Gal Gadot 31st birthday: Successes so far from winning Miss Israel to becoming Wonder Woman

When it was announced way back in 2013 that "newcomer" Gal Gadot was confirmed to play Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman alongside Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, not many people knew much about the actress. Now that she's well and truly owned the part on the big screen, we've been offered a little insight as to why she was so perfect for the role having had both beauty pageant and army history, but she still remains a little elusive.

To celebrate her turning 31 on 30 April, IBTimes UK has taken a look back at both her career highlights and her life milestones, from winning Miss Israel as a teen to having her first child...

Born in Rosh HaAyin, Israel in 1985, Gadot self-confessedly grew up in "very Jewish, Israeli family environment". At the age of 18, Gadot even represented her heritage in the Miss Universe pageant after bagging the title of Miss Israel 2004 a few months before.

Following her successes in the pageant game, Gadot served her compulsory two-year national service in the Israel Defense Forces, working as a combat instructor. She told Glamour: "You give two or three years, and it's not about you. You give your freedom away. You learn discipline and respect."

Between careers, Gadot met businessman Yaron Versano and the pair married in 2008 and had their first child together, daughter Alma in 2011. The family now live in Tel Aviv where they own a luxury hotel.

A little time after leaving the special forces, Gadot picked up her childhood passion of becoming a lawyer once more, enrolling at university to study the profession. Upon finishing her first year however, she was scouted by a casting director who urged her to audition for a Bond girl role in 007 instalment Quantum Of Solace. She failed to win the part, which went instead to Olga Kurylenko, but off the back of her testing, the casting director instead hired her as supporting character Gisele in 2009's Fast & Furious. She went on to reprise the role in three sequels.

Despite being an official member of the DC Extended Universe now, Gadot actually auditioned for a role in a Marvel movie Guardians Of The Galaxy. Having read for the part of villain Nebula, she was reportedly heavily considered, before the studio eventually opted to cast Doctor Who's Karen Gillan instead.

Around the same time, Gadot appeared in comedies Knight And Day opposite Tom Cruise and Date Night with Tina Fey and Steve Carell. Since, she's starred in thrillers Criminal and Triple 9.

But there's no denying that Gadot's big break has come in the form of iconic comic book character Wonder Woman in Warner Brothers' Batman v Superman.

Gadot's performance as the superhero, which was the first time the character was seen on the big screen, was hailed as one of the best parts of the otherwise poorly received film. With Justice League's Part One and Two still in the pipeline, as well as her own standalone movie in the role, it's safe to say Gadot is well on her way to superstardom.

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