Zoe Saldana-Perego (Zoe Saldana), is an American actress and dancer. Saldana was born Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario in Passaic, New Jersey. Her father, Aridio Saldaña, was from the Dominican Republic, while her mother, Asalia Nazario, is from Puerto Rico. Saldana also has Haitian and Lebanese roots. The majority of her early childhood she spent growing up in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, and her native languages are both English and Spanish. She has two sisters, named Cisely and Mariel, and a half-brother named Nipo, known as “Nipo 809”, who is a Dominican artist and producer. Her father died in a car crash when she was nine years old,and Saldaña and her mother subsequently moved to the Dominican Republic. There, Saldaña discovered her love of dance and soon enrolled in the ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy; she studied various forms of dance but describes ballet as her first passion. She told Vanity Fair that she quit ballet because she did not have the feet and had too much pride and ambition to just be in the corps de ballet. The family returned to New York after her sophomore year in high school. In 1995, she began performing with the FACES theater group in Brooklyn, which put on plays geared toward providing positive messages for teens via themes dealing with issues such as substance abuse and adolescent sexuality. 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.
Following her performances with the FACES theater group, Saldana made her screen debut in an episode of Law & Order. Her film career began a year later with Center Stage, followed by a role in Crossroads. She first gained some prominence for her role as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Saldana’s breakthrough came in 2009 with the roles of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek and Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar. The latter film received widespread acclaim, and is the highest-grossing film of all time. Saldana continued her successful career with films such as Colombiana, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Bio:
Zoe Saldana at Kids Choice Awards
Name: Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario
Nickname: Zoe Saldana, Zo
Date of Birth: June 19, 1978
Place of Birth: Passaic, NJ
Place of Residence:Los Angeles, CA
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Education: ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy
Body Stats:
Height: 5’7″ / 170 cm
Weight: 119 lbs / 54 kg
Shoe size: 8 / 38.5 (EU)
Dress size: 4 (US)
Bra size: 32A
Measurements: 33-25-32 in / 84-63.5-81 cm
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Social Networks:
Twitter: @zoesaldana
Facebook: Zoe Saldana
Instagram: @zoesaldana
Fun Facts:
Relationships:
Zoe Saldana at Oscars
- Keith Britton (2000-2011, engaged since June, 2010)
- Bradley Cooper (2011-2012)
- Marco Perego (2013-Present, married since June 2013)
Children: Bowie Ezio Perego-Saldana and Cy Aridio Perego-Saldana
Awards and Honors:
- 2010 – Teen Choice Awards
- 2012 – ALMA Award
- BET Award Nomination (several times)
- MTV Movie Awards Nomination (several times)
- People’s Choice Award Nomination (several times)
- Teen Choice Awards Nomination (several times)
- Maxim’s Hot 100
Hobbies and Interests:Music, working out
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Food: Chinese food, Mom’s cooked food
Favorite Music: Taylor Swift
Favorite Perfume: Chanel No 5
Favorite Book: Gemini Contenders
Favorite Sports: Basketball
Favorite Movie: The Ilusionist
Favorite TV Show: House
Interesting Facts:
- She speaks both English and Spanish perfectly.
- She has learned Jazz, ballet, and also modern Latin dance in the past.
- She has appeared on several magazine covers for various countries like China, Greece, France, Italy, South Africa, Spain, Russia, Singapore, UK, US, Mexiaco, Portugal.
- She admires Whoopi Goldberg and Angelina Jolie.
- Did an intense nonstop six-month preparation for Avatar including martial arts, archery and horseback riding.
- Says she’s a sci-fi geek who just happens to dress nice.
- She married her boyfriend after only dating for 3 months.
- Her husband Marco Perego took her surname.
- Often cast as African-American characters, even though she has Dominican and Puerto Rican ancestry.
