Gal Gadot

Gal Gadot (pronounced [ˈɡal ɡaˈdot]; born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress. She gained recognition for portraying Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe films (2016–2023). In 2018, Gadot was named one of Time's 100 most influential people and ranked by Forbes as the tenth-highest-paid actress, later rising to third in 2020. She became the first Israeli actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025.

Gadot grew up in Rosh HaAyin and first gained attention locally after winning Miss Israel 2004, followed by two years of service in the Israel Defense Forces as a combat trainer. During this time, she participated in a Maxim photo shoot that boosted her public profile, resulting in her beginning to model and endorse various brands. Shortly after, she made her television debut in the Israeli drama Bubot in 2008, followed by her film debut in a supporting role as Gisele Yashar in Fast & Furious (2009), reprising it in multiple sequels (2011–2023).

Gadot first portrayed Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman (2016). The success of the film led to her starring in Wonder Woman (2017), which became a major box office hit. She also reprised the role in Justice League (2017) and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), the latter of which she also co-produced. Since then, she has starred in Red Notice (2021), Death on the Nile (2022), and Heart of Stone (2023), which she co-produced. In 2025 she portrayed the Evil Queen in Snow White and Gemma Donati in In the Hand of Dante.

Beyond acting, Gadot and her husband have co-founded a film production company, launched a food brand, and invested in Israeli startups. She is widely celebrated in Israel as a national icon and ambassador. However, her support for the Israeli military and the ongoing war in Gaza has drawn criticism.

Background

Gal Gadot was born on 30 April 1985 in Petah Tikva, where she initially lived at Stampfer street. She was born to Jewish parents of Ashkenazi descent; her mother's roots are Czech and Polish, while her father's are Austrian, Russian, and German. Her parents, Michael, an engineer, and Irit, a physical education teacher, Hebraized their surname from "Greenstein" to "Gadot" before her birth. In Hebrew, her first name means "wave", and her Hebrew surname 'Gadot' translates to "riverbanks". She has a younger sister, Dana.

Her father is a sixth-generation Israeli-born citizen, and one of his ancestors was the first chemist at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, while her mother is a first-generation Israeli-born citizen and the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her maternal grandfather, Abraham Weiss, was born as Adolf Weiss, in the village of Munkács, Czechoslovakia in 1928. At 13, when Nazi Germany invaded, his father (her great-grandfather) died in the army and Abraham, his mother, and his brother were sent to Auschwitz, where the latter two perished in the gas chamber. Gadot's maternal grandmother, however, managed to escape Europe before World War II. Abraham immigrated alone to Jaffa, where he built a life. He later served in the Golani Brigade; in his later years, Abraham joined Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expeditions to give first-hand testimony about his experiences in the Auschwitz.

In 1993, at the age of eight, Gadot and her family moved to the Givat Tal neighborhood of Rosh HaAyin, where she grew up, in what she described as a "very Jewish, Israeli family environment". As a child, she struggled with a weak voice and attended speech therapy, where she learned proper breathing techniques. Encouraged by her mother to be active from a young age, Gadot took up swimming at four and later played tennis. She joined the local volleyball and basketball teams, soccer-team cheerleader, and trained in ballet, hip-hop, and jazz for 12 years; at one point, Gadot considered a career as a choreographer.

At 11, she visited Holocaust memorial sites in Poland to learn about Auschwitz and Majdanek. Reflecting on the experience, she recalled: "I, an entitled child, felt the suffering the Muselmann experienced back then." At 12, she was invited to enter the Girl of the Year (Hebrew: נערת השנה‎) competition but declined, initially dismissed modeling as a career, but later realized it is a fun job that makes great money and offers exciting experiences.

Although Gadot's native language is Hebrew, she started taking English lessons in third grade; she became fluent after starting to watch Seinfeld and Friends. She later attended Begin High School, where she majored in biology. After graduating, she had a few months before beginning her mandatory two-year service in the IDF. During this time, she received modeling offers but instead chose to work at Burger King, saying, "I was like, posing for money? Ugh, it's not for me." Meanwhile, her mother and a friend submitted an application on her behalf for the Miss Israel pageant. Before enlisting, she also worked as a caregiver for eight-month-old twins.

Career

2004–2009: Miss Israel, IDF service and early work

In a 2008 Ynet interview, Gadot said she entered the beauty pageant after her army enlistment was postponed, encouraged by her mother, and saw it as a fun opportunity before beginning her service. In 2004, the 54th Miss Israel beauty pageant was held at the Haifa Congress Center, where an 18-year-old Gadot participated with little expectation of winning. However, the 5'10" Gadot was crowned Miss Israel by Sivan Klein, and Yona Yahav, and received a Citroën C3 supermini car. Following her win, Gadot represented Israel in the Miss Universe 2004 pageant in Ecuador but admitted she intentionally "rebelled" to avoid winning, arriving late to events and refusing to wear an evening gown. During an interview with Ynet, and before giving up her pageant title, Gadot highlighted the value of military service, viewing it as both a duty and a chance for personal growth. In 2005, a week after passing on the crown, Gadot, at 19, was conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces. After excelling in a three-month boot camp, she went on to serve as a combat trainer, teaching soldiers gymnastics and calisthenics. Reporting daily at 5 a.m., she led soldiers through a form of boot camp. Gadot became so passionate about the techniques she learned that she eventually trained sergeants and high-ranking commanders. Gadot also trained in Krav Maga, gaining proficiency in handling weapons and preparing for combat. She completed her mandatory two-year service, of which only 20 days were in uniform. Reflecting on her military experience in a 2016 interview with Fashion, Gadot said, "It was demanding because you give up your freedom for two years, but there is something special in giving back to your community."

In 2007, while still serving, 22-year-old Gadot appeared in Maxim's "Women of the Israel Defense Forces" photo shoot, which was later featured on the cover of the New York Post. The shoot was part of a campaign by Israel's consulate in New York, Maxim, and the Ministry of Tourism to "promote Israel, attract young American men, and reshape its public image". The campaign faced criticism, particularly from Knesset members, over the portrayal of female soldiers in bikinis. Following the criticism, Gadot defended the images, stating that she did not consider them pornographic and dismissed the political criticism, saying she was "not involved in politics". After the photo was featured on the July 2007 cover of the New York Post, the shoot significantly boosted Gadot's public profile; as a result, she landed an international campaign for "Prada Ellis" perfume.

That same year, she began pursuing law and international studies at IDC Herzliya (now Reichman University). She attributed this decision to being "so deep", and because she "loved" Ally McBeal. After her first year, a casting director from London contacted Gadot's agent after seeing her modeling card on the agency's wall, which led to an unsuccessful audition for the role of Camille Montes in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. In a 2017 interview with W Magazine, Gadot said she initially felt "too serious and smart to be an actress" due to her studies and was uncomfortable speaking English. Her agent urged her to go "out of respect," and the casting director supported her through several callbacks. Although she lost the Bond role to Olga Kurylenko, Gadot found the experience "interesting" and told her agents to let her know if any other opportunities came up that might be a better fit for her. She dropped out of IDC Herzliya, and, two months later, made her acting debut in the Israeli drama Bubot. She recalled that on the first day of classes, she received a call informing her that she had landed the lead role of Miriam. She later performed in Festigal Underwater, an annual Israeli musical show for kids during Hanukkah, where she performed as a mermaid, acting, singing, and dancing.