Gadot has stated that she was brought up in a "very Jewish, Israeli family environment".[17] Growing up in Israel, she learned and danced jazz and hip-hop for 12 years,[17] and her first jobs were working at a local Burger King as well as babysitting.[22] She graduated from Begin High School in Rosh HaAyin, majoring in biology.[22] 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."[22]
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."[27][28][29] She subsequently won and went on to compete for Israel in the Miss Universe 2004 pageant that took place that year in Ecuador.[30]
She has led international campaigns as a model for Miss Sixty, Huawei smartphones, Captain Morgan rum, Gucci fragrances, Vine Vera skincare[31][32] and Jaguar Cars. In 2015, she became the face of Gucci's Bamboo perfume brand.[33] She has been featured as the covergirl on Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Bride Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, UMM, Cleo, Fashion, Lucire, FHM. Gadot was the main model for fashion brand Castro from 2008 to 2016.[34] In 2013, her combined annual modeling and acting salary was estimated at NIS 2.4 million (approximately US$700.000).[35]
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.[40][41]
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.[26] 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.[42][43] Gadot performed some of her own stunt work in those films.[44]
In 2010, she had small roles in the action comedy Date Night and the action-adventure comedy Knight and Day.[45] 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.[46]
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".[51][52] 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.[51][52][53] 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.[53] She then had a small role in John Hillcoat's crime-thriller Triple 9, where she starred along with Kate Winslet and Aaron Paul.[54] Later that year, she co-starred in the action crime thriller film Criminal, as the wife of Ryan Reynolds' character,[55] alongside Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, and Tommy Lee Jones.[56] 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.[57] 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."[58]
In 2020, Forbes ranked Gadot as the third highest-paid actress in the world, with annual earnings of $31.5 million.[67] 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.[68] Later, Jenkins moved to produce the project with Kari Skogland set to direct.[69]
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.[84][85]
In 2020, Gadot co-produced and starred in the film Wonder Woman 1984.
Television shows
In 2008, Gadot participated in Festigal Underwater (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.[86][87]
Endorsement
Gadot was named as celebrity endorser for Smartwater in 2020, replacing Jennifer Aniston, who had served in that role since 2008.[88]
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.[89]
In 2023, Gadot was awarded the LifeSaver Award by ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel.[90]
During the 2014 Gaza War,[93] 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:[94][95]
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.[96][97][98]
In October 2023, Gadot, along with more than 700 other Hollywood professionals, signed an open letter condemning the Palestinian militant group Hamas, demanding the release of hostages held in Gaza, and expressing support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war.[99] In November, she organised a screening of Bearing Witness, an Israeli film showing the violence of Hamas, though she did not attend the screening.[100]
In August 2024, calls from pro-Palestinian activists to boycott Disney's Snow White remake emerged due to Gadot's support for Israel.[101][102][103]
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.[104] 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".[105][106][107][108][109] Gadot later acknowledged the video did not garner the positive reaction that had been intended, but was unapologetic in explaining the thinking behind it.[110] 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".[111]
Personal life
In 2008, Gadot married Jaron "Yaron" Varsano[note 2] who was born in Amsterdam, grew up in a Jewish family in the Netherlands, and was a real estate developer in Israel.[115][116] They have four daughters, born in 2011,[117] 2017, 2021,[118][46][119][120] and 2024.[121] The two formed their own film and television production company, Pilot Wave, in 2019.[85] Gadot and Varsano owned a boutique hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel, which she helped run,[122] that eventually was sold to Russian oligarch and politician Roman Abramovich in 2015 for $26 million.[123]
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.[124][125][126]
In 2016, she expanded her roles, portraying Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Her portrayal of Wonder Woman quickly became a defining role in her career, with critics praising her for bringing strength, grace, and a refreshing depth to the character. This performance, along with her continued appearances as Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman (2017) and Justice League (2017), revitalized the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), with many considering her character’s solo film to be a high point for DC. Critics particularly noted how she brought a strong sense of empowerment and integrity to the role, setting a new standard for female superheroes in mainstream cinema.[127]
In 2020, she reprised her Wonder Woman role in Wonder Woman 1984, where she also served as a producer. Her role in the DCEU continued with Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). That year, she starred in Red Notice as The Bishop. In 2022, she appeared as Linnet Ridgeway in Death on the Nile. Her appearances as Wonder Woman extended into uncredited cameos in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and The Flash (2023), along with a return to the Fast & Furious franchise in Fast X (2023). She also starred as Rachel Stone in Heart of Stone (2023), where she took on a producer role.[128]
^ 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,[10] though Hebrew-language articles state that she was born in Petah Tikva,[11] and several English-language sources further support this.[12] Some have claimed that she was born in Rosh HaAyin,[13][3] but Gadot said that she was only raised there.[14]
^ abWhile some sources have reported the spelling of her husband's name as "Yaron"[4][112] and others as "Jaron",[113] he personally uses "Jaron" on his social media accounts and in the production company the couple started.[114]
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.
^"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