Gal Gadot

Gal Gadot (Hebrew: גל גדות, 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-highest in 2020. In 2025, she became the first Israeli actor to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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 reprised the role again in Justice League (2017) and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), the latter of which she 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.

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.

In 2007, while still serving, 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" the legal comedy-drama television series Ally McBeal. She eventually dropped out three times—the first time because of her first acting role.

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