ACTOR · BORN 1978
Zoe Saldaña
- Born
- 19 June 1978, Passaic, New Jersey, USA
- Known for
- Avatar (2009), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Endgame (2019)
37 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
All facts (37)
- #001
Zoe Saldaña underwent six months of relentless, intensive preparation for Avatar (2009), including martial arts, archery and horseback riding.
- #002
Growing up, her favorite teen film was Some Kind of Wonderful (1987).
- #003
Zoe Saldaña likes playing strong female characters. In an interview with a Danish film site, she said she was really looking forward to turning her character Nyota Uhura into a stronger, more kick-ass woman in future Star Trek (2009) sequels.
- #004
She has three sons with her husband Marco Perego: the twins Cy Aridio Perego-Saldana and Bowie Ezio Perego-Saldana (b. 27.11.2014, Los Angeles), who are named after the artist Cy Twombly and the singer David Bowie; and Zen Perego-Saldana (b. 12/12/16).
- #005
On Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003), Zoe Saldaña said she is often mistaken for Thandiwe Newton. Even her own mother once confused the two.
- #006
She was raised in a traditional Roman Catholic home by her Dominican father and Puerto Rican mother, but she rarely speaks publicly about her personal religious practice.
- #007
In June 2013 she married her boyfriend of three months, Marco Perego. They wed in a secret ceremony in London, and after the wedding she decided to take his surname.
- #008
Zoe Saldaña had a smaller role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and was planned to star in the sequels, but it never happened. While filming the final scene of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), the cast was told that an "old friend" would return, and the actors were led to believe that the returning person would be Saldaña. It was, however, Geoffrey Rush. The actors were given false information to give their faces a genuine authenticity. Zoe never reprised her role.
- #009
Seven months after giving birth to her twins Cy and Bowie, Zoe Saldaña returned to work to begin filming Star Trek Beyond (2016). She also went back to work two months after giving birth to her son Zen to begin filming Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
- #010
While filming The Words (2012), she began a relationship with her co-star Bradley Cooper that ended in January 2013. She also appeared with him in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).
- #011
For the music of The Book of Life (2014), she sang the song "No Matter Where You Are" together with Diego Luna.
- #012
She attended and graduated from Newtown High School in Queens, New York City.
- #013
She began her dance training at the ECOS Espacio de Danza academy, but she describes ballet as her passion. She quit ballet because she couldn't "have the feet," and she had too much pride and ambition to be only in a ballet company.
- #014
To prepare for the role of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek (2009), she met Nichelle Nichols, who played the same character in the original series. She had not seen the original series before being cast in a role in J. J. Abrams's reboot.
- #015
In Steven Spielberg's The Terminal (2004), her character Dolores Torres turns out to be a big Star Trek fan. Saldaña went on to play the role of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek (2009), produced and directed by J. J. Abrams.
- #016
In 2021, Zoe revealed to the public the original and correct spelling of her second name, "Saldaña." She said that before her first film, Center Stage (2000), her manager advised her to change her second name. Her miniseries Maya and the Three (2021) marks the first time Zoe's name appeared in the titles as "Zoe Saldaña."
- #017
When she finished filming I Kill Giants (2017), she was eight months pregnant with her son Zen.
- #018
Zoe Saldaña is a fan of Whoopi Goldberg and Angelina Jolie.
- #019
She was engaged to the actor Keith Britton from June 2010 until they ended their relationship in November 2011, eleven years after they got together. Saldaña is also a co-founder, with Britton, of the website My Fashion Database, and they are business partners in the site.
- #020
Saldaña and her Star Trek (2009) co-star Rachel Nichols both went on to work with Stephen Lang. Saldaña appeared with Lang in Avatar (2009); Nichols appeared with Lang in Conan the Barbarian (2011).
- #021
In September 2020, Zoe Saldaña joined the VoteRiders #IDCheck Challenge alongside Elizabeth Banks, Rory O'Malley, Nick Kroll, Amy Schumer and Amber Heard, using her social media presence to help spread information about voter ID requirements for the 2020 United States presidential election.
- #022
Zoe Saldaña appeared on FHM's '100 Sexiest Women in the World' list in 2010 (24th) and 2011 (91st); on Maxim's Hot 100 in 2008 (#42), 2009 (#29), 2010 (#3), 2011 (#37), 2012 (#45), 2013 (#38), 2014 (#29), 2016 (#100), 2019 (#100) and 2023 (#100); and in People's annual 100 Most Beautiful People, in the Beauty at Every Age section, for age 28 (2007).
- #023
In an interview with Net-a-Porter's The Edit in July 2016, Zoe Saldaña revealed that she has Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease, along with her mother and sisters. Saldaña said that she and her husband follow a gluten-free and dairy-free diet to manage the effects of the condition. She also has dyslexia.
- #024
In 2017, Zoe Saldaña founded BESE, a digital media platform designed to "combat the lack of diversity in the mainstream media" with an interest in positive stories within the Latin community. She also serves as the digital media platform's chief executive officer and editor-in-chief.
- #025
On 3 May 2018, Zoe Saldaña was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6920 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Director James Cameron and her longtime friend Mila Kunis were guest speakers at the ceremony.
- #026
Zoe Saldaña and her co-stars Karla Sofia Gascón, Adriana Paz and Selena Gomez were awarded the rank of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by France's Minister of Culture on 3 October 2024 for their services to the film industry.
- #027
On 26 March 2025, Zoe Saldaña was awarded the rank of Commander of the Order of Christopher Columbus by Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, for her services to the film industry and her work supporting Dominican culture.
- #028
On 23 October 2023, Zoe Saldaña signed the "No Hostage Left Behind" letter, an open letter sent to U.S. President Joe Biden to support the strong desire for freedom so that Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace.
- #029
Zoe Saldaña is the first (and, to date, only) female actor to appear in four films that have grossed more than two billion dollars at the box office: Avatar (2009), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).
- #030
Zoe Saldaña has appeared in three films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Emilia Pérez (2024).
- #031
Zoe Saldaña was included in Time magazine's Time 100 list of the world's most influential people, with tributes written by her longtime friend Mila Kunis and filmmaker James Cameron (both in 2023 and 2026).
- #032
Zoe Saldaña is good friends with Salma Hayek, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Cameron Diaz, Sam Worthington, Chris Pratt, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Mila Kunis, Karen Gillan and Selena Gomez.
- #033
Zoe Saldaña is a supporter of FINCA International, a nonprofit microfinance organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.
- #034
Zoe Saldaña endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris's candidacy for the presidential campaign.
- #035
Zoe Saldaña says she was a geek who grew up loving fantasy and science-fiction escape stories.
- #036
Having been raised bilingual, Zoe Saldaña speaks English and Spanish fluently.
- #037
Zoe Saldaña currently lives in New York City and Los Angeles, California.
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