Director Benjamin Millepied (L) and actress Natalie Portman attend the red carpet for the premiere of Carmen during the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival at at Tiff Bell Lightbox on September 11, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)© VALERIE MACON

Natalie Portman finalizes divorce with Benjamin Millepied after 11-year marriage

Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied were together for 11 years

US Writer
Updated: March 8, 2024

Natalie Portman has officially divorced Benjamin Millepied, her husband of 11 years, after quietly filing for divorce eight months ago.

The May/December actress, 42, filed for divorce in July 2023, which was finalized last month in France where the couple have lived with their two children, son Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, seven.

© VALERIE MACON

Natalie and Benjamin have officially divorced

Natalie's reps confirmed the separation to PEOPLE.

Their separation followed media reports in May 2023 that Benjamin, a 46-year-old director and choreographer, had conducted an extramarital affair. 

For months there has been speculation about Natalie's living situation with Benjamin, as a Wall Street Journal interview mentioned the actress was living in Paris with her two children, but notably omitted any reference to him.

© Jean Catuffe

Natalie is pictured without her wedding ring

The actress has also been spotted without her wedding ring at red carpet events. Most recently for her book club, she opted to read Nora Ephron's Heartburn. The novel depicts the breakdown of a marriage as the narrator discovers her husband's extramarital affair.

She described the book on Instagram as a "classic transformation of pain into humorous art".

Both Benjamin and Natalie have also dealt with heavy work commitments while going through this huge change in their lives. The choreographer worked on Dune: Part Two with Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. 

Meanwhile Natalie has been on the press tour and awards circuit for her role in critically acclaimed film May/December. She is also shooting the film Fountain of Youth, directed by Guy Ritchie, and her limited TV series Lady in the Lake is due for release this year.

Natalie and Benjamin began dating in 2009, after meeting on the set of Black Swan, where he served as a choreographer. They married in a Jewish ceremony in Big Sur, California in 2012.

When Benjamin took on the role of director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet from 2014-2016, the couple moved to Paris.

When asked by Vanity Fair how she felt about the people "writing about her marriage and personal life in a very public way", she responded succinctly.

"It’s terrible, and I have no desire to contribute", she said.

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