Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego ( sahl-DAN-ə, Latin American Spanish: [ˈso.e salˈdaɲa]; née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978) is an Dominican-American actress. Known primarily for her work in science fiction film franchises, she has starred in four of the six 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 two episodes of Law & Order. Her first film role was in Center Stage (2000) in which 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 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 Special Ops: Lioness. In 2024, Saldaña starred in the musical crime film Emilia Pérez, for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
