Zoe Saldana

Born June 19, 1978, in New Jersey, Saldaña didn’t have a traditional upbringing. After spending a few years in Queens, her family moved to the Dominican Republic when she was just 10 years old. While she was raised by her stepfather, Dagoberto Galán, her biological father, Aridio Saldaña, is Dominican and her mother, Asalia Nazario, is Puerto Rican. She has two sisters, Cisely and Mariel.

Seven years after relocating, the actress returned to the Big Apple to pursue her dream of becoming a dancer. In 2000, she landed her first featured role in Center Stage, in which she portrayed a ballerina.

Saldaña scored her breakout role the next year, starring opposite Britney Spears in the film Crossroads before nabbing a major role with Nick Cannon in 2002’s Drumline.

By 2009, Saldaña had become a household name after starring in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. She played Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek franchise, was featured as Neytiri in Avatar and portrayed Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and its sequels, along with other various Marvel Cinematic Universe films, like Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Her films have grossed more than $11 billion worldwide. In 2024, she starred in Emilia Pérez, which earned her a 2025 Golden Globe, SAG Award and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Saldaña got engaged to longtime beau Keith Britton in June 2010, but the two called it quits in November 2011. Saldaña went on to date actor Bradley Cooper for three years, but the pair split in January 2013.

Two months later, the Burning Palms actress began dating Marco Perego. The couple tied the knot in June 2013 and welcomed twins Bowie and Cy in November 2014. Their third child, Zen, was born in February 2017.