Zoe Saldaña Biography, Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego born June 19, 1978 is an American actress best known for her roles in major science fiction film franchises. She has appeared in four of the six highest-grossing films of all time, including the top three: Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Avengers: Endgame. With films she’s starred in grossing over $15 billion worldwide, she ranks as the second highest-grossing lead actress and the highest-grossing actress overall as of 2024.
Time magazine recognized her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023. A trained dancer, Saldaña began her acting career in 1999 with guest appearances on Law & Order. Her first feature film role came in Center Stage (2000), where she played a ballet dancer. She gained early recognition in 2002 with her role alongside Britney Spears in Crossroads.
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Zoe Saldaña Biography
Zoe Saldaña was born on June 19, 1978, in Passaic, New Jersey, to Asalia Nazario and Aridio Saldaña. Her father was Dominican, and her mother is Puerto Rican. Raised in Queens, New York, Zoe’s early life took a significant turn when, at the age of 10, her family moved to the Dominican Republic, where they would live for seven years. During her time in the Dominican Republic, Zoe discovered her passion for dance and began her training at the prestigious ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy, studying ballet along with other dance forms. Her dance education provided not only a creative outlet for her youthful energy but also laid the foundation for her future career in performance. At 17, Zoe and her family returned to the United States, where her love for dance evolved into a deeper interest in theater.
Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego is an 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.
Born: 19 June 1978 (age 46 years), Passaic, New Jersey, United States
Spouse: Marco Perego-Saldaña (m. 2013)
Awards: Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture ·
Parents: Asalia Nazario, Aridio Saldaña
Nationality: American, Dominican
Height: 1.7 m
Early Life
Saldaña was born on June 19, 1978, in Passaic, New Jersey, and raised in Queens, New York. Her father, Aridio Saldaña, was Dominican, and her mother, Asalia Nazario, is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. Saldaña has stated she is three-quarters Dominican and one-quarter Puerto Rican. She and her two sisters, Cisely and Mariel, were raised bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish, with Spanish being the dominant language at home.
At the age of nine, Saldaña’s father tragically died in a car accident, and she and her sisters moved to the Dominican Republic to live with their paternal relatives. Their mother stayed in New York to earn money for their private school education in the Dominican Republic. Eventually, their mother remarried Dagoberto Galán, who became their stepfather. The family spent some time in the Dominican Republic, but after Saldaña’s sophomore year of high school, they returned to New York City due to political instability.
Born in Passaic, New Jersey, and raised in both Queens, New York, and the Dominican Republic, Zoe first explored show business as a dancer. After deciding ballet wasn’t her path due to physical limitations, she transitioned to acting, starting with the Brooklyn-based Faces theater group in 1995 and later performing with the New York Youth Theater. Discovered by a talent agent while performing in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, she landed her first film role in 1999 in Center Stage, where she portrayed a ballerina.
Saldaña’s career continued with Crossroads in 2002, alongside Britney Spears, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003. Her role as a Star Trek fan in The Terminal (2004) was less successful commercially, but it set the stage for her breakout role as Uhura in Star Trek (2009), which finally brought her widespread attention after years of hard work. Her remarkable journey continued with roles in blockbuster franchises, including Marvel and Avatar films. In 2024, she returned to her dancing roots in the musical crime comedy Emilia Pérez, a full-circle moment in her career.
Is Zoe Saldaña the highest-grossing actress?
As of 2025, the title of highest-grossing actress goes to Scarlett Johansson, whose films have grossed $14.52 billion. Zoe Saldaña comes in second, with her films earning $14.25 billion.
For her role in Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Zoe Saldaña reportedly earned $8 million, while co-star Sam Worthington made $10 million, despite Saldaña’s extensive film history and box office success outpacing his.
How much does Zoe Saldaña make per movie?
Zoe Saldaña’s salary per film typically ranges from $2 million to $11 million, depending on the film’s budget and the size of her role.
How much did Zoe Saldaña make for Guardians of the Galaxy?
For her role in the first Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Zoe Saldaña reportedly earned just $100,000, which is lower than some co-stars, including Karen Gillan, who earned $140,000. Despite its $770 million box office haul, it was a notable example of potential pay disparities related to gender and race.
How much did Zoe Saldaña make for Avengers: Infinity War?
While her exact salary for Avengers: Infinity War (2018) isn’t publicly confirmed, it’s believed that Zoe earned around $3 million for her role, significantly more than her salary for Guardians of the Galaxy but still less than some of her co-stars, who reportedly earned tens of millions of dollars.
How much did Zoe Saldaña make from Endgame?
For Avengers: Endgame (2019), Zoe Saldaña’s reported salary was $11 million. Given the movie’s box office success, grossing over $2.7 billion, she may have earned more if her contract included box office bonuses.
How much did Zoe Saldaña make for Colombiana?
Zoe Saldaña’s salary for Colombiana (2011) hasn’t been disclosed publicly. Despite a $40 million budget, the movie earned $63 million globally at the box office.
How much did Zoe Saldaña earn from The Adam Project?
The salary for her role in The Adam Project (2022) remains undisclosed. The film had a $116 million budget, with co-star Ryan Reynolds earning $25 million for the project.
How much did Zoe Saldaña make for From Scratch?
Her salary for From Scratch (2022), a Netflix series, is not publicly known. The show is based on Tembi Locke’s memoir and premiered in October 2022.
How much did Zoe Saldaña make for Emilia Pérez?
Zoe Saldaña’s salary for Emilia Pérez is not publicly known, but reports indicate she had to audition for the role, a rare move for her at this stage in her career. The film has grossed over $14.8 million at the box office, and Netflix purchased the distribution rights for $8 million. Saldaña’s performance earned her multiple award nominations, including a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Academy Awards, which could lead to a substantial paycheck.
Zoe Saldaña’s estimated net worth in 2025 is around $60 million. Despite her roles in three of the highest-grossing movies of all time—Avatar, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame—her fortune doesn’t reflect the astronomical box office earnings these films generated.
