awards for arts achievement

With talent and poise well beyond her years, Natalie Portman is one of Hollywood’s most talented and popular young actresses. She has worked with leading directors including Woody Allen, Luc Besson, Tim Burton, Ted Demme, George Lucas, and Michael Mann, and has just completed work on Anthony Minghella’s adaptation of the best selling novel Cold Mountain. Her roles range from coming of age to larger than life, and she embraces each with intelligence, confidence, and the ability to deeply affect her audience. Ms. Portman’s films include Anywhere But Here, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a role opposite Susan Sarandon. Also widely recognized as Queen Amidala from the blockbuster hit Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, she reprised her role in Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones. In November 1997, Ms. Portman made her Broadway debut in the title role of The Diary of Anne Frank and recently received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Nina in a contemporary version of Anton Chekhov’s classic tale The Seagull, staged by the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park.