PHOTO: MEADOW WALKER/FACEBOOK

Meadow Walker had a strong bond with her dad, the late actor Paul Walker.

Born in Los Angeles on Nov. 4, 1998, to the Fast & Furious star and his then-girlfriend, Rebecca Soteros, Meadow grew up in Hawaii with her mom, seeing her dad intermittently. She later moved back to L.A., where her parents shared custody for a few years until she moved in with Paul full-time. Less than a year later, he died in a car crash on Nov. 30, 2013.

“​​My heart was desperate for so many years with the situation with my daughter. She’s living in Hawaii and she’s there and I’m running here. My daughter lives with me full time now and she’s the best partner I’ve ever had,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly just months before his death. “It’s so nuts. I’ve never had anything like this in my life.”

In the years since his death, Meadow, now 25, has gone on to become a successful model, and she continues to honor her father’s legacy through her charity work. She has also remained close with his Fast & Furious costars and has even become a part of the franchise herself.

Meadow married actor Louis Thornton-Allan in October 2021. However, the couple announced their separation in December 2023.

Keep reading for everything there is to know about Paul Walker’s daughter, Meadow Walker.

She was born on Nov. 4, 1998

MEADOW WALKER INSTAGRAM

Meadow was born to Walker and Soteros on Nov. 4, 1998. After spending her childhood with her mom in Hawaii, Meadow moved to L.A. to be closer to Walker.

“I think my mom said it best,” Paul told PARADE in 2009. “She said, ‘Little girls soften their daddy’s hearts.’ “

After Meadow returned to L.A. in 2011, Walker told PEOPLE of his then-12-year-old daughter, “She’s a bit more like her mother [Soteros], but she’s also how I am innately.”

He added, “[Meadow]’s more of a free roamer and she appreciates the little stuff.”

She’s a model

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Meadow began her modeling career in 2017, signing with DNA Models, according to her Instagram bio.

In addition to walking the runway for major designers like Proenza Schouler and Alexander McQueen, Meadow also serves as the face of Givenchy Beauty. The 25-year-old celebrated one of her first major campaigns with the brand in March 2023, sharing a photo of her face in an ad above a department store cosmetics counter.

“WOW! Another dream come true!!” she wrote alongside the snap.

She filed a wrongful death suit against Porsche

In September 2015, Meadow filed a wrongful death suit against the makers of the Porsche Carrera GT that her father’s friend, Roger Rodas, was driving when the two crashed and died at the scene. According to the lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE, the car “lacked safety features … that could have prevented the accident or, at a minimum, allowed Paul Walker to survive the crash.”

Meadow reached a settlement with Porsche in 2017. She also received a $10.1 million settlement from Rodas’ estate, which was paid into a trust, her lawyer told PEOPLE at the time.

She founded the Paul Walker Foundation

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Meadow honored what would have been her father’s 42nd birthday in September 2015 by announcing the launch of the Paul Walker Foundation. The organization is “dedicated to spontaneous acts of goodwill that empower young people and support the environment they live in.” The foundation also furthers his legacy of ocean conservation.

“Reflecting on my father, I found myself reflecting on his passions,” Meadow wrote on Instagram alongside a sweet throwback photo of her and Paul. “I wanted to start this foundation because I want to share that piece of him with the world. I want to share that part of him with others.”

Through the foundation, Meadow has embarked on a number of philanthropic efforts. In June 2022, she announced the “PWF Do Good Scholarship,” which would be given to a deserving student “who is passionate about addressing the critical needs of their community or environment.⁣”

She married actor Louis Thornton-Allan in 2021

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After a whirlwind romance, Meadow said, “I do,” to her “angel” Louis Thornton-Allan in October 2021 during an intimate beachside ceremony in the Dominican Republic.

The bride wore a custom Givenchy Haute Couture dress for her big day and was walked down the aisle by her dad’s close friend and Fast & Furious costar, Vin Diesel.

She and Thornton-Allan announced their split in December 2023

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After two years of marriage, Meadow and Thornton-Allan called it quits.

“We have come to the agreement to amicably separate,” the couple’s statement read on Instagram. “This is truly a united decision. We maintain mutual love and respect for one another, and will continue to support each other.”

Vin Diesel is her godfather

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The model has remained close with a number of her dad’s Fast & Furious costars: Jordana Brewster and Diesel were both in attendance at her wedding, with the latter walking her down the aisle. Diesel also revealed that his daughter, Hania Riley Sinclair, served as Meadow’s maid of honor.

​​”Look at this photo Pablo, it will make you smile,” the action star wrote on Instagram alongside a shot of Meadow and Hania at the wedding. “The same angel that you helped me prepare for in the most beautiful way with your brotherly advice is the same angel that precious Meadow asked to be her Maid of Honor.”

Speaking to Extra in June 2021, Diesel opened up about his close relationship with Meadow, noting that he feels “very protective” of her.

“She’s the first person on Father’s Day to wish me Happy Father’s Day,” he said. “To see her with my children is one of the most beautiful things. There are moments when I see her playing with [his 6-year-old daughter] Pauline and it hits me so deep ’cause I can only imagine what my brother sees when he sees that.”

She got an abortion in 2020

In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Meadow spoke out about her own abortion story, revealing she had terminated a pregnancy at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

“Today marks a huge setback in history- a profound injustice to women across the United States,” Meadow wrote in a note shared on Instagram. “There are countless women who have struggled with making the decision to have an abortion. I too have battled with the choice but in 2020, when the world was collapsing during the pandemic, I sought an abortion.”

She continued, “I was lucky enough to have a great doctor who supported me through the debilitating process- with their help, I am able to be the happy and healthy person I am today.”

Calling the Supreme Court decision “heartbreaking,” she concluded, “Banning abortion doesn’t prevent abortions, it prevents safe abortions.”

Meadow had previously spoken about her health in November 2021, revealing for the first time that she had undergone surgery to remove a tumor.

She shared a photo of herself in a medical center, captioned: “2 years ago today. I’ve come a very long way. Bye bye tumor. Blessed & grateful.”

She shares sweet throwback photos and videos of her dad on Instagram

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Every year, Meadow honors her late father with touching tributes on Instagram to celebrate his birthday and mark the anniversary of his death.

In 2021, she shared a throwback photo of herself as a baby embracing the actor while he kisses her cheek. “I love and miss you endlessly. Today and everyday I celebrate your life, your love. And you, my best friend,” she wrote in the caption.

MEADOW WALKER/INSTAGRAM

In September 2023, Meadow marked what would have been her father’s 50th birthday with an emotional tribute on Instagram. She posted a sweet throwback photo of her and Walker together.

“Happy birthday to my guardian angel 🤍 Thank you for your love, guidance, friendship, sunshine and for raising me to see all of the beauty in the world,” she wrote in the caption. “I love you and miss you every day.”

On the 10th anniversary of her dad’s death in 2023, Meadow shared a never-before-seen video of Walker.

“10 years without you… I love you forever,” she captioned the sweet clip on Instagram, which showed Meadow surprising her dad on his birthday.

She made a cameo in the Fast X movie

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Meadow appeared in the final installment of her dad’s iconic Fast & Furious franchise.

Fast X premiered on May 19, 2023, and just days before, she teased her cameo on Instagram. In the caption, she penned an emotional tribute to the hit movie series and Walker.

“The first fast was released when I was one year old! I grew up on set watching my father, Vin, Jordana, Michelle, Chris and more on the monitors,” Meadow wrote. “Thanks to my dad, I was born into the fast family. I can’t believe now I get to be up there too. With those who have been around to see me grow up.”

Meadow also thanked Fast X director Louis Leterrier “for your kindness, patience and support” during her time on set, as well as film producer Brandon Birtell, whom she identified as “my dad’s best friend.”

“I am so blessed to be able to honor my father’s legacy and share this with him forever x,” she concluded.

Following the premiere, PEOPLE spoke with Fast & Furious stars Diesel, Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez about having Meadow on set.

“It did something to my soul, to see her want to honor her father and to contribute in her own way to his life’s work,” Diesel said. “It meant everything.”

Rodriguez added: “It’s everything to us because [Paul’s] memory is never going to die within the franchise, so as long as we’re doing it, we have to maintain that, [keeping his] energy alive.”

As for Brewster, she said it was “really, really inspiring” to watch Meadow “work her butt off” during her time with the Fast X cast.