June 09
Natalie Hershlag's Birthday
 

Natalie Hershlag, better known as Natalie Portman, was born on June 9, 1981, in Jerusalem. A dual citizen of Israel and the United States, Portman moved to the US at the age of three and her family settled in New York in 1990. From a young age, Natalie was ambitious. She turned down an offer to become a child actor, setting her sights high – nothing short of the top would do. Success came early, when Natalie was selected in 1994 to co-star opposite Jean Reno in Luc Besson’s Leon the Professional (1994). Gaining ground with well-received roles in indie darlings like Beautiful Girls (1996) and Mars Attacks  (1996)before she even left high school, Natalie’s big break came in 1997 – she was cast as Queen Padme Amidala in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the first of the three Star Wars prequel films. Other than the three Star Wars prequels, Natalie took a break from acting to pursue her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Harvard University. She even co-authored a pair of scientific studies, one of which earned her semifinalist status in the Intel Science Talent Search. After graduating, Natalie cemented her indie cred by appearing back to back in Garden State (2004) and Closer (2004). Shortly thereafter she returned to the sci-fi megablockbuster realm with V for Vendetta (2006). While throughout her career she has been nominated for and received many awards, in 2011 Natalie finally got the brass ring – she won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Nina, the dangerously unstable ballerina of Black Swan (2010). It was a big year for Natalie – she also revealed that she was pregnant and engaged to Benjamin Millepied, Black Swan’s choreographer. Black Swan is a rather disturbing film that tells the tale of Nina, a technically gifted young ballerina who nevertheless has some difficulty in bringing a sense of abandon to her dancing. When she is chosen to star at the Swan Queen in the company’s production of Swan Lake, the stress of the role and its white swan/black swan duality begins to manifest in frightening ways. Portman’s acting earned high praise, in particular her dedication to the role – she took months of ballet lessons and lost twenty pounds. This recipe might not help you lose the weight – but it will honor one of the most beautiful and talented young actresses working today. So let's celebrate Natalie's birthday by watching her legendary performance in Black Swan and making the legendary Black Swan  cheesecake that is the  incredible featured dessert of The Black Swan Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency, Orlando, Florida. Black Swan Cheesecake