Natalie Portman is an Israeli-born American (with dual citizenship) actress, producer, and director. Her first role was in the 1994 action thriller L on: The Professional, opposite Jean Reno, but mainstream success came when she was cast as Padm' Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (released in 1999, 2002 and 2005). In 1999, she enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology while still working as an actress. She completed her bachelor's degree in 2003.