Zoe Saldana

Zoe Saldana
Saldana at the 82nd Academy Awards, 2010
Born	Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario (1978-06-19) June 19, 1978 (age 34) Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names	Zoe Yadira Zaldana Nazario
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Website
www.zoesaldana.com

Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario (pron.: /sælˈdænə/ sal-DAN-ə; born June 19, 1978),^[1] known as Zoe Saldana or Zoë Saldaña, is an American actress. She had her breakthrough role in the 2000 film Center Stage and the 2002 film Crossroads. She later gained prominence for her roles as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek, and a starring role as Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar. She also had a lead role in the action film Colombiana.

[edit] Early life

Saldana was born Zoe Yadira Zaldana Nazario^[1] in Passaic, New Jersey.^[2][3] Her late father, Aridio Saldaña, was Dominican, and her mother, Asalia Nazario, is Puerto Rican.^[4][5] Her first languages are Spanish and English. She spent the majority of her early childhood growing up in Queens, New York. After her father died in a car accident when she was nine years old, Saldaña moved to the Dominican Republic with her mother. There, Saldana discovered her love of dance and soon enrolled in the ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy; she studied ballet, jazz, and modern Latin dance.^[2][4][6] The family returned to Queens after her sophomore year in high school.

In 1995 she began performing with the FACES theater group in Brooklyn,^[7] which put on plays geared towards providing positive messages for teens, via themes dealing with issues such as substance abuse and sex. Concurrently, she performed with the New York Youth Theater; her appearance in their production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat led a talent agency to recruit her. Her previous dance training, and her acting experience, helped her land her first big screen role as Eva, the talented and headstrong ballet dancer in the 2000 film Center Stage.^[2][4]

[edit] Career

Zoe Saldana was still a member of FACES when she gained exposure in an episode of Law & Order (titled "Merger") which first aired in 1999.^[8] Saldana's first film role was in Center Stage (2000), directed by Nicholas Hytner, about a group of young dancers from various backgrounds who enroll at the fictitious American Ballet Academy in New York City. She left school after Center Stage, subsequently appearing in the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads (2002) and the comedy-drama Drumline (2002). She played the pirate Anamaria, a female pirate who signs up to join Will Turner and Mr Gibbs for a chance to confront Jack Sparrow for stealing her ship in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Saldana appeared in three films in 2004, including The Terminal, Haven and Temptation. In 2005 Saldana appeared in Constellation, Guess Who with Ashton Kutcher and Dirty Deeds, and in 2006 featured in Premium.

Among other roles, Saldana played Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek.^[9] In 2009, she played Neytiri, the Na'vi chief's daughter, in James Cameron's Avatar, a role that raised her profile.^[4]

In 2010, Saldana starred in The Losers in which she played Aisha al-Fadhil, for which she was required to gain weight, as she was expected to carry weapons around for eight hours a day.^[10] Saldana also appeared in Takers, Death at a Funeral and Burning Palms. In August 2010, her television ad for Calvin Klein's "Envy" line debuted.^[11]

In 2011, Saldana starred in the romantic comedy The Heart Specialist, and she also starred in the crime drama movie Colombiana as Cataleya Restrepo, a professional assassin. In 2012, she starred in the drama film The Words.

Saldana will reprise her role for Star Trek Into Darkness, the sequel to the 2009 reboot. It is expected to be released in May, 2013. In April 2013, Saldana entered negotiations to star as Gamora in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy.^[12]

It is speculated that Saldana will reprise the role of Neytiri in Avatar 2 in 2015.^[13]

[edit] Personal life

In June 2010, Saldana became engaged to Keith Britton, an actor and CEO of My Fashion Database.^[14] In November 2011, it was confirmed that Saldana and Britton had amicably ended their relationship after eleven years together.^[15] Saldana had an on-again, off-again relationship with actor Bradley Cooper from 2011 to 2013.^[16][17]

Saldana is a celebrity supporter of FINCA International, a microfinance organization.^[18]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Film

[edit] Television

[edit] Video Games

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zoe Saldana

• "Zoe Saldana". (Official site). Archived from the original on July 5, 2011. 
• Zoe Saldana at the Internet Movie Database
• Zoe Saldana at the TCM Movie Database
• Zoe Saldana on Twitter
• Zoe Saldana on Facebook
• Zoe Saldana at AllRovi
• Zoë Saldana at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Zoe Saldana, IDI Diamond Celebrity of the Week
• "Zoe Saldana Shines on ESSENCE's April Cover". Essence. March 9, 2010. Retrieved 2011-10-09. 
• Sandell, Laurie (March 1, 2010). "Zoë Saldana: The Most Elegant Member of the Glam New Guard". Glamour (Condé Nast). Retrieved 2011-10-09.