Elsa Lafuente Medianu (Spanish: [ˈelsa laˈfwente meˈðjanu]; born 18 July 1976),[1] known professionally as Elsa Pataky, is a Spanish model and actress. Pataky is known for her leading role of Raquel Alonso in the Spanish teen drama Al salir de Clase (1997-2002), before garnering international recognition as Elena Neves in the Fast & Furious franchise. She has appeared in the films Snakes on a Plane (2006), Giallo (2009) and Give 'Em Hell, Malone (2009). She also starred in the Spanish film Di Di Hollywood (2010) and played Mr. Norton and the Vuvalini General in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) in a dual role.
Elsa Pataky | |
|---|---|
 Pataky in 2007 | |
| Born | Elsa Lafuente Medianu 18 July 1976 Madrid, Spain |
| Alma mater | Universidad CEU San Pablo |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Adrien Brody (2006–2009) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life
editPataky was born Elsa Lafuente Medianu in Madrid, Spain,[1] the daughter of José Francisco Lafuente, a Spanish biochemist, and Cristina Medianu Pataky, a Romanian publicist.[2][3][4] She has a younger half-brother: Cristian Prieto Medianu, a cinematographic director. She uses the surname Pataky in homage to her Hungarian Greek maternal grandmother Rosa Pataky.[5]
Pataky attended the Universidad CEU San Pablo,[6] studying journalism and taking acting classes. In addition to Spanish and Romanian, she is fluent in English, Italian, Portuguese, and French.[7][8]
Career
editPataky 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.[3] 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 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).[citation needed]
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's Giallo.[citation needed]
Pataky became the female face for the first collection of Time Force's jewelry line Ultimate Jewel, opposite football star Cristiano Ronaldo.[9] She played Officer Elena Neves in the movie Fast Five, with Dwayne Johnson as her partner, Luke Hobbs. MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011.[10] Pataky was a stand in for Natalie Portman in the post end credit scene in Thor: The Dark World.[11]
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 Fast & Furious film series respectively.[12]
In 2018, Pataky starred in the Australian web television series Tidelands as Adrielle Cuthbert. It was released on 14 December 2018 on Netflix.[13]
Pataky played the lead role in Interceptor, directed by Matthew Reilly, which was released in June 2022.[14]
Pataky co-founded a skincare brand called Purely Byron. The brand launched its first product in 2022. In March 2023, Purely Byron was placed in administration and put up for sale.[15] At the time, BWX Group owned a 47.4 per cent stake in the company, while Ido Leffler and Lance Kalish held about 22 per cent each, and Chris Hemsworth's Byron Bay 1st Management a 3.2 per cent.[16]
Personal life
editPataky dated French actor Michaël Youn from 2004 to 2006 and American actor Adrien Brody from 2006 to 2009.[17] She started dating Australian actor Chris Hemsworth in early 2010 after meeting through their mutual representatives. Pataky and Hemsworth married during the Christmas holidays in 2010.[18] They have three children together: a daughter and twin sons.[19][20][21] In 2015, the family moved from Los Angeles to Byron Bay, Australia.[22]
In September 2012, Pataky won €310,000 in a ruling by the Supreme Court of Spain against publishing group Ediciones Zeta. In March 2007, Interviu, a magazine owned by the Zeta group, published topless photos of Pataky that had been taken with a long lens while Pataky was changing clothes during a photoshoot for Elle magazine. The Zeta group said it would appeal against the decision.[23]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Solo en la buhardilla | Chica revista | Short film |
| 2000 | The Art of Dying | Candela | [24] |
| Tatawo | Blanqui | [24] | |
| Less Is More | Diana | [24] | |
| 2001 | Don't Tempt Me | Waitress in Hell | |
| Twelfth Night | Marta Cuspineda | [24] | |
| 2002 | Peor imposible ¿qué puede fallar? | Fátima | [24] |
| 2003 | Beyond Re-Animator | Laura Olney | |
| El furgón | Nina | [24] | |
| Atraco a las 3... y media | Katya | [24] | |
| 2004 | Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt | Barbara | |
| Tiovivo c. 1950 | Balbina | ||
| 2005 | Iznogoud | Prehti-Ouhman | |
| Arquitectura efímera deconstruida | Vídeo 'Retorciendo palabras' | Direct-to-video | |
| Ninette | Alajandra 'Ninette' | ||
| 2006 | Snakes on a Plane | Maria | |
| 2007 | Manual of Love 2 | Cecilia | |
| 2008 | Máncora | Ximena Saavedra | [24] |
| Skate or Die | Dany | ||
| Santos | Laura Luna | [24] | |
| 2009 | Giallo | Celine | |
| Give 'Em Hell, Malone | Evelyn | ||
| 2009 | Shorts | Allie Hamilton (Spanish dub) | [24] |
| 2010 | Mr. Nice | Ilza Kadegis | |
| Di Di Hollywood | Di Di | ||
| 2011 | La importancia de llamarse Enesto | Short film | |
| Fast Five | Elena Neves | ||
| Where the Road Meets the Sun | Michelle | [25] | |
| Snowflake, the White Gorilla | Bruja del Norte | [24] | |
| 2013 | All Things to All Men | Sophia Peters | |
| The Wine of Summer | Veronica | Also producer | |
| Fast & Furious 6 | Elena Neves | ||
| 2015 | Furious 7 | ||
| 2017 | The Fate of the Furious | [26] | |
| 2018 | 12 Strong | Jean Nelson | |
| 2022 | Interceptor | JJ Collins | [14] |
| Thor: Love and Thunder | Wolf Woman | ||
| Poker Face | Penelope | ||
| Carmen | Gabrielle | ||
| 2024 | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga | Mr. Norton Vuvalini General |
[27] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Al salir de clase | Raquel Alonso | 192 episodes |
| 1998 | Tio Willy | 1 episode | |
| La vida en el aire | 13 episodes | ||
| 2000 | Hospital Central | Maribel | 2 episodes |
| Queen of Swords | Vera Hidalgo | 14 episodes | |
| 2002 | Clara | TV movie | |
| Paraíso | Luisa | Episode: "El cebo" | |
| 2003 | 7 vidas | Cristina | Episode: "La jaula de las locas" |
| Los Serrano | Raquel Albaladejo | 11 episodes | |
| 2005 | Films to Keep You Awake: The Christmas Tale | Ekran | TV movie[28] |
| 2009 | Mujeres asesinas | Paula Moncada | Episode: "Ana y Paula, ultrajadas" |
| 2018 | Tidelands | Adrielle Cuthbert | Main role |
References
edit- ^ a b "Elsa Pataky". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ "La imagen de Elsa Pataky con su madre donde demuestra de dónde ha sacado su belleza". Antena 3. 11 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Elsa Pataky Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
- ^ "Elsa Pataky". Vogue Italia. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ^ Elsa Pataky (3 May 2018). "El secreto de una vida larga y saludable (The secret of a long and healthy life)". Glamour: Elsa Pataky Confidential – El blog de Elsa Pataky. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "Blog Alumni CEU: Elsa Pataky y Ana Pastor". Universidad de San Pablo CEU. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ "Actors and Actresses Who Speak Multiple Languages". 5 August 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "20 things to know about Chris Hemsworth's wife, Elsa Pataky". sheknows.com. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "Elsa Pataki presented Time Force jewelry collection". Be Global Fashion Network. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ Evry, Max (5 January 2011). "25 Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011". Next Movie. Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
- ^ Lee, Esther (3 December 2013). "Natalie Portman: Chris Hemsworth's Wife Elsa Pataky Was Stand-In". Us Weekly. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ "Djimon Hounsou Joins Fast & Furious 7". Empire. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ^ "Elsa Pataky Will Play A Half-Siren, Half-Human In Netflix's First OG Australian Series". Elle Australia. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Author Matthew Reilly goes from books to big screen in Interceptor directing debut". ABC News Australia. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Kruger, Jessica Yun, Colin (15 March 2023). "Purely Byron is for sale, but Pataky's role in brand's future unclear". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ England, Cameron (14 March 2023). "Purely Byron, the skincare firm backed by Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth, is in administration". The Australian. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Hello (7 October 2008). "Adrien and Spanish love Elsa share their 'dream castle' with HELLO!". Hello. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
- ^ Jordan, Julie (28 December 2010). "Thor Star Chris Hemsworth Gets Married". People. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ Macaluso, Beth Anne (12 May 2012). "Chris Hemsworth's Wife Elsa Pataky Gives Birth to Daughter India!". US Weekly. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ^ Pataky, Elsa. "Cómo he preparado la llegada de los bebés". Glamour (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Nudd, Tim; Jordan, Julie (25 March 2014). "Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky Name Twin Sons Tristan and Sasha". People. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ Kehagias, Melissa (27 September 2014). "Chris Hemsworth has bought himself a $7 million Byron Bay home". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ Govan, Fiona (18 September 2012). "Spanish actress Elsa Pataky wins topless photo case". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Films". ElsaPataky.com. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ "Paths That Cross in Los Angeles". The New York Times. 28 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
- ^ "Elsa Pataky regresa la gran pantalla con Fast & Furious 8". abc.es. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ Mazzeo, Esme; Rockson, Gabrielle (17 May 2024). "Chris Hemsworth Explains Why Working with Wife Elsa Pataky on Furiosa Was 'Like Date Night for Us' (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "The Christmas Tale (2005)". Film Reel Reviews. 10 December 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
External links
edit
