Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego (
/sɑːlˈdɑːnə, -ˈdæn-/ sahl-DA(H)N-ə, Spanish:
[ˈsoe salˈdaɲa];
née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978) is an American actress. Known primarily for her work in science fiction film franchises, she has appeared in all three of the
highest-grossing films of all time (
Avatar,
Avatar: The Way of Water and
Avengers: Endgame), a feat not achieved by any other performer. Films she has appeared in have grossed more than $13 billion worldwide and, as of 2023, she is the
second-highest-grossing film actress, and the fourth actor overall.
A trained dancer, Saldaña began her acting career in two 1999 episodes of
Law & Order. Her first film role was in
Center Stage (2000) in which she played a ballet dancer. She received early recognition for her work opposite
Britney Spears in the road film
Crossroads (2002). Beginning in 2009, Saldaña achieved a career breakthrough with her roles as
Nyota Uhura in the
Star Trek film series and
Neytiri in
James Cameron's
Avatar film series. She portrayed
Gamora in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). In addition to such franchise work, Saldaña has starred in the science fiction film
The Adam Project and the romantic drama miniseries
From Scratch, both for
Netflix in 2022.
