Actress Natalie Portman had a great reason for missing Sunday's Oscar ceremony.

She gave birth to her second child last week but kept the new arrival quiet in the days leading up to the Academy Awards show.

Portman, 35, gave birth to daughter Amalia on February 22, her publicist said in a statement issued to People magazine on Friday.

Portman, who keeps a low public profile, had said through her publicist a week ago that because of her pregnancy, she would not be attending the February 26 Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles, where she was nominated in the lead actress category for her performance in "Jackie."

"Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed a baby girl, Amalia Millepied, on February 22," the statement said. "Mother and baby are happy and healthy."

Portman and French choreographer Millepied have a five-year-old son, Aleph. They were married in California in 2012.

Portman had been an early Oscar favorite for her performance as former US first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in "Jackie" but the best actress Oscar went instead to "La La Land" star Emma Stone.

Millepied, 39, is a dancer and choreographer who worked on the film "Black Swan", for which Portman won an Oscar for Best Actress. She was heavily pregnant at the time with Aleph.

Millepied is the founder and director of L.A. Dance Project, a contemporary dance company that works with emerging and established artists.