Zoe Saldana Biography

Summary

"Zoe Saldana" (full name "Zoe Yadira Zaldana Nazario", born June 19, 1978) is an American actress. She is also known as Zoë Saldana, Zoe Saldaña, and Zoë Saldaña. She is known for playing Anamaria in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and Uhura in the 2009 film "Star Trek".

Early life

Saldana was born in New Jersey to a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother. She was raised in Queens, New York, and her first languages are English and Spanish. When Zoe was nine, her father died in a car accident, and her mother moved with Zoe and Zoe's sisters to the Dominican Republic. There, Zoe enlisted in a ballet class at one of the most prestigious dancing schools in the country, gaining experience as a dancer, which benefited her later for her role in "Center Stage". She returned to the United States after her sophomore year in high school and enrolled in the Faces Theater Program, an acting course.

Career

Saldana was still a member of the program when she got her first screen experience on an episode of "Law & Order", which aired October 13, 1999. She left school after her major film debut in "Center Stage" (2000), which subsequently 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 has recently been cast as Uhura in the upcoming "Star Trek" movie.