Amid a year full of difficult changes, Natalie Portman is focusing on spending time with friends “who lift me up.”
The May December actress marked her 43rd trip around the sun on June 9, the first birthday she celebrates since finalizing her divorce from Benjamin Millepied.
The former couple, who share kids Aleph, 12, and Amalia, seven, first separated last year amid reports that the professional ballet dancer had an affair with a younger French climate activist, and finalized their divorce in March.
In honor of her birthday, Natalie took to Instagram on Sunday and shared a carousel of photos featuring some of her closest friends who have been supporting her throughout the difficult year.
Some of the photos captured moments in Paris — where Natalie and Benjamin, who is French, moved back to last year — during the Cannes Film Festival, as well as a selfie from what appears to be the U.S. southwest.
“This year, on my birthday, I want to celebrate my gratitude for my friends who lift me up again and again,” the Oscar winner wrote in her caption.
Her fans and celebrity friends alike were quick to take to the comments section under the post to celebrate her, with Tracee Ellis Ross commenting: “Happy birthday gorgeous lady,” as Kerry Washington added: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL HUMAN,” plus Ali Wong wrote: “Happy Birthday!!!!!” Her May December co-star Julianne Moore also commented: “Happy birthday!!!! Oh I love you!!!”
In honor of Natalie’s 43rd birthday, take a trip down memory lane and see some of her best photos through the years, from her Star Wars and Léon appearances as a teen to her big night at the Oscars.
© GettyBreak-Out
Natalie celebrated her 12th birthday while filming Léon in 1993.
© GettyPreppy-Chic
At the premiere of Mighty Aphrodite in 1995.
© GettyPadmé Amidala
With her Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith co-stars Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson, plus director George Lucas at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005.
© GettyOscar Winner
She was pregnant with her first child, son Aleph, when she won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Black Swan in 2011.
© GettyDior Lady
Natalie revived one of Christian Dior’s most famous designs, that of the Junon dress from the house’s 1949-1950 autumn-winter collection, for the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
