Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego (née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978), known professionally as Zoe Saldaña, is an American actress. The second highest grossing lead actor in history, she is the recipient of many accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Critics Choice Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award, and a Cannes Film Festival Award. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023 and 2026. A trained dancer, Saldaña began her acting career in 1999 with a guest role in 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 movie Crossroads (2002) and for her role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Saldaña's breakthrough came as Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek reboot film series (2009–2016) and Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar film series (2009–present). She gained further recognition for portraying Gamora in five films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). In addition to franchise work, Saldaña has also starred in films such as the comedy Death at a Funeral (2010), the action thriller Colombiana (2011), the crime drama Out of the Furnace (2013), the animated comedy Missing Link (2019), and the science fiction film The Adam Project (2022). For her portrayal of a lawyer in the French musical crime film Emilia Pérez, she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. On television, she starred in the Netflix romantic drama miniseries From Scratch (2022) and the Paramount+ spy series Lioness (2023–present). As a singer, she has performed original songs for the Avatar film series.