Though Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag) was born in Jerusalem, her family moved to the United States when she was just 3 in order for her father to continue his career in medicine. By 1988, her family had settled in Long Island, and Portman, who has always felt a close tie to her Jewish roots, attended Solomon Schechter Day School of Glen Cove, New York, and graduated from Syosset High School. When she was 11, Portman was discovered in a New York pizza joint by a modeling scout, but her true passion was acting, a love affair she developed while attending the exclusive Stagedoor Manor Performing Camp for three summers.
