Zoe Saldaña: Biography, Success Story, Facts

Zoe Saldaña’s biography is an inspiring success story of talent and dedication. Born in New Jersey, she grew up in a multicultural household, which shaped her unique perspective on life and acting. With breakout roles in Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Star Trek, Zoe quickly became a household name. Her life story highlights the hard work and dedication she has put into her craft, leading her to become one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood.

Early Life

Zoë Yadira Saldaña Nazario was born on June 19, 1978, in Passaic, New Jersey. Her parents are Aridio Saldaña, of Dominican descent, and Asalia Nazario, of Puerto Rican ancestry. As a child, Saldaña spent part of her early years in the Dominican Republic with her mother before they moved to New York to escape political unrest.

Saldaña and her two sisters, Cisely and Mariel, grew up bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish. Their first language at home was Spanish, and much of her early childhood was spent in Jackson Heights, Queens, in New York City.

When Saldaña was nine, her father passed away in a car accident. Her mother then sent the three sisters to the Dominican Republic to be raised by their late father’s family while she stayed in New York to work and support the family. Later, her mother married Dagoberto Galán, who became the stepfather to the girls and whom they consider their father.¹

Regarding her racial identity, Saldaña once remarked, “There’s no one way to be Black. I’m Black the way I know how to be.”²

While living in the Dominican Republic, Saldaña discovered her passion for dance and enrolled in the ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy. Ballet quickly became her favorite form of dance, though she eventually quit, explaining that she didn’t have “the feet” for ballet and had too much pride to remain in the corps de ballet.³

After completing her sophomore year, the family returned to New York City, where Saldaña finished her education at Newtown High School in Queens. In 1995, she began performing with the Faces theater group in Brooklyn, focusing on plays that tackled issues like substance abuse and adolescent challenges. Her involvement with the New York Youth Theater, particularly her role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, helped her get noticed by a talent agency, ultimately leading to her first film role as Eva Rodriguez in Center Stage (2000).

Career

Beginnings

Zoë Saldaña began her acting journey with an appearance in an episode of Law & Order in 1999. Soon after, she joined the Faces theater group and landed her first film role in Center Stage (2000), directed by Nicholas Hytner. The movie, about dancers at the fictional American Ballet Academy in New York City, showcased Saldaña’s background in dance. In 2002, she appeared in Crossroads, starring Britney Spears. Although the film received negative reviews, it was a box-office success. That same year, she starred in the comedy-drama Drumline alongside Nick Cannon, which received mixed reviews from critics.⁴

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Saldaña portrayed Anamaria, a pirate seeking revenge on Jack Sparrow for stealing her ship. Her next role came in The Terminal, where she played Dolores Torres, an immigration officer and Star Trek fan, a detail that helped her later when she took on the role of Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek reboot in 2009. Despite appearing in films like Haven and Temptation in 2004, neither movie achieved much box-office success.

Saldaña continued to build her filmography in 2005, appearing in Constellation, Guess Who with Ashton Kutcher, and Dirty Deeds. She then starred in romantic comedy dramas Premium (2006) and After Sex (2007). In 2007, she took on a leading role in Blackout, a television film set during the 2003 Northeast Blackout, which premiered at the Zurich Film Festival and aired on BET in 2008. Saldaña also had a supporting role in the action thriller Vantage Point (2008), where she played Angie Jones.

Breakthrough with Franchise Roles

Zoë Saldaña’s career took off in 2009 with two major roles that significantly boosted her profile. First, she portrayed Nyota Uhura in Star Trek, a role offered to her by director J. J. Abrams, who admired her previous work. To prepare, Saldaña met with Nichelle Nichols, the original actress who played Uhura, to understand the character’s history and development. Her mother, a dedicated Star Trek fan, left her voice messages during filming, offering advice on approaching the role. Interestingly, while directing her in The Terminal, Steven Spielberg had taught her the Vulcan salute five years earlier. Star Trek was a box-office hit, earning $385.7 million worldwide.

Saldaña’s second major role in 2009 was Neytiri, an indigenous hunter in James Cameron’s Avatar. The film was a critical and commercial success, with an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes⁵ and a worldwide gross of $2.7 billion, making it the highest-grossing film of all time at that point.⁶ It became the first movie to surpass $2 billion globally. Saldaña won a Saturn Award for Best Actress, a notable achievement for her performance as an entirely computer-generated character.

Behind the scenes, the actors are the ones with the least power. You’re told what to do, what to wear, where to stand. Your creative inputs are ignored.

Zoë Saldaña

In 2010, she appeared in The Losers as Aisha al-Fadhil, a Bolivian woman. For the role, she had to train intensely, carrying weapons for hours each day. That same year, she appeared in Takers, Death at a Funeral, and Burning Palms, and she starred in a Calvin Klein “Envy” line advertisement. In 2011, she played an assassin in Colombiana, a performance that was praised despite the film receiving negative reviews overall.

In 2012, Saldaña starred in The Words, a romantic drama that was not well-received by critics and performed poorly at the box office.⁷

Saldaña reprised her role as Uhura in the 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness. The movie was another box-office success, grossing over $467 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the Star Trek franchise.

In 2014, she portrayed Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, one of her most iconic roles. Unlike many of her other sci-fi characters, she used makeup rather than CGI or motion capture for the part. The film became one of the top-grossing movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the highest-grossing superhero film of 2014. Saldaña received several award nominations for her performance, including a Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie and a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Action Movie Actress.

That same year, she co-produced and starred in Rosemary’s Baby, a television adaptation of Ira Levin’s horror novel. She also received recognition from Elle magazine during The Women in Hollywood Awards, which celebrated her achievements in film across acting, directing, and producing.

2016–Present

In April 2016, Zoë Saldaña starred in Nina, an unauthorized biography about jazz musician Nina Simone. The film focuses on Simone’s rise to fame and her relationship with her manager, Clifton Henderson. However, the casting of Saldaña in the role faced criticism, particularly from Simone’s family. In August 2020, Saldaña publicly apologized, acknowledging, “I’m so sorry. I know better today, and I’m never going to do that again. She’s one of our giants, and someone else should step up. Somebody else should tell her story.”⁸

That same year, Saldaña co-starred in Star Trek Beyond, released in July, and Ben Affleck’s crime drama Live by Night, released in December.

Saldaña returned as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in May 2017 and reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), appearing as an alternate version of the character in the latter film. She also reprised Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), marking her final portrayal of the character in the MCU.

In 2017, Saldaña played Mrs. Mollé in I Kill Giants, based on Joe Kelly’s graphic novel, and voiced pirate parrot Captain Clean in My Little Pony: The Movie.

On May 3, 2018, Saldaña received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6920 Hollywood Boulevard in the Motion Pictures category.⁹

In 2021, Saldaña starred in two Netflix projects: Vivo, where she voiced Rosita, and Maya and the Three, where she played the title character. She also joined the cast of David O. Russell’s film Amsterdam.

Saldaña reprised her role as Neytiri in Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and attended the film’s Los Angeles premiere in December 2022. As part of this role, she performed vocals for the original song “The Songcord,” written by Simon Franglen for the film’s soundtrack. She will return as Neytiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash, scheduled for release in December 2025.

In 2024, Saldaña shared the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress with her co-stars from the musical crime film Emilia Perez. She will also star in the upcoming Pixar science fiction adventure film Elio and in the Paramount+ series Special Ops: Lioness, created by Taylor Sheridan.

Personal Life

In June 2010, Zoë Saldaña became engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Keith Britton, an actor and CEO of My Fashion Database. However, in November 2011, after eleven years together, they announced the end of their relationship.¹⁰

Following this, Saldaña was briefly in a relationship with actor Bradley Cooper from December 2011 to January 2013.

In March 2013, she started dating Italian artist Marco Perego. Soon, they married in June 2013 in London. Perego adopted her surname after their marriage, making both of them Zoë Saldaña-Perego and Marco Perego-Saldaña. Their children also carry the combined surname Perego-Saldaña. The couple has three sons: identical twins Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio, born in November 2014, and their third son, Zen, born in February 2017. Saldaña has expressed that their children are being raised in a multilingual environment, with Spanish, Italian, and English spoken at home.¹¹

It doesn’t matter how much backlash I will get for it. I will honor and respect my black community because that’s who I am.

Zoë Saldaña

In July 2016, Saldaña revealed in an interview with The Edit that she has Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that affects her, her mother, and her sisters. To manage the disease, she and her husband follow a gluten- and dairy-free diet.¹²

Saldaña supports FINCA International, a microfinance organization, and in 2017, she founded BESE, a digital media platform aimed at addressing the lack of diversity in mainstream media, particularly focusing on positive stories within the Latino community. In September 2020, she also used her social media platforms to participate in the VoteRiders #IDCheck Challenge to raise awareness about voter ID requirements before the presidential election.

Awards

• 2009: Boston Society of Film Critics, Star Trek, Best Ensemble Cast
• 2010: Empire Awards, Avatar, Best Actress
• 2010: Saturn Awards, Avatar, Best Actress
• 2010: Teen Choice Awards, Avatar, Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi
• 2012: Teen Choice Awards, Colombiana, Choice Movie Actress: Action
• 2012: ALMA Awards, Colombiana, Favorite Movie Actress Drama/Adventure
• 2013: Imagen Foundation Awards, The Book of Life, Best Actress – Feature Film
• 2017: Teen Choice Awards, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi
• 2022: Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards, Avatar: The Way of Water, Best Motion Capture Performance
• 2023: Black Reel Awards, Maya and the Three, Outstanding Voice Performance
• 2024: Cannes Film Festival, Emilia Pérez, Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress

Final Reflections

Zoe Saldaña’s biography is a clear example of a success story built on passion and perseverance. Her life story, from her early days in ballet to becoming a leading actress in blockbuster films, inspires many. Zoe continues influencing the entertainment industry with her remarkable career, making her an iconic figure in modern cinema.

Reference List for Zoe Saldaña’s Biography

1. Hernandez, Lee. “Father’s Day: Zoe Saldaña’s Special Message to Her Dad (EXCLUSIVE).” HuffPost, 17 June 2012. ↩︎
2. Bovenallure, Sarah van. “Star Trek’s Zoe Saldaña Drops the Mic.” Allure, 14 June 2016. ↩︎
3. Smith, Krista. “She’s the Rage in Harlem.” Vanity Fair, 18 Aug. 2009. ↩︎
4. Scott, A. O. “Film Review; A Rousing Halftime Show Bigger Than the Game.” The New York Times, 13 Dec. 2002. ↩︎
5. “Avatar.” Rotten Tomatoes, Flixster. ↩︎
6. “All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses.” Box Office Mojo. ↩︎
7. “The Words Movie Reviews.” Rotten Tomatoes, Flixster. ↩︎
8. “Zoe Saldaña Apologises for Playing Nina Simone in Controversial Biopic.” The Guardian, 6 Aug. 2020. ↩︎
9. “Zoe Saldaña.” Hollywood Walk of Fame, 25 Oct. 2019. ↩︎
10. “Zoe Saldaña, Fiance Split After 11 Years Together.” Us Weekly, 12 Nov. 2011. ↩︎
11. Johnson, Zach. “Zoe Saldaña Says Her Twins Will Be Bilingual.” Us Weekly, 6 Aug. 2014. ↩︎
12. France, Lisa. “Zoe Saldaña Has Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.” CNN, 21 July 2016. ↩︎

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