Zoe Saldana (born Zoe Yadira Zaldana Nazario; June 19, 1978; also known as Zoë Saldana, Zoe Saldaña, and Zoë Saldaña) is an American actress, known for her roles as Neytiri in the 2009 James Cameron film Avatar, Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Peal, and Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek.
Early life
Saldana was born in East Hanover, New Jersey, to a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother. Her first languages were English and Spanish. When she was 10 years old, she and her family moved to the Dominican Republic, where they would live for the next 7 years. Saldana enlisted in a ballet class at one of the most prestigious dancing schools in the Dominican Republic.After returning to New York at age 17, she began performing with the Faces theater troupe, which put on plays geared to providing positive messages for teens, via themes dealing with issues such as substance abuse and sex. These performances not only gave her valuable experience but also a source of great pride, as she knew that she was making a difference in the lives of young people like herself. While performing with the Faces troupe and also the New York Youth Theater Zoe was recruited for a talent agency. Her dance training years before, coupled with her acting experience, greatly helped her land her first big screen role as Eva, the talented and headstrong ballet dancer in the film Center Stage, in 2000.
Career
Saldana was still a member of the program when she got her first screen experience on an episode of Law & Order (titled Merger) which first aired in 1999. She left school after Center Stage, which film led to appearances in the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads (2002) and the drama Drumline (2002). She played the pirate Anamaria in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and has appeared in a number of television shows and movies, including The Terminal (2004) and Guess Who (2005). Saldana was also the lead in the video for Juan Luis Guerra's song "La llave de mi corazón", and played Uhura in the 2009 movie Star Trek. Recently, she played Neytiri, the Na'vi princess, in James Cameron's Avatar (2009).
Saldana has a keen interest in fashion and has her own fashion line, called Arasmaci, most of her designs for which are influenced by her Dominican heritage.
Awards and nominations
- ALMA Awards
- 2009, Best Actress (Film): Star Trek (nominated)
- Black Movie Awards
- 2006, Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Guess Who (nominated)
- Black Reel Awards
- 2010, Best Supporting Actress: Avatar (nominated)
- 2006, Best Actress: Guess Who (nominated)
- NAACP Image Award
- 2010, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Avatar (nominated)
- 2006, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Guess Who (nominated)
- MTV Movie Awards
- 2003, Best Kiss: Drumline Shared with Nick Cannon (nominated)
- Scream Awards
- 2009, Breakout Performance-Female: Star Trek (nominated)
- 2009, Best Science Fiction Actress: Star Trek (nominated)
- Teen Choice Awards
- 2009, Choice Movie Actress (Action/Adventure): Star Trek (nominated)
- 2006, Choice Movie Actress (Breakout): Guess Who (nominated)
- People's Choice Awards
- 2009, Favorite Breakout Movie Actress: Star Trek (nominated)
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