Before Chris Hemsworth stole hearts as Thor, the Australian actor found love with now wife Elsa Pataky and later welcomed three children together.
Chris was 26 years old when he met the Spanish born actress, 33 at the time, in early 2010 by introduction from their talent manager.
“There was no light bulb moment,” Chris told Elle in 2020. “From the first time we met, we just made sense. She’s fun. She’s outgoing, and she has a sense of humor and a passionate attitude toward life, which is nice to try and keep up with.”
Elsa and Chris made their relationship red carpet official in September 2010, before walking down the aisle in December of the same year, marrying over Christmas weekend in Australia.
Chris and Elsa have been married for 15 years, and counting! Even after all this time, the Australian actor still cringes over the “unromantic” way he proposed.
“We talked about getting married before I’d even asked her to get married and it was like ‘Yeah, why not?’ and so that kind of takes the air out of the room,” Chris said while promoting his film Crime 101 in February on Nova’s Fitzy, Wippa & Kate.
“It felt like a ‘why not, I’ve got nothing better on at the moment!’ kind of energy, I think she’s still thinking that.”
Chris recalled having the ring in his pocket initially, but felt he had to “do something cool with it.”
“So – this is about as creative as I got – I put it in a chocolate box and hid it underneath one of the chocolates.”
Despite the rocky start, they have welcomed three beautiful children together and relocated to sunny Byron Bay in 2015.
Partly why the pair love their life in Australia is the constant connection to nature, Elsa explained to People.
“It’s just being able to enjoy nature. When we go to a city, it’s hard for us as a family, because we live outside, basically. We are in contact with nature all the time,” she said.
“It helps a lot, especially in the house with three kids,” she continued, with Chris adding, “I can focus on the more important things — I can hang out with my kids, I can hang with my wife, and we can go and have fun.”
It’s this “fun” that Chris and Elsa tribute their success to. While speaking on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, the Thor actor shared they both have “an adventurous spirit, and making time for one another.”
“The complicated times have been when it’s been all work, all kids, and all of a sudden the ‘us’ in the relationship is … sort of non-existent, you’re just managing a household or the work family schedule,” he said.
Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky’s life with three kids:
A little over a year after their wedding, the lovebirds confirmed Elsa was pregnant with their first child together.
“Since it’s our first child, we don’t care if it’s a boy or girl; our only wish is that it’s healthy,” told Hola! at the time, given they chose to keep the baby’s gender a surprise.
Their first born, a girl named India Rose was born on May 11, 2012. Marvel fans may have spotted India’s appearance in Chris’ 2022 film Thor: Love & Thunder.
Elsa’s next pregnancy was two for the price of one! In January 2014, Chris confirmed they were expecting twin boys, Tristan and Sasha.
The twins were born in Los Angeles on March 18, 2014.
While the parents are still enjoying the spotlight, they are raising their three kids, now teenagers, with some normalcy.
“I want them to have a great appreciation for everything,” Chris told People.
“I grew up with very little money, but my parents were my absolute heroes. They were respectful, kind human beings and operated in a way that was constantly inspiring and nurturing and kind.”
On Instagram, the parents are often sharing glimpses into their very active lives, particularly of their children enjoying skiing, horse riding and motocross.
On New Year’s Eve 2025, Chris and his wife Elsa, along with friends and family (including his younger brother Liam Hemsworth), were on a yacht on Sydney Harbour for the world-famous fireworks.
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