Zoë Saldaña is an American actress who has appeared in numerous film and television productions. Throughout her career, she has taken on roles in action, science fiction, and dramatic genres; her filmography includes both high-budget international productions and independent projects.

Zoe Saldana (Flickr)

Life and Education

Zoë Yadira Saldaña Nazario was born on 19 June 1978 in New Jersey, United States. She spent part of her childhood and adolescence in the Dominican Republic, where she received dance training and worked in ballet and modern dance.

Career

Saldaña’s acting career began in 2000 with film roles. In her early years, she took on supporting roles before gaining recognition for leading roles in major productions.

Film Work

The actress reached a wide audience through characters she portrayed in science fiction and action films. She played Neytiri in the Avatar series, Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films, and Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek series.

Television Work

Saldaña has also appeared in television projects, assuming lead or significant roles in miniseries and series.

Box Office Success and Impact

In terms of total box office revenue from films she has appeared in, Zoë Saldaña has surpassed Scarlett Johansson. This demonstrates the actress’s sustained and consistent presence in high-grossing productions.

Filmography

• Center Stage (2000)
• Crossroads (2002)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
• The Terminal (2004)
• Haven (2004)
• Dirty Deeds (2005)
• Guess Who (2005)
• Constellation (2005)
• Premium (2006)
• After Sex (2007)
• Blackout (2007)
• Vantage Point (2008)
• The Skeptic (2009)
• Star Trek (2009)
• Avatar (2009)
• Colombiana (2011)
• The Words (2012)
• Out of the Furnace (2013)
• Blood Ties (2013)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
• Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)
• The Book of Life (2014)
• Nina (2016)
• Star Trek Beyond (2016)
• Live by Night (2016)
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
• I Kill Giants (2017)
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
• My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)
• Missing Link (2019)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
• Good Burger 2 (2023)
• Emilia Pérez (2024)
• Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)

Television and Animation

• Law & Order (1999) — Guest role
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2004) — Guest role
• Six Degrees (2006–2007) — Recurring role
• Comedy Bang! Bang! (2013) — Guest role
• Rosemary’s Baby (2014) — Miniseries
• Lip Sync Battle (2016) — Guest role
• Home Movie: The Princess Bride (2020) — Guest role
• Maya and the Three (2021) — Voice acting
• From Scratch (2022) — Miniseries
• MPower (2023) — Guest / Executive producer
• The Project (2025) — Planned TV series role