Bar Refaeli

Bar Refaeli ( he, בר רפאלי; born ) is an Israeli model, television host, businesswoman and actress. She is among the most internationally successful models to come from Israel, appearing on the cover of the 2009 ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue, and being voted No. 1 on ''Maxim'' magazine's Hot 100 list of 2012. As a television host, Refaeli has hosted ''The X Factor Israel'' since 2013 and co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv.

As a result of her modeling and investment careers, her net worth was estimated at US$20 million in 2015. She was the highest-paid model in Israel according to ''Forbes'' Israel in 2013.How much is Bar Refaeli really worth?
Yael Bir-Katz Published: 17.12.15, ynet

Early life

Refaeli was born and raised in Hod HaSharon, Israel, to a secular Jewish family. In Hebrew, her given name means "wild" (as in wilderness), and her surname literally means "my God heals" and is a derivative of the biblical angel Raphael. Rafaeli's parents were both born in Israel. Her grandparents immigrated from Italy, Lithuania and Poland. Her grandparents were Holocaust survivors. Her father Refael "Rafi" Refaeli is a former horse stable owner, and her mother was a model in the 1970s under her maiden name Tzipora "Tzipi" Levine. Her younger brothers are entrepreneur Dor Refaeli and actor On Refaeli. She also has an older half-brother, Neil Ben-Porat, from her mother's first marriage to Israeli businessman Yehousha "Shuki" Ben-Porat.

Career

Modeling

Refaeli began modeling at the age of eight months, when she first appeared in commercials. Orthodonture at 12 interrupted her modeling until she was 15, when an Israeli fashion awards ceremony awarded Refaeli "Model of the Year" (2000). She played prominently in campaigns for the fashion brands '' Castro'' and ''Pilpel'', and she starred in a Milky pudding commercial.

She has appeared in editorials for French, American, Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian ''Elle'', Spanish ''Vogue'', British, Russian, Australian, and Vietnamese ''Harper's Bazaar'', '' V'', French and Dutch ''L'Officiel'', American, British, Italian, German, Spanish, and Indian '' GQ'', ''i-D'', and '' Allure''.
She has appeared on the covers of French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, Belgian, Danish, Swedish, Australian, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Slovenian, Croatian, and Turkish ''Elle'', French, Spanish, and Russian ''Marie Claire'', British, Italian, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Mexican '' GQ'', American, British, Australian, and Serbian ''Maxim'', and ''Esquire''.

Refaeli has appeared in advertising campaigns for Chanel, Escada, Ralph Lauren, Desigual, Andrew Marc, Victoria's Secret, Marks and Spencer, Gap, Moët & Chandon, Hurley, Rampage, True Religion, Lucky Brand, Accessorize, Passionata, Fox, Reebok, Sears, Arrow, Besni, Marco Bicego, and Agua Bendita. She also has appeared in advertising-campaigns for non-fashion brands such as Garnier Fructis, Samsung, and Subaru.

Refaeli became the second Israeli model to appear in ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine (after Michaela Bercu), in her 2007 debut in its Swimsuit Issue, where she posed with the rock band Aerosmith. Refaeli was the cover-model for the 2009 ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue. Southwest Airlines painted a bikini-clad Refaeli from that shoot on the side of its Boeing 737, which led some passengers to criticize the airline for what they regarded as prurient, and hence "offensive to families."


Refaeli has modeled for Subaru, Accessorize, Brazilian clothing line Besni, Italian jewelry line Marco Bicego, and Rampage. In 2009, she modeled for Garnier International.

On 5 March 2009, Refaeli received the World Style Award presented by the Women's World Awards for her "natural elegance, sense of style, and compassion." In October of the same year, Refaeli co-hosted Fashionable Istanbul's press conference, announced its October 2009 fashion event, and appeared in its advèrtisements. ''FHM'' voted Refaeli No. 42 in 2008, No. 57 in 2010, and No. 97 in 2011, in its lists of the " 100 Sexiest Women."

''Maxim'' placed Refaeli at the very top of its Hot 100 list in 2012. In April 2012, ''Shalom Life'' ranked her fourth on its list of the "50 most talented, intelligent, funny, and gorgeous Jewish women in the world."

According to ''Forbes Israel'', in 2013 she was the highest-paid model in Israel, ahead of the combined modelling income of such other Israeli models as Esti Ginzburg, Gal Gadot, and Shlomit Malka.

In 2013 she also received a Vienna Fashion Award in the category of "Style-Icon".

As of March 2017, Refaeli was the second most influential person on Israeli Instagram, according to the Israeli Internet Association, behind Anna Zak, but ahead of Neta Alchimister.

Film, television, and stage

Refaeli co-starred in the Israeli TV drama series ''Pick Up'' in 2005. In October 2008, she co-hosted the Bravo special program ''Tommy Hilfiger Presents Ironic Iconic America'', based on the book ''Ironic Iconic America'' written by George Lois. She returned as a program host in 2009, this time for MTV's brief revival of ''House of Style''.

In 2009, she was also a guest-judge at Project Runway Israel.

In 2011, Refaeli starred in the American-Israeli film ''Session'', directed by Haim Bouzaglo. The film is a psychological thriller that tells the story of a manipulative psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with a new young patient. She also served as a guest judge on cycle four of '' Germany's Next Topmodel'' hosted by Heidi Klum. In November 2012 she started her own model casting show ''Million Dollar Shootingstar'' on German TV Channel Sat.1.

In late 2012, she played the titular role in ''Cinderella'', a musical adaptation staged for Channukkah in Israel.

In January 2013, Refaeli appeared in Go Daddy's Super Bowl XLVII commercial. In 2013, Refaeli also hosted the first season of ''The X Factor Israel'', which became the most popular music show in Israel, leading to them bringing her back in 2015 for season two. In 2018 Refaeli appeared in a music video of X Factor judge, Ivri Lider. In 2013, Refaeli played a starring role in the French-Israeli crime-caper film '' Kidon'', a comedy in which she stars as a Mossad assassin involved in liquidating a terrorist.

Assi Azar