zoe saldana American-born actress whose parents are

Zoe Saldana (pronounced /sælˈdænə/ sal-dan-ə; born June 19, 1978, sometimes stylized Zoë Saldaña is an American-born actress whose parents are of Dominican Puerto Rican origin. She had her breakthrough role in the 2000 film Center Stage, and 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- the highest-grossing film of all time.

Contents

* 1 Early life

* 2 Career

* 3 Personal life

* 4 Filmography

* 5 References

* 6 External links

Early life

Zoe Saldana was born Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario or Zoe Yadira Saldana Nazario in Passaic, New Jersey, United States. Her father, Aridio Saldaña, is Dominican, and her mother, Asalia Nazario, is Puerto Rican.

Her first languages are English and Spanish. She speaks both languages fluently. She spent the majority of her early childhood growing up in Queens, New York. At 10, she moved with her family to the Dominican Republic, where they lived for the next seven years. Saldana took ballet at one of the most prestigious dancing schools in the Dominican Republic. After returning to Queens at age 17, she began performing with the Faces theater troupe, which put on plays geared towards 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 were 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 2000 film Center Stage.

Career

Zoe Saldana in 2009.

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. She left school after Center Stage, which film led to appearances in the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads (2002) and the comedy-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 film Star Trek. In 2009, she played Neytiri, the Na'vi princess, in James Cameron's Avatar, a role that gave her much publicity and recognition, and therefore presenting her more opportunities to work in big commercial films[citation needed].

She is the only actress to have three movies in the box office top twenty for three consecutive weeks. These movies are Avatar, The Losers, and Death at a Funeral.[citation needed]

In August 2010, Saldana's television ad for Calvin Klein's "Envy" line debuted. In 2011, she will star in the crime drama movie Colombiana.

Personal life

On June 30, 2010, it was announced in Us Weekly that Saldana was engaged to her boyfriend of 10 years, actor and CEO of My Fashion Database Keith Britton. She is also a celebrity supporter of FINCA International, an internationally respected microfinance organization.

Filmography

Kaye

Film Year↓ Title↓ Role↓ Notes↓

2000 Center Stage Eva Rodriguez As Zoë Saldana

2001 Get Over It Maggie As Zoë Saldana

Snipes Cheryl

2002 Crossroads Kit As Zoë Saldana

Drumline Laila As Zoë Saldana

Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (Shared with Nick Cannon)

2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Anamaria

2004 The Terminal Dolores Torres As Zoë Saldana

Haven Andrea

Temptation Annie

2005 Constellation Rosa Boxer

Guess Who Theresa Jones As Zoë Saldaña

Nominated—Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Actress

Nominated—Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Performance – Female

Dirty Deeds Rachel Buff As Zoe Saldaña

La maldición del padre Cardona Flor As Zoe Saldaña

2006 Premium Charli

2007 After Sex Kat

Blackout Claudine

2008 Vantage Point Angie Jones As Zoë Saldana

2009 Star Trek Nyota Uhura As Zoë Saldana

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cast

Nominated—ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress – Motion Picture

Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast

Nominated—People's Choice Award for Favorite Breakout Movie Actress

Nominated—Scream Award for Best Science Fiction Actress

Nominated—Scream Award for Breakout Performance – Female

Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Action Adventure

Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble

The Skeptic Cassie

Avatar Neytiri BET Award for Best Actress

Empire Award for Best Actress

Saturn Award for Best Actress

Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Sci-Fi

Nominated—Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress

Nominated—Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Nominated—Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress

Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance

Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (Shared with Sam Worthington)

Nominated—Scream Award for Best Science Fiction Actress

2010 The Losers Aisha As Zoë Saldana

Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Action Adventure

Takers Lily Jansen

Death at a Funeral Elaine Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Comedy

Burning Palms Sara Cotton

2011 The Heart Specialist Donna

Colombiana Cataleya Restrepo Post-production

2013 The Words Dora Filming

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