Elsa Pataky  

Famous for

Protagonist of Bigas Luna's latest movie,  Elsa impresses with her beauty and her flawless, always trendy style.

Personal style

Sexy and refined.

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She was born in a multi-ethnic family (her father is Spanish, her mother is of Hungarian/Romenian descent), and she chose her mother's maiden name as professional name ('Pataky' means 'someone who lived near a creek'). Thanks to her background, she speaks Spanish and Romenian, plus English, French and Italian.

She has always wanted to be an actress: "I decided to be an actress because my grandfather was a theatre actor in Romania (my mother is Romanian), so I was playing since I was like five years old. I was playing with him: he would play the bad role, and I would be the princess always. I discovered that that was his work actually, that he was doing it in life, and I was always thinking: 'My dad goes to the office every day and he hates it. The job of my grandfather is just playing with me, like doing roles, like the princess.' He would be the prince, he would be the bad guy or the dragon, and I liked it so much, that since then  I was like: 'I wanna be like my grandfather. I wanna do what he does.'" She followed her father's will and studied journalism at the University of San Pablo in Madrid, but at the same time attended some acting classes and soon became a member of the Teatro Cámara de Ángel Gutiérrez acting company.

She debuted in 1997 in the movie Solo en la Buhardilla by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez de Cía, but she gained notoriety with her roles in the tv shows La vida en el aire and Al salir de clase. In 2000 she acted in El arte de morir by Álvaro Fernández Armero, and in many other movies and tv shows; in 2005 she played the role of the protagonist in Ninette by José Luis Garci, which made her internationally famous. She debuted in a Hollywood movie in 2006 with Snakes on a Plane, where she acted with Samuel L. Jackson; she also played in Manuale d'Amore 2 by Giovanni Veronesi and in Giallo by Dario Argento. Her latest movies include DiDi Hollywood by Bigas Luna, Mr Nice by Bernard Rose, Where the Road Meets the Sun by Mun Chee Yong. She was chosen by Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris, which is in pre-production.

She loves fashion: in 2004 she launched PTKY, a clothing line including bikinis, swimsuit and basic pieces; its symbol is the same rune Elsa has got on her arm as a tattoo.

In December 2009, she appeared naked, but covered in crystals, on the cover of Elle Spain.

In June 2010 she launched a pink version of Ghd flat iron, benefiting the breast cancer research.

She was partner of the Academy Award winner Adrien Brody for a long time.

Public style

She often wears sexy minidresses, draped or embellished, by Emilio Pucci, Herve Leger and Elie Saab, but she also opts for important  haute couture dresses by Roberto Cavalli and Giorgio Armani, who have sometimes designed one-off models for her.

Private style

"Even if I go with jeans or a t-shirt, it has to look good, because I like fashion, so I try to follow what is up, all the fashion things." So she wears flower-printed little dresses and vests, leather pants or flared jeans with loose white shirts, printed blouses and denim mini-skirts.

Shoes and bags

She wears comfy boots or shoes, but she wears supersexy sandals by Christian Louboutin, Emilio Pucci and Sergio Rossi on the red carpet. She has a passion for Nina Ricci and Chanel bags: "I have a Chanel bag that I've had for years. When I bought it, it was the best thing I had in that moment.  I really love it and it goes with me everywhere, because it goes with everything."

Hair

Usually long and straight, sometimes wavy or styled in refined updos; dark brown or with blonde highlights.

Jewelry

On the red carpet she wears important jewels by Chanel, Chopard and Montblanc, but she also loves less precious pieces, with an ethnic vibe.

Healthy habits

She practises lots of sports - horse-riding, snowboarding and rollerblading; she has been doing bikram yoga on a daily basis for five years.

Unhealthy habits

Unditiness.

She loves

Travelling, especially in India, in the Rajastan region.

She hates

Punishing diets, which allow you to eat practically nothing (for this reason, she opts for a macrobiotic diet).

Obsessed with

Motorbikes (she owns a Ducati Monster).

Favorite food

She follows a macrobiotic diet because "it's not rigid and it doens't condition your social life".

All time favorite designers

Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Elie Saab, Roberto Cavalli: "They have beautiful dresses. When you have a little curves, they really fit your body. I'm a little curvy, I'm not a skinny girl, so I like the way they do the dresses, they fit your body."

We like her because

She's worked hard to achieve success and she's eventually reaping what she sowed.