Within months of meeting each other, Avengers actor Chris Hemsworth and Spanish actress Elsa Pataky were officially dating and then, very quickly, married. Though their romance is pretty much the textbook definition of “whirlwind,” it has stood the test of time. Almost 15 years later, they have three kids and a home in Hemsworth’s native Australia.

The couple has been very forthcoming about their relationship and how they made it work despite leaping in feet first. Here’s their full romantic timeline, from love at first sight to now.

Jump to:

Early 2010

Pataky was introduced to her future husband by his talent agent, and sparks flew immediately. They were dating by September of that year, then walked the red carpet together at the Opening Gala for the Resnick Pavilion at the Los Angeles Museum of Art.

opening gala and unmasking for the resnick pavilion at lacma arrivals
Kevin Winter//Getty Images

While speaking to ELLE, Hemsworth shared that it was pretty much love at first sight.

“There was no lightbulb moment,” he explained. “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.”

December 2010

The couple was married just a few months later in Australia, People confirmed at the time. There are not many public details about the ceremony, but Hemsworth told Good Morning Britain that “it just felt right. It made sense.”

He added that there was “no great plan,” and they were on vacation when they decided to tie the knot.

“There probably should have been some planning, but it all worked out,” he said. “Honestly, we had both our families on holiday at the same time, just randomly, and we said, ‘This is a good opportunity with everyone together.’ So, we just did it.”

January 2012

A little over a year after their wedding, the pair announced they were expecting their first child.

“Chris and I are ecstatic, very happy, and excited,” Elsa told Hola! magazine. “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.”

May 2012

Their daughter India Rose was born on May 11, 2012. Hemsworth told E!, “I’ve wanted to have kids for a long time, and here it is, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Of his daughter’s name, he said that Pataky liked India, and he “always kind of liked Indie or Indiana for a boy.”

“She’s the best!” Hemsworth also told People. “She makes it harder and harder to leave to go to work. I enjoy being at home a lot more than I ever have.”

January 2014

Two years later, they were expecting again. This time, they were having twins.

“It’s incredibly exciting,” he told reporters at the 86th annual Academy Award nominations.

March 2014

That spring, Hemsworth and Pataky welcomed twin boys named Tristan and Sasha. Pataky shared a photo of their tiny feet on Instagram alongside the caption, “Ya estan en casa!! Tristan y Sasha llegaron a este mundo el 18 de Marzo justo despues de luna llena. Felicidad completa!!” The caption translates to: “You are home!! Tristan and Sasha came to this world on [Tuesday] March 18 just after [the] full moon. Complete happiness!!”

instagramView full post on Instagram

The actress also gave a peek into her life with them on her official blog for the Spanish edition of Glamour. She shared photos of the twins’ nursery with the publication.

December 2014

Hemsworth was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2014. He said Pataky found the title “pretty funny.”

“I think you’ve bought me a couple of weeks of bragging rights around the house,” he said. “I can just say to her, ‘Now remember, this is what the people think, so I don’t need to do the dishes anymore, I don’t need to change nappies. I’m above that. I’ve made it now.’”

April 2015

With three kids and many years of hard work for Marvel films, Hemsworth and his wife decided to move to Australia for a more low-key life in Byron Bay. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, the actor said he wanted more normalcy for his family.

“When you’re suffocated by the work, every conversation that you have and every billboard you’re seeing has to do with a movie or the industry, you lose perspective,” he shared. “There’s not a single person that I interact with, or close friends of mine, that are really in the industry and so that’s hugely refreshing. It’s great for my kids and my wife.”

Pataky talked to Glamour about the Australia move in 2020, saying, “We still feel like we have a normal life here. For now.”

February 2015

Hemsworth was honored at the 2015 G’Day USA AAA Arts Gala and gave his wife a shoutout in his acceptance speech. He said, “The best thing I’ve got from coming to Los Angeles was meeting my wife, who is actually from Spain and who was lured here by Hollywood, and whom I love very much.”

He added, “And that is the greatest thing over the last few years. So, thank you, everyone, but especially thank you to my wife.”

October 2016

An Australian tabloid printed some claims about the couple’s marriage, and they made a joke out of it on Instagram.

“Looking for a new wife according to @womensdayaus and other misleading outlets! Honey, you still love me right?! @elsapatakyconfidential #thanksfortheheadsup,” he wrote alongside a photo of them enjoying life together.

Ahora y siempre! Always and forever!!” she wrote in a comment.

March 2017

Pataky was on the cover of HOLA! USA in March 2017 and shared a bit about family life.

“Above all, I try to teach my children to respect each other—to share—since they are lucky to have it all and are very privileged,” she said. “I want them to value it and be generous with people who don’t have that luck.”

October 2017

Speaking with GQ, Hemsworth said, “My wife and I fell in love, had kids, didn’t really see each other for a few years, then fell back in love.”

Talking about sacrifices in marriage, he admitted that “in terms of work, she’s certainly given up more than I have.”

Pataky apparently wanted him to be home with their kids more.

“But I feel like I’m at this crucial point in my career—I’ve just got to set up for longevity or I’ll slip off,” he said. “Once you have children, every instinct and every moment of your time is consumed by that. You’ve got nothing for each other—so make sure you have date night, even if it’s once in a blue moon, because most of the time you’re just too tired, and you’d actually prefer to sleep.”

April 2018

In an interview with Vogue Australia, Pataky shared some of the challenges in the marriage from her perspective.

“In the beginning it was beautiful—when I met him he wasn’t known at all, and I grew with him and experienced all his successes and changes, and then he became just so huge and I’ve been sharing that too,” she said. “Going through every moment and being there with him with every success was actually a good thing—we grew together. It’s difficult when you go from being an unknown person to a very known person and all the changes that come with that.”

She added that she didn’t know “how we survived as a couple” because of their relationship’s speed and the amount of pressure having three kids put on them. However, it all worked out.

“So I think our years together have been great,” she concluded. “Every marriage has ups and downs. It’s constant work to be in a successful marriage and stay together forever.”

June 2019

By 2019, Hemsworth seemed ready for a break, telling the Daily Telegraph, “I just want to be at home now with my kids. They are at a very important age. They are still young, and they are aware when I leave more than before.”

August 2020

Speaking to Body & Soul, Pataky had more reflections on marriage.

“It’s funny that people think of us as a perfect couple,” she said. “No way. It’s been ups and downs, and we still keep working at the relationship. I think a relationship is constant work. It’s not easy...I always try to see the positives of things.”

December 2020

For their 10-year anniversary, Hemsworth shared a kissing pic with Pataky and wrote in the caption, “10 years together! Looking forward to the advancements of modern medicine and science and enjoying a couple hundred more!😘😘❤️❤️😘 @elsapatakyconfidential.”

May 2021

Hemsworth celebrated his wife on Mother’s Day.

“Happy Mother’s Day to all the brilliant, hardworking, kid-carrying, bar-raising, husband-putting-up-with-ing women out there!! We salute you,” he captioned an older photo of Pataky managing their children.

December 2021

Hemsworth shared some sweet photos and videos of holidays with the family.

May 2022

In an interview with People, Pataky discussed her Netflix film Interceptor, produced by Hemsworth, and shared how he helped her prepare for the role.

“He was there to just [offer] all kinds of advice,” she said. “Of course, he’s a professional action movie star. So it was great to have him holding my hand. We’re very competitive. [I was like] ‘Okay, I know what I’m doing.’ But in this case, he knows more.”

June 2022

The couple brought their twins to the Sydney premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder, a rare family appearance.

thor love and thunder sydney screening arrivals
Don Arnold//Getty Images

The MCU star told reporter Kevin McCarthy that his kids made cameos in the film, his sons as younger versions of Thor and his daughter as the character Love.

“It’s really cool. They really wanted to be in it,” he said. “It felt like a one-off fun family experience. I don’t want them to now go and be child stars and actors. It was just a special experience we all had. They loved it; they had a great time.”

Of India’s character, he told Entertainment Tonight, “That was originally supposed to be just a super-quick little moment in the film, and then the character expanded due to the story changing. I said, ‘Oh, do you want to do some dialogue in the film?’ And she’s like, ‘Yeah, cool!’”

He said his daughter “was a pro and loved it.”

“But I want her to have a childhood, and I think so does she,” he went on. “I said, ‘There’s plenty of time, sweetie. Go to school, horse ride, have fun, be a kid.’ Because once the train moves, it’s pretty hard to get off, and you miss a lot of things.”

July 2022

For Pataky’s 46th birthday, Hemsworth wrote a tribute to his wife on Instagram.

He shared a pic of them on the Thor: Love and Thunder set and captioned it, Happy birthday to this gorgeous lady! Thanks for always being my rock to sit on but way comfier. Love you @elsapataky.”

August 2022

She had plenty to say about him on his 39th birthday a few months later.

“Happy birthday to my favourite parrot trainer, kids handler and wife tamer, There’s nothing you can’t do. We love you to the moon and back,” Pataky captioned the birthday post, in English and Spanish.

November 2022

In the National Geographic limited series Limitless, Hemsworth became a real-life hero in a way, facing challenges designed to test the limits of the human body. He and his wife used some of his time doing press appearances for the Disney+ show in New York City to go out together. She shared some photos from their adventure.

January 2023

In one episode of Limitless, Hemsworth is told he’s at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Producers helped Pataky use special effects makeup to present an older version of herself to her husband, with the thought he might potentially miss out on it in real life.

“Still beautiful,” he told her, after her identity was revealed.

The show premiered in late November, but the moment went viral on TikTok and X, formerly known ass Twitter, early the following year.

Hemsworth actually told Vanity Fair that the genetic test made him want to take a break from work just to be with his family.

“My concern was I just didn’t want to manipulate it and overdramatize it, and make it into some sort of hokey grab at empathy, or whatever, for entertainment,” he said at the time. “It’s not like I’ve been handed my resignation...It really triggered something in me to want to take some time off. And since we finished [Limitless], I’ve been completing the things I was already contracted to do. Now when I finish this tour this week, I’m going home and I’m going to have a good chunk of time off and just simplify. Be with the kids, be with my wife.”

June 2023

In an interview with British GQ, Hemsworth had a lot to say about Pataky, thanking her for her “sacrifice, commitment, work, support, forgiveness.”

“I couldn’t have done any of the things I’ve done without it,” he added. “It feels like we got to know each other halfway through our relationship, five, six years ago. In a beautiful way. Once our kids were out of nappies, things became a bit more manageable.”

May 2024

On Monday, May 6, Hemsworth served as one of the Met Gala’s co-chairs and brought his wife as his date.

This marks the couple’s first time attending the event. For “The Garden of Time” dress code, Pataky resembled a Greek goddess in a sheer gold Tom Ford gown with arm cuffs and a gold crown. Her blond hair was styled in a bubble braid that reached her waist. Hemsworth, also in Tom Ford, wore a cream-colored suit.

the 2024 met gala celebrating sleeping beauties reawakening fashion arrivals
Jamie McCarthy//Getty Images
the 2024 met gala celebrating sleeping beauties reawakening fashion arrivals
Dimitrios Kambouris//Getty Images
the 2024 met gala celebrating sleeping beauties reawakening fashion arrivals
Taylor Hill//Getty Images