Bar Refaeli (Hebrew: בר רפאלי born June 4, 1985) is an Israeli model, known for her work modeling and for her relationship with actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Refaeli was born in 1985 in the countryside of Israel where her parents, Tsipi and Rafi, owned a horse ranch. It was her mother who first saw potential in her daughter. Bar Refaeli began a modeling career at the age of eight months, appearing in commercials. She had to wear braces in her early years, postponing her modeling. At the age of fifteen, Refaeli returned to modeling.

A little known name until recently, Bar Refaeli, was born on June 4th 1985 in the countryside of Israel where her parents, Israeli Jews, had a horse ranch. Her mother, Tsipi Refaeli, encouraged Bar to model right from the age of eight months old when she appeared in commercials even before she could talk, never mind grace a catwalk with her sultry moves.

Apparently, when Bar was twelve years old she had to wear braces on her teeth for three years and couldn’t work as a model but as soon as she had them removed she went straight to a modeling agency in Israel and immediately started working. Although born in Israel Bar speaks both English and Hebrew and travels the world in her capacity as a supermodel. 

During her modeling career she has become known as a photographic model and has appeared in fashion catalogues, among them “Castro”, “Pilpel”, and also starred in a commercial for the product called “Milki”.

In 2000 and again in 2001 Bar won the title “Model of the year” in a beauty contest in. Bar Refaeli is the first Israeli model ever to be featured in Sports Illustrated magazine and she is in good company with Elle MacPherson, Kathy Ireland and Heidi Klum.

In recent months Bar has been tipped to be in the Victoria’s Secret catalog for 2007 following in the footsteps of  Victoria Silvestedt and Tyra Banks. In March 2006 she appeared on the cover of GQ Magazine in Italy. 

With her light blonde hair, her blue eyes and her Twiggy-like figure, Bar seems to have beguiled one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, Leonardo DiCaprio, to such an extent that he recently visited her at her parent’s home in the upscale suburb of Tel Aviv, Hod Hasharon.

After his split with another supermodel, Gisele Bundchen, Leonardo DiCaprio, who sprang to fame in Titanic with Kate Winslet, was up for grabs and the beautiful Israeli model was in the right place at the right time when the couple met at a party in Las Vegas
 
While in Israel the couple came under the constant scrutiny of the paparazzi which lit DiCaprio’s fuse and caused him to get into scuffles with the press and photographers in a bid to gain some privacy for himself and his girlfriend, Bar.

Apparently the couple met prior to DiCaprio’s filming of The Departed with Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg and Jack Nicholson. During his filming of Blood Diamond in Sierra Leone with Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly.
 
More recently it has been reported that DiCaprio has gone down on one knee to Bar and asked for her hand in marriage. If we are to believe the rumours there should be a summer 2007 wedding.
 
However, if we are also to believe another recent rumour, fervently denied by DiCaprio, the couple may have another surprise for both Bar’s parents and the waiting paparazzi, a baby DiCaprio.

Refaeli began her modeling career before the age of one. By the age of fifteen she was featured in campaigns for the fashion brands Castro and Pilpel, also starring in a commercial for Milki. Refaeli won the title “Model of The Year” in a beauty contest in 2000 and 2001. She was also chosen to be the home model of Renuar fashion network and appeared in their summer 2002 and winter 2003 catalogues.

She was cast for fashion production abroad, among them Dim, and appeared in the French ELLE magazine. She is the first Israeli model to be featured in Sports Illustrated magazine; the same picture was later published on the cover of Maxim. She appeared on the cover of the March 2006 issue of GQ Italy. She was in the March 2007 issue of Sports Illustrated in a swimsuit and posed with the band Aerosmith as well.

Bar appeared in a September 2007 Paris-Match issue where she was interviewed by reporter Caroline Mangez. The six-page article had many pictures and an interview about Bar’s life in Israel, her family and her work. She also appeared on the cover of Tatler magazine for the October 2007 issue. Refaeli will star in an English language film named Session directed by Israeli director Haim Buzaglo.

Refaeli volunteers for Project Sunshine, a nonprofit organization that provides free social, educational and recreational programs to children and families affected by medical challenges. Refaeli also offers her time to struggling animal lovers association, Ahava, which has been caring for hundreds of pets abandoned in the Northern Israel during the war with Hizbullah. Bar is in a relationship with actor Leonardo Dicaprio.