Gal Gadot Varsano[5][6][7] (
néeGadot;
Hebrew: גל גדות, pronounced[ˈɡalɡaˈdot];[8] born 30 April 1985[9]) is an Israeli actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She was crowned
Miss Israel 2004. She then served in the
Israel Defense Forces for two years as a combat fitness instructor, after which she began studying at
IDC Herzliya while building her modeling and acting careers.[10][11][12]
Gadot has stated that she was brought up in a "very Jewish, Israeli family environment".[23] Growing up in Israel, she learned and danced
jazz and
hip-hop for 12 years,[23] and her first jobs were working at a local
Burger King as well as babysitting.[28] She graduated from Begin High School in Rosh HaAyin, majoring in biology.[28] As Jewish high schools in Israel often take their sophomores on trips to
Holocaust memorial sites, Gadot went to Poland to gain a first-hand understanding of two
Nazi concentration camps: Auschwitz and
Majdanek. About the experience, she reminisced: "I stood there on top of a mountain of ashes. I, an entitled child, felt the suffering the
Muselmann experienced back then. When it was time to give my speech at the memorial ceremony, my eyes filled up with tears, and I could not control the shivering. I returned home more mature and cried with my grandfather about that, coming a full circle from his childhood to mine."[28]
At 20, Gadot was conscripted to the
Israel Defense Forces as a combat fitness instructor as part of
her mandatory two years of military service.[3][4] She has said that her military background helped her to win the role of
Gisele Yashar in the 2009 film Fast & Furious, stating: "I think the main reason was that the director
Justin Lin really liked that I was in the military, and he wanted to use my knowledge of weapons."[29] After her military service, Gadot studied law at
IDC Herzliya college in Israel (now Reichman University).[11][12][30]
Career
Modeling and beauty pageant career
Gadot entered the
Miss Israel national beauty pageant at 18, under the impression that it would be a "fun" experience, and stated in a Glamour interview: "I never thought I would win."[31][32][33] She subsequently won and went on to compete for Israel in the
Miss Universe 2004 pageant that took place that year in Ecuador.[34]
In 2018, Gadot became a brand ambassador for
Revlon and
Reebok. She appeared in advertisements for Revlon's "Live Boldly" campaign and Reebok's "Be More Human" campaign.[44][45]
Acting
After Gadot had completed her first year of college, a casting director contacted her agent to have Gadot audition for the part of
Camille Montes in the
James Bond film Quantum of Solace.[30] Although she lost the part to
Olga Kurylenko, a few months later, Gadot starred in the 2008 Israeli drama Bubot. Three months later, the casting director from her Quantum of Solace audition chose Gadot over six other actresses for the role of
Gisele Yashar in the action film Fast & Furious, the fourth film in the
Fast & Furious franchise.[46][47] Gadot performed some of her own stunt work in those films.[48]
In 2010, she had small roles in the action comedy Date Night and the action-adventure comedy Knight and Day.[49] 2011 brought her back to the Fast & Furious franchise, reprising her role as Gisele in Fast Five; she reprised the character in 2013's Fast & Furious 6.[50]
Gadot, fellow Wonder Woman actress
Lynda Carter,
DC Entertainment President
Diane Nelson, Wonder Woman director
Patty Jenkins and U.N. Under-Secretary-General
Cristina Gallach appeared at the
United Nations on 21 October 2016, the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of Wonder Woman, to mark the character's designation by the United Nations as its "Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls".[55][56] The gesture was intended to raise awareness of UN
Sustainable Development Goal No. 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030.[55][56][57] The decision was met with protests from UN staff members who stated in their petition to UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon that the character is "not culturally encompassing or sensitive" and served to objectify women. As a result, the character was stripped of the designation, and the project ended on 16 December.[57] She then had a small role in
John Hillcoat's crime-thriller Triple 9, where she starred along with
Kate Winslet and
Aaron Paul.[58] Later that year, she co-starred in the action crime thriller film Criminal, as the wife of
Ryan Reynolds' character,[59] alongside
Kevin Costner,
Gary Oldman, and
Tommy Lee Jones.[60] Her final film of the year was the action comedy Keeping Up with the Joneses, in which she played a secret agent, alongside
Zach Galifianakis,
Jon Hamm, and
Isla Fisher.[61] Critic Alex Welch wrote on IGN about Gadot's performance: "the script unfortunately banks mostly on her looks and deadly skills as a spy for her jokes, but Gadot manages to make it work."[62]
In 2020, Forbes ranked Gadot as the third highest-paid actress in the world, with annual earnings of $31.5 million.[71] On 11 October 2020, Gadot was confirmed to be reuniting with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins on Cleopatra, an
epic film centered on
Cleopatra, which was originally going to be distributed by
Paramount Pictures.[72] Later, Jenkins moved to produce the project with
Kari Skogland set to direct.[73]
In October 2019, Gadot formed a film and television production company, Pilot Wave, with her husband Jaron "Yaron" Varsano, and said she will star in and co-produce an
Apple TV+ limited series about actress and inventor
Hedy Lamarr, as well as the
Warner Bros. historical thriller film Irena Sendler, following the life of WWII humanitarian
Irena Sendler.[88][89]
In 2020, Gadot co-produced, as well as starred, in the film Wonder Woman 1984.
Other work
In 2008, Gadot participated in Tfos Ta'Festigal – Harpatka BaMetzulot (Festigal 2008), the highest-grossing annual Israeli
musical show for kids during the Jewish holiday of
Hanukkah, where Gadot took part as one of the local Israeli celebrities; and she acted, sang and danced – dressed as a
mermaid.[90][91]
Gadot was named as celebrity endorser for
Smartwater in 2020, replacing
Jennifer Aniston, who had served in that role since 2008.[92]
Personal life
Gadot married Israeli real estate developer Jaron "Yaron" Varsano [note 2] in 2008.[96] They have four daughters, born in 2011,[97] 2017, 2021,[98][50][99][100] and 2024.[101] The two formed their own film and television production company, Pilot Wave, in 2019.[89] Gadot and Varsano owned a boutique hotel in
Tel Aviv,
Israel, which she helped run,[102] that eventually was sold to
Roman Abramovich in 2015 for $26 million.[103]
Gadot is an avid martial arts enthusiast. She possesses a
black belt in both
karate and
Krav Maga. She has served as a trainer and combat instructor for the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Her extensive background knowledge in martial arts played a key part in helping her land the role of
Wonder Woman.[104][105][106]
Public image
On 26 June 2023, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that Gadot would receive a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, class 2024, making her the first person of Israeli descent to receive the honor.[107]
In 2023, Gadot was awarded the LifeSaver Award by ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel.[108]
During the
2014 Gaza War,[109] Gadot posted on Facebook a picture of herself and her daughter praying in front of
Shabbat candles in support of the IDF, accompanied by a comment that quickly accumulated over 200,000 likes as well as more than 15,000 comments of both support and criticism:[110][111]
I am sending my love and prayers to my fellow Israeli citizens. Especially to all the boys and girls who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by
Hamas, who are hiding like cowards behind women and children ... We shall overcome!!! #weareright #freegazafromhamas #stopterror #coexistance #loveidf
During the
2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Gadot called for peace between the two territories in a statement that drew backlash for expressing support for Israel and referring to the Palestinians as her "neighbours", instead of calling them by name.[112][113][114]
In October 2023, Gadot, along with more than 700 other
Hollywood professionals, signed an open letter condemning the terrorist group Hamas, demanding the release of
hostages held in
Gaza, and expressing support for Israel in the
2023 Israel–Hamas war.[115]
In March 2020, Gadot and a number of other celebrities, including her Wonder Woman 1984 co-star
Kristen Wiig, performed
an online version of the song "
Imagine" by
John Lennon, intended to raise morale during the
COVID-19 pandemic.[118] The video received backlash with critics dismissing it as an ineffective response to the pandemic; Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called it "an empty and profoundly awkward gesture".[119][120][121][122][123] Gadot later acknowledged the video did not garner the positive reaction that had been intended, but was unapologetic in explaining the thinking behind it.[124] In a 2022 interview with InStyle magazine, Gadot admitted that the video was done in "poor taste", but still maintained that it had "pure intentions".[125]
^
abSources vary, though given the evidence, her birthplace is most likely Petah Tikva. Gadot has stated in an English-language interview that she was born in
Tel Aviv,[16] though Hebrew-language articles state that she was born in Petah Tikva,[17] and several English-language sources further support this.[18] Some have claimed that she was born in Rosh HaAyin,[19][3] but Gadot said that she was only raised there.[20]
^
abWhile some sources have reported the spelling of her husband's name as "Yaron"[4][93] and others as "Jaron",[94] he personally uses "Jaron" on his social media accounts and in the production company the couple started.[95]
References
^"Gal Gadot". Models.com.
Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
^"״גל גדות מתגייסת״" (in Hebrew). Walla. 12 April 2005.
Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
^"גל גדות על פרשת אופק בוכריס: "איפה הצדק?"" [Gal Gadot on the Ofek Buharis affair: "Where is justice?"] (in Hebrew). Ynet. 30 November 2016.
Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
^Hirschberg, Lynn (8 January 2018).
"Gal Gadot on Wonder Woman Costumes and Her Eye-Opening Pregnancy"(Video). W.
Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021 – via
YouTube. What was your first street that you lived in? First one was in Petah Tikva, which is the city, and it was Stampfer. (01:27 timestamp)
^"Gal Gadot". Biography.
Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
^Gadot in Schleier, Curt (2 May 2011).
"Chatting With 'Fast Five' Star Gal Gadot". The Forward. Archived from
the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2013. I was born in Tel Aviv and had a normal life until I was 18, just before I was scheduled to go into the army, when I won the [2004] Miss Israel pageant.
^"Gal Gadot Archives". Vine Vera.
Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021. The Israeli model and actress has been the spokeswoman for Vine Vera since June 2013
^Natanzon, Keren (28 May 2008).
"Festigal Gadot". ynet (in Hebrew). Archived from
the original on 30 May 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2021. There are already two contracts: one with Gal Gadot, which is her first time at the Festigal