Detailed Biography

Zoe Saldaña is an American actress, known for her recent roles as Anamaria in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Uhura in the 2009 film Star Trek, and Neytiri in the 2009 James Cameron film Avatar.

Early life

Saldaña is an American actress born in New Jersey, United States to a Dominican father and Puerto Rican mother. She "spent much of her childhood in the Dominican Republic before returning to the United States to pursue acting." Her first languages were English and Spanish. Saldaña enlisted in a ballet class at one of the most prestigious dancing schools in the Dominican Republic, gaining experience as a dancer, which benefited her later for her role in Center Stage. She returned to the U.S. after her sophomore year in high school and enrolled in the Faces Theater Program, an acting course.

Career

Saldaña 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 , which subsequently led to appearances in the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads and the drama Drumline . 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 and Guess Who . Saldana was also the lead in the video for Juan Luis Guerra's song "La llave de mi corazón", and played Uhura in the 2009 movie Star Trek.

Personal life

Saldaña has a keen interest in fashion and has her own fashion line called Arasmaci, where most of her designs are influenced by her Dominican heritage.

Awards and nominations