Zoe Saldana Biography

By A Mystery Man Writer

After spending most of her youth training as a dancer, Zoe Saldana made the transition to acting on screen after an attention-getting performance in the stage musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Saldana began landing television and feature roles almost immediately, including "Center Stage" (2000), in which she was able to showcase her years of ballet training. Despite the
After spending most of her youth training as a dancer, Zoe Saldana made the transition to acting on screen after an attention-getting performance in the stage musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Saldana began landing television and feature roles almost immediately, including Center Stage (2000), in which she was able to showcase her years of ballet training. Despite the fast start, her career had trouble lifting off after a series of disappointing film like Get Over It (2001) and Crossroads (2002), though she did make fleeting appearances in large studio fare like Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and The Terminal (2004). Eventually, Saldana managed to break free from the confines of broad comedy and forgettable independents when she was cast to play both Lieutenant Uhura in the highly anticipated reboot of Star Trek (2009) and its sequels, Gamora in Marvel's action comedy smash Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and the Na'vi heroine, Neytiri, in James Cameron's box office behemoth, Avatar (2009). These blockbusters bounced the actress from relative obscurity to undeniable movie star, but she also took the time to appear in smaller-scale prestige projects such as Luc Besson's action thriller Colombiana (2011), family drama Infinitely Polar Bear (2014), and Ben Affleck's Prohibition-set drama Live By Night (2016).