Natalie Portman wins 2016's first major acting award

She receives best actress award from Hollywood Film Awards for portraying former first lady in 'Jackie.'

by Benyamin Cohen

Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman, who's already had a long and accomplished career, received one more award to add to her trophy shelf. For her role in which she embodies the grace and elegance of former first lady Jackie Kennedy, she received the best actress award at the 20th Annual Hollywood Film Awards. The ceremony, which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, is regarded as the official kickoff to the awards season. The movie is also already garnering serious Oscar buzz.

Showing off a baby bump – the Jerusalem native and her husband are expecting their second child – looked elegant in a chic black dress. “It’s really, of course, a big honor every time that you are recognized for your work, and it’s really exciting, always, just to be in a room with so many artists that you admire.”
Natalie Portman attended the 20th Annual Hollywood Film Awards in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/AFP/Getty Images)
One of those people that she admires is actress Susan Sarandon, who introduced Portman on stage. The two first worked together in 1998 on the film "Anywhere But Here."

Sarandon praised Portman, an Ivy League alum, for her "integrity, grace, authenticity and humor." Sarandon added: "Let's just say she has been in this business for that long, and she's never been busted for a DUI, she hasn't made the tabloids, her parents are fantastic and she's a great mother," said Sarandon. "That gives me hope as a parent, especially with children happily in the business."

In other categories, Tom Hanks won the best actor award for his role in "Sully" and the movie "Gold" – which stars Matthew McConaughey and Bryce Dallas Howard – won for best ensemble.