Zoë Saldaña

Saldaña in 2011, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: Zoë Yadira Saldaña Nazario

Place of Birth: Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.

Date of Birth: June 19, 1978

Ethnicity: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rican, evidently small amount of Lebanese and Haitian

Zoë Saldaña is an American actress and dancer. She has starred as Uhura in the rebooted Star Trek films, Neytiri in the Avatar franchise, and Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy/the MCU. She is also known for her roles in the films Center Stage, Get Over It, Crossroads, Drumline, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Terminal, Haven, Guess Who, Constellation, Premium, The Heart Specialist, After Sex, Blackout (2007), Vantage Point, The Skeptic, Death at a Funeral (2010), The Losers, Takers, Burning Palms, Colombiana, The Words, Blood Ties, Out of the Furnace, Infinitely Polar Bear, The Book of Life, Nina (2016), Live by Night, I Kill Giants, Missing Link, Vampires vs. the Bronx, Vivo, The Adam Project, and Amsterdam, and on television’s Rosemary’s Baby, Maya and the Three, and From Scratch.

Zoë is the daughter of Asalia Nazario and Aridio A. Saldaña. She is a black Latina. Her father was born in Cotui Pro Sa, Dominican Republic. Her mother is Puerto Rican. Zoë has described herself as “three quarters Dominican and a quarter Puerto Rican.” She was initially raised in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, then spending a few years in the Dominican Republic after her father’s death; before moving back to Queens.

She is also said to have some degree of Lebanese and Haitian ancestry. She speaks English and Spanish fluently. Pictures of Zoë’s family members can be seen here.

Zoë is married to Italian artist Marco Perego, with whom she has three children.

Zoë has said:

There’s no one way to be black… I’m black the way I know how to be. You have no idea who I am. I am black. I’m raising black men.

 Zoë Saldana, Marco Perego at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party 2015 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Saldaña and her husband Marco Perego at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2015, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

607 Responses

  1. me says:

    She looks fully black to me.

  2. angrygirl19 says:

    Don’t forget Hatian,miss on her commercial

  3. ladida says:

    Seriously? People are getting heated and arguing over what a girl IDENTIFIES as. If the girl wants to be black, let her be black. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. What is wrong with you people? Do you look in the mirror and hate your reflection so much that you have to knock down and berate black Americans? Do you have some self loathing issues? Get over it and grow up. The girl identifies as black but acknowledges her mixed heritage. That should be enough for you sociopaths, but it’s not because while some of you are blaming her racial choice on black Americans you fail to realize you all are reaching and snatching her away from her blackness due to your INSECURITY. Either you’re white and hoping to identify with such a beautiful woman, or you come from a similar background as her and do not wish to be identified as black due to your own self hatred. It’s sad really, she’s not white, obviously get over it.

    • arjanguelsk says:

      I understad youre argument, and is not our problem the race that she identify herself and she dosen’t look white. But she is obiously mixed and if deny one of you’re roots its dosen’t care if it the white or black or other…. It’s really sad cuz that race you are denying is in you’re blood… But discuss about the race of others or juge what they are … Only becouse you thing they aren’t is stupid.

  4. arjanguelsk says:

    She is mixed… She’s clearly mixed

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