2004

Natalie Portman

December 03

Earning Kudos

Following her upbeat role in Garden State, Portman plays a stripper in the drama Closer, costarring heavy-hitters Julia Roberts, Clive Owen and Law. "I keep hearing that I'm shedding my goody-two-shoes image, but I disagree," Portman says to PEOPLE. The edgy turn scores with critics, and Portman wins a best supporting actress Golden Globe and an Oscar nod.

2005

Natalie Portman

May

B for Bald

Portman sheds more than her vanity in the thriller V for Vendetta: She has her head shaved on camera for her freedom-fighter role. "I can't stop rubbing my head," the actress tells Time about her bald hairdo. "It's so soft, I might keep it for a while."

2006

Natalie Portman

August

Working Beyond Celebrity

On the set of her film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Portman meets a 5-year-old child diagnosed with Bloom syndrome – a genetic disorder that can cause disabilities and has a high risk of cancer. Portman arranges a fashion auction benefiting research for a cure. Portman has also devoted time to Pediatric AIDS and the Foundation for International Community Assistance, which provides small-business loans to women in developing countries.

2007

Natalie Portman

Feverishly Filming

Portman wraps five films in less than two years: Francisco Goya's biopic Goya's Ghosts; the period drama The Other Boleyn Girl with Scarlett Johansson; the children's fantasy Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium with Dustin Hoffman; the Wes Anderson-written The Darjeeling Limited with Owen Wilson; and My Blueberry Nights with Jude Law.

2008

Natalie Portman

March

Being Boleyn Girls

Promoting their period drama, The Other Boleyn Girl – where they play ambitious sisters – Portman and Johansson appear on the cover of W. In the magazine, the costars discuss the public's perception of them: Portman tells Johansson, "I get branded a lot as a good girl. I'm, like, the prude, and you're more sexy, more like..." Johansson then laughingly replies, "A harlot!" Portman, meanwhile, says she often gets branded as "boring."

Natalie Portman

April

Natalie's Got a New Man

Portman shows her affection for folk singer Devendra Banhart – even kissing him while strolling in New York's West Village. Although the usually private star doesn't comment on her relationship with Banhart, she does take her new beau with her to the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Photo Credits

BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Paul Drinkwater/NBC/AP; Warner Bros./Everett; Rob Beccaris/Wireimage; Alex Bailey/Columbia Pictures; Brian Flannery/Flynet

Edited by Mai Dinh, Janet Murphy