote: "Portman gives one of her most compelling performances in this film, which is saying something."^[70] To prepare for the role, she went through five to eight hours of dance training each day for six months and lost 20 pounds.^[71] In 2011, she won both the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress.^[72][73]

After Portman's Oscar win, controversy arose over who performed the bulk of the on-screen dancing in Black Swan.^[74] Sarah Lane, one of Portman's dancing doubles in the film, claimed that Portman performed only about 5 percent of the full-body shots, adding that she was asked by the film’s producers not to speak publicly about it during the Oscar season.^[75] Director Aronofsky defended Portman by issuing a statement insisting that Portman performed 80 percent of the on-screen dancing in the movie.^[75]

Portman's next film was No Strings Attached, for which she was also an executive producer. It was released on January 21, 2011. She then starred in Your Highness, opposite James Franco and Danny McBride, and also played the role of Jane Foster in Kenneth Branagh's superhero film adaptation Thor.^[76] In 2010, Portman dropped out of the lead role of Elizabeth Bennet in the novel adaptation Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but she continues as producer.^[77]

In February 2012, it was reported that she had signed on for two Terrence Malick projects named Knight of Cups and Lawless, both planned for release within two years.^[78]

In April 2012, Portman starred in Paul McCartney's music video, "My Valentine" alongside Johnny Depp.^[79]

Social and political causes[link]

Portman at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, presenting Black Swan

Portman, who is an advocate for animal rights, has been a vegetarian since childhood.^[80] She became a vegan in 2009 after reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals.^[81] She does not eat animal products or wear fur, feathers, or leather. "All of my shoes are from Target and Stella McCartney," she has said.^[82] In 2007, she launched her own brand of vegan footwear.^[83] During her pregnancy in 2011, Portman went off her vegan diet and returned to vegetarianism.^[84]

In 2007, Portman traveled to Rwanda with Jack Hanna, to film the documentary Gorillas on the Brink. Later, at a naming ceremony, Portman christened a baby gorilla Gukina, which means "to play."^[85] Portman has been an advocate of environmental causes since childhood, when she joined an environmental song and dance troupe known as World Patrol Kids.^[86] She is also a member of the One Voice movement.^[87]

Portman has also supported antipoverty activities. In 2004 and 2005, she traveled to Uganda, Guatemala, and Ecuador as the Ambassador of Hope for FINCA International, an organization that promotes micro-lending to help finance women-owned businesses in developing countries.^[88] In an interview conducted backstage at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia and appearing on the PBS program Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria, she discussed microfinance.^[89] Host Fareed Zakaria said that he was "generally wary of celebrities with fashionable causes," but included the segment with Portman because "she really knew her stuff."^[90]

In the "Voices" segment of the April 29, 2007, episode of the ABC Sunday morning program This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Portman discussed her work with FINCA and how it can benefit women and children in Third World countries.^[91] In fall 2007, she visited several university campuses, including Harvard, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Princeton, New York University, and Columbia, to inspire students with the power of microfinance and to encourage them to join the Village Banking Campaign to help families and communities lift themselves out of poverty.^[92]

In 2010, Portman's activist work and popularity with young people earned her a nomination for VH1's Do Something Awards, which is dedicated to honoring individuals who do good.^[93]

Portman is a supporter of the Democratic Party, and in the 2004 presidential race she campaigned for the Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry. In the 2008 presidential election, Portman supported Senator Hillary Clinton of New York in the Democratic primaries. She later campaigned for the eventual Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, during the general election.^[94] However, in a 2008 interview, she also said: "I even like John McCain. I disagree with his war stance – which is a really big deal – but I think he's a very moral person."^[95]

Personal life[link]

In 2006, she said that she felt more Jewish in Israel and that she would like to raise her children Jewish: "A priority for me is definitely that I'd like to raise my kids Jewish, but the ultimate thing is to have someone who is a good person and who is a partner."^[96]

After starring in the video for his song "Carmensita", she began a relationship with American folk singer Devendra Banhart,^[97] which ended in September 2008.^[98]

Portman began dating ballet dancer Benjamin Millepied in 2009. The couple met while she was filming Black Swan, for which Millepied was the choreographer.^[99] In December 2010, Portman announced that she was engaged to Millepied and confirmed her pregnancy.^{[100][101][102]} Portman gave birth to their first child, a son named Aleph Portman-Millepied, in 2011.^[103][104] In February 2012, it was confirmed that Portman and Millepied had married in a private ceremony.^[105][106]

Filmography[link]

Portman at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival