
Biography
Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego (/sɑːlˈdænjə/ sahl-DAN-yə, Latin American Spanish: [ˈso.e salˈdaɲa]; née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978) is an American actress. Known primarily for her work in science fiction film franchises, she has starred in four of the seven highest-grossing films of all time, including the top three (Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Avengers: Endgame). Films she has appeared in have grossed more than $15 billion worldwide, and, as of 2024, she is the second highest-grossing lead actress and the highest-grossing actress overall. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023. A trained dancer, Saldaña began her on-screen acting career in 1999 with a guest role in Law & Order. Her first film role was in Center Stage(2000), where she played a ballet dancer. She received early recognition for her work opposite Britney Spears in the road film Crossroads (2002). Beginning in 2009, Saldaña achieved a career breakthrough with her roles as Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek reboot film series and Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar film series. She portrayed Gamora in five films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). In addition to franchise work, Saldaña has starred in the science fiction film The Adam Project and the romantic drama miniseries From Scratch, both for Netflix in 2022. In 2023, she began playing the lead role of a CIA officer in the Paramount+ spy series Lioness. In 2024, Saldaña starred in the musical crime film Emilia Pérez, for which she received several accolades, including the Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. Description above from the Wikipedia article Zoe Saldaña, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 2025
- BAFTA Award — Best Actress in a Supporting Role · 2025
- Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres · 2024
- Golden Globe Award — Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture · 2024
- Time 100 · 2023
Show all 8 awards →
- Max Mara Face of the Future Award · 2010
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 2025 · nominated
Filmography50+ titles

Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Infinity War

I Ain't Scared of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac

Lioness

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Maya and the Three

Guardians of the Galaxy

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Avatar: Fire and Ash

From Scratch

Avatar: The Way of Water

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2

Avatar

Amazing Saturday

Unity

The Book of Life

Marvel Studios: Legends

Love, Antosha

For the Love of Spock

Star Trek

The Terminal

Vivo

My Little Pony: The Movie

Star Trek Into Darkness

Law & Order

Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20

The Graham Norton Show

Gordita Chronicles

Hot Ones

The Adam Project

Ask the StoryBots

MPower

The Real History of Science Fiction

Elio

Missing Link

Drumline

Center Stage

Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films

James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction

Star Trek Beyond

The Bluff

The Words

Infinitely Polar Bear

Out of the Furnace

Colombiana

Emilia Pérez

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Lip Sync Battle

Vantage Point