Portrait of Zoe Saldaña

Birthday profile

Zoe Saldaña

Zoe Saldaña, American actress

Born
June 19, 1978
Age in 2026
48
Zodiac sign
Gemini
Birth year
1978

About Zoe Saldaña

Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego (née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978), known professionally as Zoe Saldaña, is an American actress. The 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 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. Saldaña discovered her love of dance while living in the Dominican Republic. Saldaña has starred in four of the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time. Her films have grossed more than $15 billion worldwide, making her the highest-grossing actor of all time. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Critics Choice Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award, and a Cannes Film Festival Award.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Zoe Saldaña was born

Zoe Saldaña was born in 1978. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1978

  • #1 song"Shadow Dancing" – Andy Gibb
  • Top movieThe Deer Hunter
  • Top TV showLaverne & Shirley
  • Best-selling bookThe World According to Garp – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMuhammad Ali wins heavyweight title for the third time
  • Top headlineCamp David Accords — Egypt and Israel sign peace agreement
  • Technology milestoneFirst spam email sent
  • Defining fadDisco and Saturday Night Fever
  • Notable inventionGarfield comic strip debuts
  • World population4.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJimmy Carter
  • Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
  • Also wonWashington Bullets (NBA)
  • U.S. population222.6M

1978 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Zoe Saldaña's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19782026
Gas$0.63$3.45/gal
Average home$55,700$435,000
Average income$17,730$67,500
Minimum wage$2.65$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.34$11.95
Postage stamp$0.15$0.73
Population222.6M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.