46-year-old, Madrid born, Elsa Lafuente Medianu aka Elsa Pataky, is a Spanish actress. However, her professional credential is not only limited to acting. She is a producer, model, and journalist as well. Pataky rose to fame in the film industry through the Spanish TV series Al Salida de Clase. She played Raquel Alonso in the series from 1997 to 2002. Her acting career took off from there and landed her strong roles in American, French, Spanish, British, and Italian productions. Elsa and her husband, Chris Hemsworth, are gaining substantial fame and praise in Hollywood through their remarkable performance in many projects. Today we will shift our focus from husband to wife and revisit the top 10 movies of this versatile Spanish actress.
Image Courtesy: ActioNewz.com
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Fast Five
Year: 2011
Elsa’s role: Elena Neves
Director: Justin Lin
IMDB rating: 7.3
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Having been put on the radar of a Brazilian drug lord and a dangerous federal agent, Dominic Toretto (Van Diesel) and his crew of street racers plot a massive heist to buy their freedom.
Elsa portrays a Rio police officer who falls for Dominic. To play Elena convincingly, she underwent days of tactical training with a military/police technical advisor to practice gun handling in various scenarios.
Image Courtesy: The Independent
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12 Strong
Year: 2018
Elsa’s role: Jean Nelson
Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
IMDB rating: 6.5
Genre: Action, Drama, History
It is the story of the first Special Forces team sent to Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11. The team works under the command of a new captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth). They must join forces with an Afghan warlord to defeat the Taliban. Elsa plays Mitch Nelson’s wife in the movie.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
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Snakes on a Plane
Year: 2006
Elsa’s role: Maria
Director: David R. Ellis
IMDB rating: 5.5
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
An FBI agent faces off against a planeload of poisonous snakes that have been released to eliminate a witness en route from Honolulu to Los Angeles so that they can testify against a mob boss.
Elsa takes on the role of Maria, a mother taking a plane ride with her newborn daughter Isabella.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
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Ninette
Year: 2005
Elsa’s role: Alajandra ‘Ninette’
Director: José Luis Garci
IMDB rating: 5.4
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Andres, a plain Spanish man, travels to Paris in search of romance with a woman of French descent. But, once he meets Ninette, his landlord’s sensual and possessive daughter, his dreams may come true. Elsa plays the titular role in the movie.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
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Beyond Re-Animator
Year: 2003
Elsa’s role: Laura Onley
Director: Brian Yuzna
IMDB rating: 5.8
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-fi
For the first time in thirteen years, the mad scientist Dr. West (Jeffery combs) from Re-Animator (1985) is able to conduct experiments. All thanks to the arrival of a young prison doctor, Howard Phillips (Jason Barry), who secretly hopes to learn to reanimate the dead. What began out as a good idea ended up being terrifying.
Elsa plays journalist Laura Olney who falls in love with Dr. Phillips while covering a story about the prison for her newspaper. However, West’s experiment will be temporarily delayed by this new romance. The prison warden, who was also in love with Laura, killed her after she resisted his attempts at seduction.
Image Courtesy: Fiction Horizon
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Giallo
Year: 2009
Elsa’s role: Celine
Director: Dario Argento
IMDB rating: 4.4
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Mystery
An Italian woman worries that her sister has been kidnapped. At the same time, Inspector Enzo Avolfi suspects something much more sinister has happened. So they work together to free her from the clutches of her sadistic captor, Yellow. Elsa is the kidnapped sister, Celine, in the movie.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
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The Fate of the Furious
Year: 2017
Elsa’s role: Jean Nelson
Director: F. Gary Gray
IMDB rating: 6.6
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
The Fat & Furious crew goes through unprecedented hardships after a mysterious woman lures Dominic Toretto (Van Diesel) into the world of terrorism and betrayal of those closest to him.
Elsa (Elena Neves) is a former Rio police officer and Brian Marcos’ birth mother in the movie. She relocates to the United States to work at the DSS (Diplomatic Security Service).
Image Courtesy: Looper
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Furious 7
Year: 2015
Elsa’s role: Jean Nelson
Director: James Wan
IMDB rating: 7.1
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
In this part of Fast & Furious, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) wants revenge on Dominic (Van Diesel) and his family for his brother, who is currently in a coma. Elsa plays Jean Nelson in other installments of the series.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
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Fast & Furious 6
Year: 2013
Elsa’s role: Jean Nelson
Director: Justin Lin
IMDB rating: 6.5
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime
To eliminate a group of mercenaries, Hobbs (Dwyane Johnson) reassembles his team by ordering Dominic (Van Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) to work together again. Unfortunately, Dominic is distracted from his mission by an unexpected encounter with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), his long-lost girlfriend. Elsa plays Jean Nelson, a Rio Police officer.
Image Courtesy: IMDb
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Give ‘Em Hell, Malone
Year: 2019
Elsa’s role: Evelyn
Director: Russell Mulcahy
IMDB rating: 5.8
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Malone plays a tough-as-nails private eye who faces off against criminals and their goons to safeguard a priceless secret. Malone goes to great lengths to safeguard the data but also serves up his fair share of venom when necessary. Elsa is the titular character in the movie and has done an outstanding job playing the lead.
