Elsa Pataky is a model and actress from Madrid, Spain who made her American acting debut in the cult film Snakes on a Plane.

While studying Journalism at the Universidad de San Pablo, Elsa Pataky was offered a role on the Spanish television program Al Salir de Clase. In 2000, Pataky starred in her first movie, El Arte de Morir, where she played Candela. Her success in Spain continued and she made the transition to American film with Snakes on a Plane in 2006. As of May 15, 2008, Pataky is filming the thriller Giallo opposite her boyfriend Adrien Brody.