Zoe Saldana

ZOË SALDANA

Newcomer Zoë Saldana needn’t worry about attracting casting agents -- thanks to her role as Uhura in the new Star Trek film ... all hailing frequencies are open.

Zoë Saldana (full name Zoe Yadira Zaldana Nazario) was born on June 19th, 1978 in New Jersey.  Her mother is Puerto Rican and her father is Dominican.  Zoë grew up in Queens, New York, speaking both English and Spanish.  When she was nine-years-old, Zoë’s father was killed in an automobile accident, and her mother moved her and her sisters to the Dominican Republic.  In love with dancing, Zoë won a scholarship to one of the country’s most prestigious dancing schools, Ritmos Espacio de Danza Academy, where she studied ballet, jazz, and Latin dance.

At 17, during her sophomore year in high school, Zoë and her family returned to the U.S.  Shortly thereafter, the budding performer enrolled in acting classes at the Faces Theater Program, where she acted in improvisational skits and educational plays specifically written to provide positive messages for teens.

She also performed at the New York Youth Theater, notably in a hit version ofJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  Her performance was noticed by an agent, which led to her first on-camara job in 1999, on an episode of the television show Law and Order.

ZOË SALDANA

Soon after this, Zoë made her film debut as Eva in the 2000 film Center Stage.  More big screen roles followed in the Kristen Dunst comedy Get Over It (2001), the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads (2002), and Drumline (2002).  While these films gave Zoë some much needed exposure, it wasn’t until 2003 and a little film called Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl that Zoë had worldwide attention -- Zoë played Anamaria, the notorious female pirate who could make Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) bow to her will.  The role was small, but memorable.

The following year, Steven Spielberg cast Zoë as a tough INS inspector named Torres in The Terminal, opposite Tom Hanks, Diego Luna and Catherine Zeta-Jones.  Zoë’s character was a Star Trek fan ... but (and maybe I’m the only one to notice this) when she flashed the Vulcan hand sign for “Live long and prosper,” she got it wrong -- her thumb is tucked in rather than extended, something no self-respecting Star Trek fan would ever do.  Ironically, this did not keep Zoë from a MAJOR casting coup a few years later.

After a few other films, Haven, Temptation, Dirty Deeds, Zoë starred as Ashton Kutcher’s love interest in 2005’s Guess Who, a remake of the 1967 classicGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner.  The film couldn’t compete with the original, but it did increase Zoë’s exposure.

ZOË SALDANA AS UHURA IN STAR TREK (2009)

More lackluster films ensued, until 2008 when Zoë was cast in two ginormous films.  Avatar, James Cameron’s looooong-awaited follow up to Titanic, regards a paralyzed Marine who undergoes an experiment to exist as an avatar, another version of himself, within an alien body on an alien world.  Zoë will play an alien who this Maine initially betrays, but eventually falls in love with.  Zoë’s character will be entirely computer generated.  She has also signed on for sequels.  Avatar is scheduled for release in December of 2009.

Zoë was also cast to play Nyota Uhura in J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek,starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, and Leonard Nimoy.  To prepare for her role, Zoë met with Nichelle Nichols who played the role in the original series -- Nichelle gave Zoë her blessing.

Not much else is publicly known about Zoë’s personal life, but given the media attention she is about to receive, that may well soon change.  I will keep you updated.

Up next for Zoë: (besides Star Trek and Avatar) Takers and Death at a Funeral, both due in 2010.