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 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, ...

'' franchise. She has appeared in the films '' Snakes on a Plane'' (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'' (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 parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of "biological ch ...

, and Cristina Medianu Pataky, a Romanian publicist. 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, 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''. 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'' (2000) as Señora Vera Hidalgo, trophy wife 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'', playing teacher Raquel, who fell in love with her student Marcos ( Fran Perea). Pataky has appeared in over 10 Spanish films and co-starred in the French film '' Iznogoud'' (2004). She was also on the cover of August 2006 issue of '' Maxim''. 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 '' Give 'Em Hell, Malone'' and

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

'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 pl ...

. She played Officer Elena Neves in the movie '' Fast Five'', 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 develop ...

as her partner, Luke Hobbs. MTV Networks' 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'' (2013), '' Furious 7'' (2015), and '' The Fate of the Furious'' (2017), the sixth, seventh and eighth installments of ''

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

. Pataky played the lead role in '' Interceptor'', 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 from 2004 to 2006 and American actor Adrien Brody from 2006 to 2009. She started dating Australian actor Chris Hemsworth in early 2010 after meeting through their mutual representatives. Pataky and Hemsworth married during the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

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 ...

to Byron Bay in Hemsworth's native

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. 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