NATALIE PORTMAN
Spotted in a Long Island pizza parlor at age 11 by a modeling rep, Portman landed the role of an assassin's sad-eyed sidekick in 1994's The Professional one year later. Unlike most of her Hollywood peers, Portman (who uses a stage name to protect her family from media attention) took a break from acting — to study psychology at Harvard. She says her parents keep her grounded. ''I value my private life and security way more than getting parts by flashing my boobs on some magazine or being a sex symbol in films,'' she told EW in 2000. —Chris Nashawaty
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Photofest; Sylvain Gaboury/PR Photos
13 Child Stars Who Made It
Achieving fame at a young age can be confusing -- and even dangerous. But as actors such as Neil Patrick Harris, Natalie Portman, Ron Howard, Anna Paquin, and more have proved, it can also make you stronger
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