1995 - Natalie Portman makes her film debut

Israeli-born Natalie Portman ( Natalie Hershlag) moved to the United States with her parents at age 3. At 13, she landed the role of an orphaned girl in Luc Besson’s 1994 film Leon (also known as The Professional). She went on to earn attention in Heat and Mars Attacks before landing a role in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. From 1999 to 2003, Portman scaled back her acting commitments as she worked on a degree in psychology from Harvard; since graduating, she has gone on to make more than a dozen films. (© AP Images)