Zoe Saldaña

Zoë Saldaña
Saldaña in 2024
Born
Zoë Yadira Saldaña Nazario[1]

(1978-06-19) June 19, 1978
Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1999–present
Spouse
Marco Perego
(m. 2013)
Children3
AwardsFull list

Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego (/sɑːlˈdænjə/ sahl-DAN-yə,[2] Latin American Spanish: [ˈso.e salˈdaɲa]; née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978) is an American actress. Known primarily for her work in science fiction film franchises, she has starred in four of the seven highest-grossing films of all time, including the top three (Avatar, Avengers: Endgame and Avatar: The Way of Water). Films she has appeared in have grossed more than $15 billion worldwide and, as of 2024, she is the second highest-grossing lead actress and the highest-grossing actress overall.[3][4] Her accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a SAG Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, and a Golden Globe Award. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.[5]

A trained dancer, Saldaña began her on-screen acting career in 1999 with a guest role in Law & Order. Her first film role was in Center Stage (2000) in which she played a ballet dancer. She received early recognition for her work opposite Britney Spears in the road film Crossroads (2002). Beginning in 2009, Saldaña achieved a career breakthrough with her roles as Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek reboot film series (2009–2016) and Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar film series (2009–present). She portrayed Gamora in five films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).[6]

In addition to franchise work, Saldaña has starred in the science fiction film The Adam Project and the romantic drama miniseries From Scratch, both for Netflix in 2022. In 2023, she began playing the lead role of a CIA officer in the Paramount+ spy series Lioness. In 2024, Saldaña starred in the musical crime film Emilia Pérez, for which she received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Star was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "We've Been Saying Zoe Saldana's Name WRONG!". E! Online. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  3. ^ "Highest-Grossing Actresses of All Time". Work + Money. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  4. ^ Eclarinal, Aeron Mer (January 22, 2023). "Zoe Saldana Sets Historic Box Office Milestone That No Actor Has Ever Achieved". The Direct. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  5. ^ "Time 100". Time. April 13, 2023. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  6. ^ Shattuck, Kathryn (May 4, 2017). "Zoe Saldaña, Sci-fi Queen, on the 'Guardians' Sequel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.