Israeli actress Gal Gadot has become one of the biggest superstars in the world. Born and raised in Israel, Gadot’s childhood and youth seemed mundane until she spontaneously decided to enter the Miss Israel competition in 2004, when she was only 18. She did not expect to win the competition, but she did, kick-starting a prolific career that began in modeling, then transitioned into acting. After serving in the Israel Defense Forces and studying law and government, she began to focus on her career in the entertainment industry.

Updated June 28, 2023: If you enjoy watching movies that star the versatile Gal Gadot, you'll be happy to know this article has been updated with additional content.

Her first acting role came in 2007 with the Israeli drama Bubot. Two years later, her career shifted when she was cast in the role of Gisele Yashar in the 2009 installment of Fast & Furious, directed by Justin Lin. However, her big break occurred when she portrayed Wonder Woman in the 2016 movie Batman vs. Superman: The Dawn of Justice. Gadot has been a mainstay in the DCEU and appeared in solo films, and had cameo appearances in both Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash. In 2018, she would be named one of Time’s most influential people in the world, a testament to how popular and well-known she has become. Gadot's future as Wonder Woman is uncertain, but she has said how liberated she feels in terms of her career. Her next film, Heart of Stone, will premiere on Netflix on August 11, 2023, and she will then appear as the Evil Queen in Disney's Snow White. With that in mind, here are Gal Gadot's best movies ranked.

10 Criminal (2016)

Antje Traue and Gal Gadot in Criminal (2016)
Lionsgate

An exhilarating action thriller with an interesting twist, Criminal is centered around the unique premise of implanting a deceased CIA operative's memories and skills into a death-row convict in a desperate bid to complete an unfulfilled mission. Gal Gadot showcases her acting range by playing Jill Pope, the widow of the dead operative. Despite the adrenaline-fueled storyline, an emotional depth was added by Gadot's portrayal, highlighting the human drama amidst the high-stakes world of espionage. Gadot's stand-out performance in this thriller solidified her standing as a multi-faceted actress in Hollywood.

9 Triple 9 (2016)

Gal Gadot in Triple 9 (2016)
Open Road Films

Triple 9, a hard-hitting crime thriller, sees Gal Gadot in the role of Elena Vlaslov, displaying her capabilities to star in movies that are darker and belong to more intense genres. The plot unveils the tale of a group of compromised policemen coerced into executing a seemingly unfeasible heist, plunging them into a treacherous world of deceit and survival.

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Gadot's Elena, a woman tethered to the lethal Russian mob, revealed a raw, unfiltered aspect of her acting ability. Despite the movie's moderate commercial success, it served as a significant career milestone for Gadot, affirming her ability to stand her ground in a cast filled with heavyweights like Casey Affleck and Kate Winslet. Her contribution to the film further diversified her portfolio, cementing her reputation as a versatile actress in the entertainment industry.

8 Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016)

Gal Gadot in Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016)
20th Century Fox

In Keeping Up with the Joneses, audiences discovered a comedic side of Gal Gadot, where she played the ostensibly flawless Natalie Jones, one half of a secret spy duo residing in a suburb. The plot follows an engaging arc as the Joneses are compelled to disclose their true identities to their suspicious neighbors, triggering a wave of amusing and action-laden scenes.

Gadot's interpretation of the role, a fusion of lethal allure and enticing humor, was a refreshing change. She brought to the table a fresh perspective on the action-comedy heroine, demonstrating her ability to captivate audiences with more than just action-packed physical prowess. Though the film garnered modest box office returns, Gadot's comedic skill on full display expanded her repertoire, increasing her appeal beyond the sphere of superhero roles.

7 Red Notice (2021)

Gal Gadot in Red Notice
Netflix

In 2021, Netflix released Red Notice, an action comedy film starring Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Gadot. The movie was the fifth most-streamed film that calendar year, only topped by movies released on Disney+’s platform. Jonhson is a criminal profiler for the FBI and has just been assigned a new case based on the theft of one of Cleopatra’s wedding gifts: a decorative egg.

He tracks the egg down with a criminal named Wilson Booth (Reynolds), but as he apprehends him in Bali, Booth’s rival (Gadot) has disguised herself as part of the arrest team. She steals the egg and flees, making the film a chase to get it back. Red Notice is an entertaining watch, studded with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but, at the same time, it lacks a particular substance that warrants a rewatch.

6 Knight & Day (2010)

Tom Cruise and Gal Gadot in Knight and Day (2010)
20th Century Fox

Emerging from the sea of rising talent, Gal Gadot gracefully navigated her early roles with a resilient spirit, offering tantalizing glimpses of her future potential. Naomi, in the 2010 action-comedy Knight and Day, was such a role. Despite her screen time being limited amidst the stellar performances of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, a distinctive mark was left by Gadot.

Gadot infused her portrayal of Naomi, a captivating yet dangerous woman entangled in a global conspiracy, with an intoxicating blend of realism and intrigue. Despite performing alongside Hollywood titans, Gadot exhibited a formidable on-screen presence, hinting at her future prowess. This career stepping stone provided audiences with an early look into Gadot's thespian talent, a major factor that would later catapult her to international stardom.

5 Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Hamish Blake, Gal Gadot, GloZell Green, Timothy Simons, and Ali Wong in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures

Ralph Breaks the Internet is the sequel to the much-beloved 2012 movie Wreck-It Ralph. Ralph Breaks the Internet takes place six years after the events of the original movie, and Vanellope seeks excitement in her life, leading to a series of events that leaves Sugar Rush unusable and its characters homeless. The game needs to be saved, leading to an epic journey that spans worlds, video game universes, and franchises.

Gal Gadot voices Shank, an NPC from the video game Slaughter Racer. Shank is a nice send-up to over-the-top action heroes, and Gadot's voice fits right at home. She is a welcome addition to the long, storied history of Walt Disney animated films.

4 Death on the Nile (2022)

Gal Gadot in Death on the Nile (2022)
20th Century Studios

Kenneth Branagh returns in an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s beloved 1937 novel Death on the Nile. The movie is a sequel to Murder on the Orient Express, and Branagh reprises his role as Hercule Poirot. In 1937, somewhere in Egypt, Poirot joined a vibrant group of individuals on a cruise ship. When a wealthy heiress is found dead in her room and her necklace missing, a stalking case evolves into a full-blown murder mystery where everyone has become a suspect.

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Gadot portrays this doomed heiress, and despite her delivery of the line "enough champagne to fill the Nile" becoming somewhat of a punchline, Gadot really does a wonderful performance as a tragic figure. She fits perfectly in this all-star ensemble cast and has that classic movie-star quality that makes her the perfect fit for this type of film.

3 Fast Five (2011)

FastFive (1)
Universal Pictures

Gal Gadot joined the Fast & Furious franchise in 2009's Fast & Furious, but the follow-up film Fast Five is the best in the franchise. She reprises her role as Gisele and becomes part of Dominic Toretto's crew. Gadot's character develops a romantic relationship with Han, and the two become a couple which is picked up again in Fast & Furious 6. Gisele dies in the sixth entry, but the recently released Fast X revealed that her character survived. Now fans will tune in to the eleventh entry to see how they explain her survival.

2 Justice League: Snyder Cut (2021)

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman
HBO Max
Warner Bros. Pictures

The Snyder Cut, released in 2021, was the director’s version of the 2017 film Justice League. The original version of the movie had a disappointing reception from audiences and critics alike, and thus Warner Bros. began to ponder scrapping the concept of a shared universe with all the characters. The Snyder Cut changed that and was a massive upgrade to the original. In the film, the Justice League members — featuring beloved characters like Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman — band together to stop the world from ending because of the supervillain Darkseid.

Wonder Woman was one of the characters least impacted by the changes, as Warner Bros. likely wanted to give her more screen time in the theatrical cut following how big of a hit her solo film was earlier that same year. That being said, Snyder's version does remove the uncomfortable joke Whedon added of The Flash landing on Wonder Woman's chest. It also maps out the character arc that Snyder and Patty Jenkins had for Wonder Woman, of her seeking a way for her to return back home to the Amazons.

1 Wonder Woman (2017)

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in the 2017 film
Warner Bros. Pictures

Gal Gadot’s performance in 2017’s Wonder Woman helped establish her career as a global actress and began an emblem of feminism and female superheroes. Gadot’s Wonder Woman debuted in Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice. Diana Prince, also known as Wonder Woman, rescues an American pilot (Chris Pine) in the midst of World War I. When German soldiers begin to appear on the islands the Amazons live on, Diana begins to believe that the war was orchestrated by an enemy of the Amazons.

Gadot truly embodies Wonder Woman as a character, owning the role and creating an iconic character and franchise. Her turn as Wonder Woman was the moment a star was born. Even if Wonder Woman 1984 was a disappointment, there is no doubt that Gadot has embodied the character of Wonder Woman for an entire generation. Hopefully, she returns to the role in the new DCU.