7 Miss Universe contestants who became famous despite not winning the crown

Gal Gadot is probably the ultimate example. Gadot won Miss Israel and represented Israel at Miss Universe 2004 in Quito, Ecuador. She did not make the Top 15. Australia’s Jennifer Hawkins won the crown that year. 

Gadot eventually became Wonder Woman in the DC film franchise and starred in major Hollywood productions including Fast & Furious, Justice League, Red Notice and Death on the Nile. Her international celebrity now extends far beyond the pageant world.

Gadot has more than 100 million Instagram followers, illustrating just how dramatically her fame expanded after Miss Universe. 

Jennifer Hawkins herself became a major television and modeling personality in Australia, but on a worldwide pop-culture scale, Gadot ultimately became the most recognizable celebrity from the Miss Universe 2004 class.

Kenya Moore was already a winner before reaching Miss Universe. She captured Miss USA 1993 and then represented the United States at Miss Universe.

Puerto Rico's Dayanara Torres won Miss Universe 1993, while Moore reached the Top 6. 

Moore subsequently built a long entertainment career as an actress, producer and television personality, but her defining pop-culture breakthrough came through The Real Housewives of Atlanta. PEOPLE identifies the Bravo series as the work for which she became particularly well known after pageantry. 

Torres remained a major celebrity, particularly in Puerto Rico and Latin entertainment. Still, Moore is a rare case in which a Miss Universe finalist developed a celebrity identity completely independent of the pageant.

Kenya Moore wasn't the only future celebrity in that Top 6. Namrata Shirodkar represented India at Miss Universe 1993 and also reached the Top 6. 

She subsequently became a Bollywood actress, appearing in films including Vaastav: The Reality, Pukar, Astitva and Bride and Prejudice. That means the 1993 Miss Universe final was unusually celebrity-heavy: winner Dayanara Torres plus future Real Housewives star Kenya Moore and Bollywood actress Namrata Shirodkar.

One of the best examples is Vera Fischer. Fischer represented Brazil at Miss Universe 1969. She made the Top 15, while the Philippines' Gloria Diaz took the crown.  Fischer later became a major Brazilian actress and television celebrity. What's particularly interesting is that both women developed substantial entertainment careers after the pageant.

For audiences in Brazil, Fischer's name ultimately became far more closely associated with acting and television than with her Miss Universe appearance.

Maribel Guardia provides another fascinating case. Guardia won Miss Costa Rica 1978 and represented the country at Miss Universe that year. South Africa's Margaret Gardiner ultimately won the title. Guardia did not place among the finalists, although she received the Miss Photogenic award. 

Her pageant loss certainly didn't limit her career. Guardia became a highly recognizable Costa Rican-Mexican actress, singer, model and television personality, building an entertainment career that has lasted for decades. 

For many Latin American audiences today, she's considerably better known as an entertainer than as a former Miss Universe contestant.

Laura Harring has one of the most unexpected pageant-to-Hollywood stories. Harring became Miss USA 1985 and represented the United States at Miss Universe 1985, where she reached the Top 10. Puerto Rico's Deborah Carthy-Deu won the title. 

Harring subsequently became an actress and achieved international recognition through David Lynch's acclaimed Mulholland Drive. She also appeared in The Punisher and numerous television productions. 

Her Miss Universe history is now a surprising piece of trivia for many movie fans rather than the accomplishment that defines her public identity.

Joyce Giraud came extremely close to the crown. Representing Puerto Rico, Giraud finished second runner-up at Miss Universe 1998. Venezuela's Veruska Ramírez was first runner-up, while Trinidad and Tobago's Wendy Fitzwilliam won. 

Giraud later worked as an actress and producer and joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Bravo notes that her acting credits included House of Payne and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

She may not have surpassed Fitzwilliam's significance within pageant history, but Giraud achieved the rare feat of developing a separate mainstream entertainment career long after competing.