Zoe Yadira Saldaña-Perego (née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978) is an American actress. After performing with the theater group Faces she appeared in two 1999 episodes of Law & Order. Her film career began a year later with Center Stage (2000) in which she portrayed a ballet dancer. After receiving early recognition for her work opposite Britney Spears in the road film Crossroads (2002), Saldaña achieved her career breakthrough with her work in numerous science fiction films, beginning in 2009 with her first of multiple appearances as Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek film series and her first appearance as Neytiri in the Avatar film series. She portrays Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Saldaña appeared in three of the five highest-grossing films of all time (Avatar, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame), a feat not achieved by any other actor. Her films grossed more than $11 billion worldwide, and she is the second-highest-grossing film actress of all time as of 2019. Early life Saldaña was born on June 19, 1978, in Passaic, New Jersey. The majority of her early childhood was spent in Jackson Heights, New York. She was raised bilingual, speaking English and Spanish. She has two sisters, Cisely and Mariel. Their father died in a vehicle wreck around her ninth birthday, and their mother moved with the children to the Dominican Republic. With regard to her racial identity, Saldaña stated, "There's no one way to be black. I'm black the way I know how to be." While she was raised by her stepfather Dagoberto Galán, her biological father Aridio Saldaña was Dominican, while her mother Asalia Nazario is Puerto Rican. In an interview with Wired, she stated that she is 3/4 Dominican and 1/4 Puerto Rican.Saldaña discovered her love of dance in the Dominican Republic, then enrolled in the ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy studying forms of dance, but describes ballet as her passion. She told Vanity Fair she quit ballet because she did not "have the feet" and had too much pride and ambition to just be in the corps de ballet. The family returned to New York City after her sophomore year at Newtown High School. In 1995, she performed with the Faces theater group in Brooklyn, with plays providing positive messages for teens via themes dealing with issues such as substance abuse and adolescent sex. During these years, she performed with the New York Youth Theater; her appearance in their production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat led a talent agency to recruit her. Her dance training and her acting experience helped her land her first film role, playing ballet student Eva Rodriguez in Center Stage (2000). Career Beginnings Saldaña was a member of Faces after her exposure in an episode of Law & Order (titled "Refuge, Part 2") in 1999. Saldaña's first film role was in Center Stage (2000), directed by Nicholas Hytner, about dancers at the fictitious American Ballet Academy in New York city. She appeared in the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads (2002). The film earned negative reviews from critics, but was a box-office success. Saldaña starred in the comedy-drama Drumline (2002), alongside Nick Cannon, earning mixed reviews.In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), she played Anamaria, a pirate joining Will Turner and Mr. Gibbs for a chance to confront Jack Sparrow for stealing her ship. She appeared in The Terminal as Dolores Torres, an immigration officer and Star Trek fan, a role helping Saldaña during her portrayal in the Star Trek reboot (2009). In 2004, she had roles in Haven and Temptation; both earned little-to-no box-office success. In 2005, Saldaña appeared in Constellation, Guess Who with Ashton Kutcher, and Dirty Deeds. She starred in the romantic comedy-dramas Premium (2006) and After Sex (2007). Saldaña starred in Blackout, a television film set in New York city during the Northeast Blackout of 2003. The film premiered at the 2007 Zurich Film Festival and debuted on BET in 2008. Saldaña had a supporting role as Angie Jones in the action thriller Vantage Point (2008). Breakthrough roles, Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy Saldaña appeared in two roles in 2009, raising her profile considerably. She played Nyota Uhura in Star Trek. The film's director J. J. Abrams asked Saldaña to play the role because he enjoyed her work. Saldaña never saw the original series, although she portrayed a Trekkie in The Terminal (2004), but agreed to play the role after Abrams complimented her. She met with Nichelle Nichols to understand the creation of Uhura's background and name of the character. Saldaña's mother was a Star Trek fan, leaving voice-mails during filming, advising on the role. Steven Spielberg taught her the Vulcan salute five years earlier while he directed her in The Terminal. Star Trek (2009) was a box-office success earning $385.7 million.Saldaña's second high-profile film in 2009 was James Cameron's Avatar portraying the indigenous hunter Neytiri. Avatar was well received by critics, accumulating an approval rating of 83% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed $2.7 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing film of all time, as well as in the United States and Canada. It also became the first film to gross more than $2 billion worldwide. The film was nominated for ten Saturn Awards, and won all ten at the 36th Saturn Awards ceremony. Saldaña's Saturn Award for Best Actress win marked a rare occurrence for an all-CG character.In 2010, Saldaña performed in The Losers as Aisha al-Fadhil, a native Bolivian woman. For the role, she was required to gain weight to carry weapons for eight hours a day. In 2010, she appeared in Takers, Death at a Funeral, and Burning Palms. Her television ad for Calvin Klein's "Envy" line debuted in 2010. In 2011, Saldaña starred in the romantic comedy The Heart Specialist, and portrayed assassin Cataleya Restrepo in the crime drama Colombiana. Although the latter film earned negative reviews from critics, Saldaña's performance was praised.In 2012, she appeared in the romantic drama The Words, earning negative reviews from critics with little success at the box-office.In 2013, Saldaña reprised her role as Uhura in Star Trek Into Darkness, the sequel to the Star Trek re-boot. Like the previous film, it was a box-office success, ending its North American theatre run with a box office total of $228,778,661, placing it as the eleventh-highest-grossing film of 2013. It earned $467,365,246 worldwide, ranking it in 14th place for 2013, and making it the highest-grossing film of the franchise. Saldaña voiced her character in the 2013 release of the Star Trek video game. In 2014, Saldaña played Gamora in the hit Guardians of the Galaxy. Saldaña portrayed the Gamora character with make-up rather than computer generated imagery (CGI) or performance capture. The film became the third-highest-grossing f.... Discover the Zoe York popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Zoe York books.
May the best chef win... After four years at the country’s top culinary school and several years as head chef in her mother’s restaurant, Rowan Townsend has built a notable reputation. H...
Two enemies. One wedding. The plan was simple . . . until they started to fall for each other. Noah and Olivia are total opposites. She’s buttoned up and proper, focused en...
Are you looking for a children's book that is highly entertaining, great for early readers, and is jam-packed with bedtime stories? This children's storybook has it all! This is an excellent...
She's fulfilling her mother's dying dream, he's leaving his legacy behind... When their paths cross, can they find love despite going in different directions? Scarlett Dylan was raised in th...
#1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends With Us writes a free novella about the search for happily ever after. A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the g...
She's his little sister's best friend. Completely off limits. And now they're working together. Jaxon Green 's plans to offer a summer camp for kids at his thoroughbred training ...
From the carnage of war a new hero is born. 1920. The slaughter of World War One is over, but already secret little wars are breaking out all over 'New Europe'. Sub-Lieutenant de Vere Smith ...
Did you know that up to 95% of the people that attempt to use the law of attraction to manifest their desires see no noticeable results? The truth is that most people fail to use the law of ...
An Apple Books Classic edition. Herman Melville’s classic begins with one of the most famous opening lines in world literature: “Call me Ishmael.” Moby Dick was a commercial failure wh...
Unlock the secrets to developing self-confidence and unleash your true potential! James Turnbull's new book is primarily written as a short pocket-book guide for people with busy lives to ta...
Bestselling Erotica Author Brenda Blanchard Is Giving Away a Collection of Some of Her Best Work! "Explicit Erotic Sex Short Stories" by Brenda Blanchard gives you a sneak peek into the sedu...
What motivates us into doing or avoiding things? Why do our predictions not reflect reality? Traditional economics claims humans are rational actors. But is this true? Think about the ...
I've had a crush on my co-worker Declan since the day I started working at Rockline Studios. Trust me, if you could see this man, you'd have a crush on him too. It's been two yea...
MMA champ-turned-FBI Special Agent and BAU specialist Dakota Steele is as tough as they come—and as brilliant, too, able to crack serial killers that no one else can. But this new case is ...
A laugh out loud, soul mate chasing rom-com romp, Sarah Ready's Chasing Romeo is a perfect feel-good novel about finding love where you least expect it. Chloe Daniels is a starry-eyed romant...
Think and Grow Rich is one of the most popular success book of all-time, having sold more than 60 million copies since it was first published more than 70 years ago. It&...
NICE GUYS CAN PLAY DIRTY TOO . . . 'Give me a week. Seven days and seven nights. I'll show you what it's like to be with a nice guy.' Chelsea's housemate Tom is tired of her complaining abou...
How to Finally Overcome the Hurdles of Manifesting Proven, effective and enjoyable ways to help you manifest faster… Right now, think of something that makes you successful. If you have so...
What happens when a Dragon doesn't brush his teeth? Well...We all heard about the ''dragon's breath''. That's why learning proper dental care is really important for a little boy and h...
Aspiring college athlete Aileen Nessa is finding the recruiting process beyond daunting. Being ranked #10 in the world for the 100m hurdles at the age of eighteen is not a fluke, even though...
Welcome to Bitten Point, where the swamp doesn't just keep its secrets, it sometimes eats them. Take one deadly bite and, bam, a man's life is changed forever, or so Caleb discovers when a l...
Are they one late-night hayride away from tumbling back into a very bad idea? Olivia Minelli needs a one-way ticket out of Pine Harbour. It's too small for both her and her ex-husband. So wh...
‘I was hooked from page one and couldn’t put it down until I’d reached the end. The twists and turns just keep coming … will have you gasping in surprise.’ Goodreads Reviewer...
I'm not sure what I'm more scared of—cats that drool or falling for that annoying history professor in my Italian cooking course. Sure, Preston Whitaker has amazing blue eyes, but he's an ...
This isn’t how fairy tales typically begin, but it’s where mine starts… No money, no phone, and abandoned on the streets of Chicago. With my baby in my arms, I wander into a bar in a s...
Book I of the popular Miranda's Rights Mystery series by bestselling author Linsey Lanier. A woman can never make herself too tough, too strong, or too street smart. THE SEARCHIN...
What happens after your dreams come true? Patisserie-Chef Stevie is stuck in a rut. Her beloved Great Aunt Peggy has passed away and she’s lost both her job and the love of her life. Then ...
An apple a day keeps the Goddess in play... Mythology buff Quinn Morris has always wanted to visit Greece, where her inner hardcore romantic envisioned proposing to her boyfriend. And she's ...
A ROYAL FARCE is the hilarious first book in the Retail to Riches series, which follows a plucky big box store employee on her journey from fighting to pay the bills to discovering she’s m...
An attempted murder. A missing spouse. And an international conspiracy that could change the world. Jack Green has always been skeptical of so-called facts. Though he's forced to confront th...
Abigail Sutton's beloved husband walks out one night, doesn't return, and two years later is found dead, a victim of a long ago crime. It's made her sympathetic to the missing and their fami...
Here’s everything you need to know about iPhone, straight from Apple. This definitive guide helps you get started using iPhone with iOS 15 and discover all the amazing things it can do.
Some contracts are meant to be broken... Desperate to shake herself free from the humiliation of a very public divorce, TV financial correspondent Vi Owens makes a deal with a Navy SEAL Comm...
Abandoned at the altar, Max, Lord Belvedere believes he's evaded family obligation in favour of a life of adventuring in Africa. But his ailing Aunt Euphemia has other ideas. When Max finds ...
Yeah, I'm trouble...so what? Women like it. That and my big...bank account. Not to mention my, ah, silver tongue. I'm the prince of my world, right up until the king gets upset. My f...
Don't rush on anything. If the time is right, it will happen. Rae I've always known I was meant to get out of the dead-end side of town where I was born. Trevor is my plan. He's from t...
Her daughter has a dark secret. One that will turn their perfect small town upside down. Now she's missing. Mandy Knox can't shake the gut wrenching feeling that something sinister hap...
One night down on Hillside Farm Everything was quiet and calm But all alone there lay a sheep Who found he couldn't get to sleep. Follow Sheep as he tries to find the best way to get to slee...
Here’s everything you need to know about Apple Watch and the Apple Watch app on iPhone, straight from Apple. This definitive guide helps you get started using Apple Watch with watchOS 8 an...
Mr Taco is feeling sad, it’s not easy being a little taco when everything around you is so BIG! Luckily, Patrick has a few ideas to help his friend... ———— NOT YOUR REGULAR S...
This ebook contains golden nuggets on how to motivate, inspire and improve your current situation. It encompasses the holistic view of self improvement from mental& emotional wellbeing, ...
When we are baffled by the insanity of the “other side”—in our politics, at work, or at home—it’s because we aren’t seeing how the conflict itself has taken over. That’s what ...
Leonidas is a Dragon Prince of the House of Smoke… and he is cursed. Falling in love was never in the cards for Leonidas. An angry witch made sure of that—if he loses his heart, he loses...
Rosy Winter is definitely not looking for love. Following heartbreak, Rosy has rebuilt her life in the beautiful Cornish village of Penmenna. Now headmistress of the local school, she is liv...
Matchmaker Rule #1: Never fall in love with the client. After working my way to the top, I'm in the running to become the CEO of Southern California's premier matchmaking service. All I have...
She's finally getting her life back together. His is falling apart. It's the perfect time to take a chance. Nobody likes packing up their things and moving to a small town in the middle of n...
"The best feel-good romcom you need right now." Goodreads reviewer A mistaken arrest, an unpaid debt, and a trip to Vegas. Living in a small town where everyone knows your business isn't eas...
An Apple Books Classic edition. You’ve seen the iconic 1939 movie, but do you know about the talking field mice, the Winkies, and the Witch of the North that appear in the original book? L...
From USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Lexy Timms, comes a billionaire romance that'll crank up the heat and have you falling in love all over again. Jamie Connors has given up on finding a man....
She’s an A-list Hollywood starlet. He’s a gossip reporter. Sleeping with the enemy has never been sweeter… Kimberleigh Cress didn’t get to be one of the one of the hottest youn...
Listen The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Unabridged) - Stephen R. Covey audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Greenlights (Unabridged) - Matthew McConaughey audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen The Hotel Nantucket - Elin Hilderbrand audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence (Unabridged) - Michael Pollan audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Every Summer After (Unabridged) - Carley Fortune audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen In the Blood (Unabridged) - Jack Carr audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen The 6:20 Man - David Baldacci audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Where the Crawdads Sing (Unabridged) - Delia Owens audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark Manson audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen November 9 (Unabridged) - Colleen Hoover audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen The Midnight Library: A Novel (Unabridged) - Matt Haig audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Heart Bones (Unabridged) - Colleen Hoover audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Hornet's Nest - Patricia Cornwell audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Verity (Unabridged) - Colleen Hoover audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen The End of the World is Just the Beginning - Peter Zeihan audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen The Art of Seduction: An Indispensible Primer on the Ultimate Form of Power - Robert Greene audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Reminders of Him: A Novel (Unabridged) - Colleen Hoover audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel (Unabridged) - Taylor Jenkins Reid audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph (Unabridged) - Ryan Holiday audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Locked Up Liars: Saint View Prison, Book 1 (Unabridged) - Elle Thorpe audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Unabridged) - Anthony Bourdain audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Unabridged) - Taylor Jenkins Reid audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen Rising Tiger (Unabridged) - Brad Thor audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen I'd Like to Play Alone, Please - Tom Segura audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen A Family Affair - Robyn Carr audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen We'll Always Have Summer - Jenny Han audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen What Happened to You? - Oprah Winfrey & Bruce D. Perry audiobook, mp3 download.
Listen It Happened One Summer - Tessa Bailey audiobook, mp3 download.