Supermodel Bar Refaeli is one of the most famous people from Israel. Not yet 30, Refaeli has catwalked from the runway to reality TV and into corporate boardrooms.
Refaeli has graced the covers of just about every top fashion magazine in the world, served as a host of "X-Factor Israel," and her Under.me line of lingerie and an apparel purchasing app, Mika Look, have netted her millions in seed funding.
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The Israeli gained American fame in 2007 when her romance with actor Leonardo DiCaprio made entertainment headlines. Since then, she’s landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, a coup that helped propel her into the No. 1 spot on Maxim magazine’s Hot 100 in 2012.
At home in Israel, the spotlight hasn’t always been so kind. The military urged a boycott of the products Refaeli endorsed in 2007 after reports surfaced that she had married a family friend to avoid mandatory military service required of all Israelis over 18. Refaeli patched things up by agreeing to military visits and later defended the decision by saying it benefited her career.
Refaeli came by modeling naturally. Her mother, Tzipi, was a successful model in the 1970s who placed her daughter in commercials at the age of 8 months. Refaeli has promoted dozens of global brands, from Samsung to Sears to Subaru, during her career.
In spite of an impressive résumé of blue chip clients, Refaeli isn’t afraid to push boundaries. A Southwest Airlines campaign featuring a bikini-clad Refaeli painted on an airplane wing sparked controversy when passengers complained the ad was inappropriate and offensive. And in 2013, Refaeli made more than a few Super Bowl fans almost lose their nachos when she graphically
kissed a nerd in a GoDaddy commercial.
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