Zoe Saldana is an American actress best known for playing Neytiri in the Avatar films, Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Nyota Uhura in the modern Star Trek series. After building much of her career around blockbuster science-fiction roles, she won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Rita Mora Castro in Emilia Pérez.
Saldaña’s career stands out for its unusual combination of commercial scale and multilingual dramatic work. She has appeared in several of the highest-grossing films ever released while continuing to pursue dance, television, independent films and production projects.
Quick Information:
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego |
| Professional name | Zoe Saldana |
| Born | June 19, 1978 |
| Birthplace | Passaic, New Jersey, United States |
| Heritage | Dominican and Puerto Rican |
| Profession | Actress and producer |
| Husband | Marco Perego-Saldaña |
| Children | Three sons |
| Major roles | Neytiri, Gamora and Nyota Uhura |
| Academy Award | Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez |
| Active since | 1999 |
Early Life and Dominican Republic Years
Zoe Saldana was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and grew up partly in Queens, New York. Her father, Aridio Saldaña, was Dominican, while her mother, Asalia Nazario, is Puerto Rican.
Her father died in a traffic accident when she was a child. After his death, Saldaña and her sisters spent several years living with family in the Dominican Republic.
While there, Saldaña studied dance, including ballet. That training later influenced her approach to physical performance and directly supported her first major movie role.
Her mother’s role in the family’s story is explored separately in Official Buzz Magazine’s profile of Asalia Nazario. The available evidence presents Nazario as a supportive parent rather than an entertainment personality with a comparable public career.
How Did Zoe Saldaña Start Acting?
After returning to New York, Saldaña performed with youth-theater groups. Her screen career began with a 1999 appearance on Law & Order.
Her film breakthrough arrived in 2000 with Center Stage. She played Eva Rodriguez, a talented and outspoken ballet student. The production allowed her to combine acting with her existing dance background.
She followed the film with appearances in:
- Crossroads
- Drumline
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- The Terminal
- Guess Who
- Vantage Point
These projects established Saldaña as a versatile performer before science-fiction franchises made her internationally recognizable.
Star Trek Introduced Zoe Saldaña to a Global Franchise
Saldaña played communications officer Nyota Uhura in J.J. Abrams’s 2009 reboot of Star Trek.
She returned for Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013 and Star Trek Beyond in 2016. Her version of Uhura combined linguistic skill and technical expertise with a more active role in the films’ action and character relationships.
The first Star Trek film arrived during the same year as another major turning point in Saldaña’s career: Avatar.
Neytiri and the Avatar Films
James Cameron cast Saldaña as Neytiri, the Na’vi warrior who becomes Jake Sully’s guide and partner in Avatar. Much of the performance was created through performance-capture technology, but Saldaña supplied Neytiri’s movement, voice and emotional expression.
The 2009 film became a global box-office phenomenon. Saldaña returned as Neytiri in Avatar: The Way of Water, released in 2022.
She reprised the role again in Avatar: Fire and Ash. The official Avatar film page lists its release date as December 19, 2025, and describes Neytiri as a Na’vi warrior facing a new threat alongside Jake and the Sully family.
These films require extended performance-capture work rather than conventional acting in costume on a physical set. Saldaña’s portrayal has consequently developed across voice work, movement, facial performance and years of technically demanding production.
Gamora and the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Saldaña joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014.
Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos and a trained assassin who eventually rejects his control. Saldaña returned in:
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Avengers: Endgame
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The later films introduced a version of Gamora from an earlier point in the character’s life. This allowed Saldaña to play someone with the same history and abilities but without the emotional development established in the first two Guardians movies.
Her appearances across Avatar, Marvel and Star Trek place her in three of modern cinema’s largest science-fiction franchises. Their total ticket sales have also contributed to reports describing her as one of the highest-grossing actors in film history. That label measures the box-office revenue of movies in which she appeared; it does not represent her personal earnings.
Why Did Zoe Saldaña Win an Oscar?
Saldaña won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Rita Mora Castro in Jacques Audiard’s musical crime drama Emilia Pérez.
Rita is an underappreciated lawyer who becomes involved in a cartel leader’s plan to leave a criminal identity behind and begin a different life. The role required Saldaña to act, sing, dance and perform in Spanish.
The Academy’s official 2025 ceremony record confirms that she won over nominees Monica Barbaro, Ariana Grande, Felicity Jones and Isabella Rossellini.
The award was Saldaña’s first Oscar. During her speech, she described herself as a proud child of immigrants and the first American of Dominican origin to receive an Academy Award.
Her awards-season performance also earned recognition from the Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild. Netflix’s interview with Saldaña describes the project as a creative rebirth that reconnected her with the dance and performance training at the beginning of her career.
Other Notable Zoe Saldaña Movies and Shows
Saldaña’s work extends beyond her three major franchises. Selected projects include:
- Colombiana
- The Words
- Out of the Furnace
- The Book of Life
- Live by Night
- Missing Link
- The Adam Project
- From Scratch
- Special Ops: Lioness
- Elio
The Netflix limited series From Scratch gave her a romantic dramatic role centered on love, grief and family. In Special Ops: Lioness, she plays CIA officer Joe and also serves as an executive producer.
Her voice role in Pixar’s Elio continued her involvement in family-oriented animation after earlier work in The Book of Life and Missing Link.
Who Is Zoe Saldaña’s Husband?
Saldaña is married to Italian artist and filmmaker Marco Perego-Saldaña. They married in 2013.
Perego adopted Saldaña’s surname, while she also incorporated his name into her full married name. The decision attracted attention because it reversed the traditional expectation that only a wife changes her surname.
The couple has occasionally worked together. Saldaña starred in The Absence of Eden, which Perego directed.
How Many Children Does Zoe Saldaña Have?
Saldaña and Perego have three sons: twins Cy and Bowie and their younger brother, Zen.
The couple has shared limited family information while protecting much of the children’s daily lives. Their public comments indicate that they use English, Spanish and Italian at home.
The children’s names and occasional public appearances are documented. Their school details, routines and other private information do not need to be published to explain Saldaña’s family life.
What Is Zoe Saldaña Doing Now?
Saldaña’s recent career combines franchise filmmaking with award-winning dramatic work.
Avatar: Fire and Ash extended her role as Neytiri into a third film, while her Oscar victory changed the awards profile of a career previously associated primarily with blockbusters. Her continuing work as an actor, executive producer and member of the Saldaña family’s Cinestar Pictures company also gives her opportunities beyond franchise performance.
Future projects and release dates can change. Confirmed announcements from studios and production companies remain more dependable than fan-created cast lists or rumored sequels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zoe Saldaña most famous for?
She is most widely known as Neytiri in Avatar, Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Uhura in the modern Star Trek films.
Did Zoe Saldaña win an Oscar?
Yes. She won Best Supporting Actress at the 2025 Academy Awards for Emilia Pérez.
Is Zoe Saldaña Dominican?
She is American and was born in New Jersey. Her father was Dominican, her mother is Puerto Rican and she spent part of her childhood in the Dominican Republic.
Is Zoe Saldaña married?
Yes. She has been married to artist and filmmaker Marco Perego-Saldaña since 2013.
How many children does Zoe Saldaña have?
She and Perego have three sons: Cy, Bowie and Zen.
What is Zoe Saldaña’s net worth?
No audited public record confirms her exact net worth. Box-office totals, reported salaries and online estimates do not reveal her complete assets, business interests, taxes, expenses or liabilities.
