Elsa Lafuente Medianu (; born 18 July 1976), known professionally as Elsa Pataky, is a Spanish-Australian model and actress. Pataky is known for her role as

Elena Neves ''Fast & Furious (also known as The Fast and the Furious)'' is an American action film series centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, Heist films, heists, Spy films, spies, and family. The following ...

in the ''

Fast & Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a t ...

'' franchise. She has appeared in the films ''

Snakes on a Plane ''Snakes on a Plane'' is a 2006 American action film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006, in North America. The film was written by David Dalessandro, John Heffernan ...

'' (2006), ''

Giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...

'' (2009) and ''

Give 'Em Hell, Malone ''Give 'Em Hell, Malone'' is a 2009 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Thomas Jane, Ving Rhames and Elsa Pataky. Plot An ex-private eye turned gun for hire named Malone is hired to retrieve a suitcase f ...

'' (2009). She also starred in the Spanish film '' Di Di Hollywood'' (2010).

Early life

Pataky was born Elsa Lafuente Medianu in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain, the daughter of José Francisco Lafuente, a Spanish

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

, and Cristina Medianu Pataky, a Romanian

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists who ...

. She has a younger half-brother: Cristian Prieto Medianu, a cinematographic director. She uses the surname Pataky in homage to her Hungarian maternal grandmother Rosa Pataky. Pataky attended the

Universidad CEU San Pablo CEU San Pablo University () is a private Catholic university in Madrid, Spain. It is involved in a number of academic exchange programmes with renowned universities worldwide (Columbia, Chicago, Duke, Boston, Colgate), work practice schemes and ...

, studying journalism and taking acting classes. In addition to Spanish and Romanian, she is fluent in English, Italian, Portuguese, and French.

Career

Pataky was a member of the Madrid theatre company ''Teatro Cámara'' de Ángel Gutiérrez. Eventually, she left school when she was cast in the television series ''

Al salir de clase ''Al salir de clase'' is a Spanish teen drama television series produced by BocaBoca. The 1,199-episode-long broadcasting run on Telecinco spanned from September 1997 to July 2002. Premise The fiction, set in the Madrilenian ''Instituto Siete ...

''. Some of her subsequent films were co-productions with the UK and France, which introduced her to working in English and French. She was in the cast of the television series ''

Queen of Swords The Queen of Swords is a card in the Suit of Swords, part of the Minor Arcana set of the Tarot. Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play tarot card games. In English-speaking countries, Tarot cards are utilized primarily for div ...

'' (2000) as Señora Vera Hidalgo,

trophy wife A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires sub ...

of Gaspar Hidalgo and

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

of Captain Grisham, credited in the opening titles but appearing in only 14 of the 22 episodes. She also had a recurring role in the television series ''

Los Serrano ''Los Serrano'' is a Spanish television drama comedy which premiered on 22 April 2003 and aired on Telecinco. It tells the story of the Serrano family, who lives in Round Santa Justa No 133, located in the fictional neighborhood of Santa Justa, in ...

'', playing teacher Raquel, who fell in love with her student Marcos (

Fran Perea Francisco Manuel Perea Bilbao (born 20 November 1978 in Málaga, Andalucía, Spain), professionally known as Fran Perea, is a Spanish actor and singer. Career Fran Perea graduated from the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático of Málaga. He ma ...

). Pataky has appeared in over 10 Spanish films and co-starred in the French film ''

Iznogoud ''Iznogoud'' (pronounced "he's/is no good" with a French (language), French Accent (dialect), accent) is a French comics series featuring an eponymous character, created by the comic book creator, comics writer René Goscinny and comics artist Je ...

'' (2004). She was also on the cover of August 2006 issue of ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

''. She was cast in 2009 in the Mexican series '' Mujeres Asesinas'' as Paula Moncada in the episode "Ana y Paula, Ultrajadas". She also starred in the action noir film ''

'' and

Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor and film critic, critic. His influential work in the horror film, horror genre during the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the subgenre known as ...

's ''

''. Pataky became the female face for the first collection of Time Force's jewelry line Ultimate Jewel, opposite football star

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...

. She played Officer Elena Neves in the movie ''

Fast Five ''Fast Five'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 5'' or ''Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist'') is a 2011 American action film directed by Justin Lin Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese-American film director. His films ...

'', with

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...

as her partner, Luke Hobbs.

MTV Networks Paramount Media Networks (formerly known as Warner Cable Communications, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, MTV Networks, Viacom Media Networks, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks) is an American mass media division of Paramount Global tha ...

' NextMovie.com named her one of the Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011. Pataky was a stand in for

Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...

in the post end credit scene in '' Thor: The Dark World''. Pataky reprised her role as Elena Neves in ''

Fast & Furious 6 ''Fast & Furious 6'' (titled on-screen as ''Furious 6'') is a 2013 American action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to '' Fast Five'' (2011) and is the sixth installment in the ''Fast & Furious'' franc ...

'' (2013), ''

Furious 7 ''Furious 7'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 7'') is a 2015 American action film directed by James Wan and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''Fast & Furious 6'' (2013) and '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006), and ser ...

'' (2015), and ''

The Fate of the Furious ''The Fate of the Furious'' (alternatively known as ''F8'' and titled on-screen as ''Fast & Furious 8'' internationally) is a 2017 American action film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''Furious 7'' (2 ...

'' (2017), the sixth, seventh and eighth installments of ''

'' film series respectively. In 2018, Pataky starred in the Australian web television series ''

Tidelands Tidelands are the territory between the tide line of sea coasts, and lands lying under the sea beyond the low-water limit of the tide, considered within the territorial waters of a nation. The United States Constitution does not specify whether ...

'' as Adrielle Cuthbert. It was released on 14 December 2018 on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. Pataky played the lead role in ''

Interceptor Interceptor may refer to: Vehicles * Interceptor aircraft (or simply "interceptor"), a type of point defense fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft * Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a police car * ...

'', directed by

Matthew Reilly Matthew John Reilly (born 2 July 1974) is an internationally bestselling Australian action thriller writer.
". Retrieved 10 ...

, which was released in June 2022.

Personal life

She dated French actor

Michaël Youn Michaël Benayoun (; born 1973), known professionally as Michaël Youn, is a French actor, singer, comedian and television personality. Life and career Youn was born Michaël Benayoun in Suresnes, France, to a family of Hungarian, Italian, ...

from 2004 to 2006 and American actor

Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring as Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's '' The Pianist'' (2002), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Acto ...

from 2006 to 2009. She started dating Australian actor

Chris Hemsworth Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. He rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series ''Home and Away'' (2004–2007) before beginning a film career in Hollywood. In the Marvel Cinemati ...

in early 2010 after meeting through their mutual representatives. Pataky and Hemsworth married during the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

holidays in 2010. They have three children together: a daughter and twin sons. In 2015, the family moved from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...

in Hemsworth's native

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In September 2012, Pataky won €310,000 in Spain's Supreme Court against publishing group Ediciones Zeta. In March 2007, '' Interviu'' magazine, owned by the Zeta, published topless photos of Pataky that had been taken with a long lens while Pataky was changing clothes during a photoshoot for ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' magazine. The Zeta group said it would appeal against the decision.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pataky, Elsa 1976 births Living people Actresses from Madrid Spanish expatriates in the United States Spanish film actresses Spanish television actresses Spanish voice actresses Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Australian voice actresses Spanish people of Romanian descent 20th-century Spanish actresses 21st-century Spanish actresses Hemsworth family Spanish emigrants to Australia