Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldaña was born on June 19, 1978, in Passaic, New Jersey, and was raised in Queens, New York. At the age of 10, she moved with her family to the Dominican Republic, where she resided for seven years. During this period, Saldaña developed a strong interest in performance dance, undergoing training at the ECOS Espacio de Danza Dance Academy, specializing in ballet and other forms. This dance background proved foundational for her future acting career. Upon returning to the United States at 17, her passion for performance deepened, leading her to participate in theater troupes such as Faces and the New York Youth Theater, where she performed plays addressing topics like substance abuse and adolescent sex.

Her professional acting career began with a guest appearance in “Law & Order” in 1999. Her first film role was as Eva Rodriguez, a ballet dancer, in “Center Stage” (2000), leveraging her extensive dance training. Over the next decade, Saldaña accumulated diverse film credits, including “Crossroads” (2002) with Britney Spears, “Drumline” (2002) alongside Nick Cannon, and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003) as Anamaria. A notable role included Dolores Torres in “The Terminal” (2004), a character cited as beneficial preparation for her later science fiction work. She also appeared in “Guess Who” (2005) with Ashton Kutcher and the romantic comedy-drama “Premium” (2006). She also acted in the television film “Blackout” (2007) and the action thriller “Vantage Point” (2008).

The period from 2009 marked a significant turning point in Saldaña’s career through her roles in major film franchises. She portrayed Nyota Uhura in the “Star Trek” reboot (2009) and later reprised the role in “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013) and “Star Trek Beyond” (2016). Simultaneously, she took on the role of Neytiri in James Cameron’s “Avatar” (2009), a film that became the highest-grossing film of all time, and continued this role in “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022). Furthermore, she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Gamora, starring in “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017), “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), and “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), concluding this role in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (2023). Her career progression also includes work as a producer, notably on the TV mini-series “Rosemary’s Baby” (2014) and “From Scratch” (2022), and receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. In 2024, she earned critical acclaim and multiple awards for her role in “Emilia Pérez”, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.