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Zendaya
American actress and singer (born 1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman (/zɛnˈdeɪ.ə/ ⓘ zen-DAY-ə;[2] born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. The recipient of numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award, she was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. Her films as a leading actress have grossed over $3.9 billion worldwide.
Born in Oakland, California, Zendaya began her career as a child model and backup dancer before gaining prominence for her role as Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up (2010–2013). She then starred in and produced the channel's sitcom K.C. Undercover (2015–2018). Zendaya made her feature film debut as Michelle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). She reprised her role in its sequels Far From Home (2019) and No Way Home (2021), both of which grossed over $1 billion worldwide. For her performance as Rue Bennett, a struggling drug-addicted teenager, in the HBO teen drama series Euphoria (2019–present), Zendaya won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, becoming the youngest performer to win the category, as well as a Golden Globe Award.
Zendaya's other film roles include the musical The Greatest Showman (2017), the romantic dramas Malcolm & Marie (2021) and Challengers (2024), and Chani in the science fiction films Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024). In 2011, she released the singles "Swag It Out" and "Watch Me", the latter a collaboration with Bella Thorne. Signed to Hollywood Records, she released her debut studio album, titled Zendaya (2013), to moderate success. Its lead single, "Replay", peaked within the top 40 of the US Billboard 200. Her Zac Efron collaboration, "Rewrite the Stars", from The Greatest Showman soundtrack (2017), reached the top 20 of several record charts and has received multi-platinum sales certifications globally. She has also written and performed several songs for Euphoria.
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Early life and acting background
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"I knew I wanted to be an entertainer. I could see myself singing and dancing in front of millions of people."
— Zendaya in her book Between U and Me (2013)[3]
Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman was born in Oakland, California, on September 1, 1996.[4][5] Her name derives from the Shona name Tendai (meaning 'to give thanks').[6] Both of Zendaya's parents were teachers;[7] her father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, is African-American, with Nigerian ancestry,[8] and her mother, Claire Stoermer, has German and Scottish ancestry.[9] She has five older half-siblings from her father's previous relationships.[10]
Zendaya attended Fruitvale Elementary School, where her mother taught.[11] She was described as energetic and outgoing at home but reserved and shy at school. At the end of the school year, her parents had her repeat kindergarten to help build her confidence.[5] Because of her father's passion for basketball, Zendaya's parents enrolled her in a local basketball team. After losing interest in the sport, she switched to soccer and track, but both also turned out to be unsuccessful.[12] Around this time, Zendaya, aged six, and two of her friends performed a play at school for Black History Month.[13] At eight years old, she joined a hip-hop dance group called Future Shock Oakland, where she performed for three years.[14][15] She also spent two years dancing hula with the Academy of Hawaiian Arts.[16][17]
After deciding to pursue acting, Zendaya assisted her mother, who spent the summer working as a house manager, at the California Shakespeare Theater.[14] There, she assisted patrons with their seats and sold fundraising tickets, but her primary interest was in the theatrical performances.[11][18] Her first acting role was as a silkworm in her school's production of James and the Giant Peach.[14] Aged eleven, she began attending Oakland School for the Arts[11] and, while still a student, was cast in several roles in area theaters. At the Berkeley Playhouse, Zendaya portrayed Little Ti Moune in Once on This Island, and in TheaterWorks' Palo Alto production of Caroline, or Change, she played Joe, a role originally written for a male performer.[19]
By sixth grade, Zendaya played Lady Anne in Richard III and Celia in As You Like It and took part in a production of Twelfth Night.[20][21] When Zendaya was in seventh grade, she and her father relocated to a small apartment in downtown Los Angeles; her mother continued to stay in Oakland.[22][9] Retrospectively, she said of the experience that her father "knew what I wanted more than anything in the world", though she admitted she "missed a lot of fun things while I was pursuing my dreams and it was difficult not being able to be with my mom and my dog".[22] In 2015, she graduated from Oak Park High School.[23][11]
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Career
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2009–2016: Early recognition with Shake It Up and musical ventures
Zendaya began her career working as a fashion model for Macy's, Mervyns, and Old Navy and also appeared as a back-up dancer in a Sears commercial with Disney star Selena Gomez.[24][25] In 2009, she was a featured performer in the Kidz Bop music video for its cover of the song "Hot n Cold" by Katy Perry.[26] In November 2009, Zendaya was among 200 girls who auditioned for the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up, which follows two teenage friends who get their big break on the local dance show Shake It Up Chicago.[27] She originally auditioned for the role of CeCe Jones, which ultimately went to her co-star Bella Thorne; instead, Zendaya was cast as Rocky Blue.[28] Judy Taylor—senior vice president of Disney Channel—described Zendaya as "completely engaging" with a "great presence", while saying that Thorne had "high energy" and that viewers would "want to get to know her better the instant you meet her".[29]
The first season of Shake It Up premiered on November 7, 2010, and was watched by 6.2 million viewers, becoming Disney Channel's second highest-rated premiere in its history.[30] In 2011, Zendaya released "Swag It Out", a promotional independent single, and starred in the book trailer for "From Bad To Cursed" by Katie Alender.[31][32] That same year, she performed the single "Watch Me" with Thorne, which peaked at number 86 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[33] In 2011, Target stores launched a clothing line inspired by the outfits worn by Zendaya and other cast members of Shake It Up.[34] The second season of Shake It Up premiered in September 2011.[35] Zendaya made her film debut as an aspiring magazine editor in Frenemies (2012), a Disney Channel Original Movie.[36][37] In February 2012, "Something to Dance For" was released as a promotional single for the soundtrack of the second season of Shake It Up.
In October 2012, Shake It Up's third and final season premiered.[38][39] That year, she signed with Hollywood Records.[40] Zendaya was later announced as one of the celebrity contestants on the sixteenth season of Dancing with the Stars.[41] At age sixteen, she became the youngest contestant in the show's history at the time. Partnered with professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Zendaya finished as the runner-up to Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough in May 2013.[42][43] Zendaya released her debut studio album, titled Zendaya, on September 17, 2013, through Hollywood Records.[44][45] A pop and R&B album, Zendaya discusses issues of heartbreak and love.[46][47] The album peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard 200.[45] The record was preceded by its lead single, "Replay", which peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.[48][49]
In 2014, Zendaya starred in the Disney Channel film Zapped, playing a high school student whose phone gains the power to control the boys around her.[50] Jon Caramanica, writing in The New York Times, wrote that she did not "seem to be even a little thrilled", and described the film overall as "hastily written and structured".[51] Zendaya was then cast as the lead in a Disney Channel pilot titled Super Awesome Katy.[52] The show was picked up to series in May 2014 under the new title K.C. Undercover, with Zendaya's character renamed from Katy Cooper to K.C. Cooper.[52] Zendaya exerted influence over the renaming of her character and the retitling of the series, also deciding several elements of the character's personality.[53] K.C. Undercover premiered in January 2015.[54]
In 2014, Zendaya appeared as a guest judge on an episode of Project Runway: Under the Gunn, where the contestants were challenged to design an outfit for her to wear at an upcoming concert performance.[55] In March 2015, musician Timbaland confirmed that he was collaborating with Zendaya on her second album, following her move from Disney's label to Republic Records.[56][57] In February 2016, she released "Something New" featuring Chris Brown, through Hollywood Records and Republic Records—her first official release since signing with the latter.[58][45] In December 2016, Zendaya appeared as a guest judge in the season finale of Project Runway's fifteenth season.[59]
2017–2021: Rise to prominence
In August 2017, Zendaya appeared in the music video for the song "Versace on the Floor" by Bruno Mars.[60] That year, she made her feature film debut, playing Michelle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Homecoming.[61][62] She wore no makeup to her screen test, a decision that was carried through in production, and added her own embellishments to the character, including "carr[ying] around her own mug of strange herbal tea".[63][64] Zendaya described Michelle as "very dry, awkward, [and] intellectual", adding that she found it "refreshing" to play a character who was "weird" and "different", and that "a lot of young people—especially young women—can relate to that".[65][66]
Reviewing Homecoming, The Hollywood Reporter and The Guardian praised Zendaya as a "scene stealer",[67][68] while Time's Stephanie Zacharek lauded her "delightfully sullen insouciance".[69] The film went on to gross over $880 million worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2017.[70] Zendaya then starred in the original musical film The Greatest Showman (2017), portraying a trapeze artist who falls in love with Zac Efron's character during a time when interracial relationships were socially taboo.[71] Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised her on-screen chemistry with Efron,[72] while The Hollywood Reporter highlighted her for "[registering] strongest, bringing touching sensitivity to her handful of scenes".[73] She appeared on three songs from the film's soundtrack, including "Rewrite the Stars" and "The Greatest Show", which reached numbers 70 and 88 respectively on Billboard Hot 100.[74][75]
In September 2018, Zendaya voiced the yeti Meechee in Warner Bros.' animated film Smallfoot,[76] which was met with positive reviews from critics.[77] In 2019, Zendaya began starring in the HBO drama series Euphoria, an adaptation of the Israeli show of the same name, playing Rue, a seventeen-year-old drug addict who is also the series narrator.[78] The show premiered on June 16, 2019, to generally favorable reception.[79] A Guardian writer said that "Zendaya is reinvented as the self-destructive, self-loathing Rue, in what is a truly astonishing, mesmerising performance, upending every expectation of what she could do";[80] Doreen St. Félix, writing in The New Yorker, echoed this, stating that "it becomes difficult, and then absolutely silly, to recall the pink outlines of her early career on the Disney Channel, so grandly does she inhabit this dark new role".[81]
Zendaya reprised her role as Michelle in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).[82] Critic Christy Lemire described her portrayal as "darkly alluring" and praised her "humorous, deadpan charm",[83] and Todd McCarthy, in The Hollywood Reporter, lauded her for being "appealing as well as funny".[84] The film grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide, ranking as the fourth highest-grossing release of 2019.[85] At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards in 2020, Zendaya won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, becoming the youngest recipient of the award at 24.[86] In 2021, Zendaya starred in and produced Sam Levinson's Malcolm & Marie, filmed during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic under strict safety protocols and with a minimal crew.[87][88] The film received mixed reviews, though Richard Brody described her as "the movie's only redeeming quality".[89][90]
Zendaya next voiced Lola Bunny in Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021).[91] She accepted the role after Ryan Coogler approached her, citing both her admiration for him and her fondness for the original 1996 film.[92] Having grown up with the first Space Jam, Zendaya drew inspiration from her family's love of basketball for her performance.[93] She then portrayed Chani in Denis Villeneuve's science fiction epic Dune, the first installment of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel.[94] Critic Glenn Kenny described her performance as "better than apt",[95] while Brian Lowry, writing for CNN, said that her screen time was largely limited to "gauzy images" in the protagonist's visions.[96] Zendaya then reprised her role as Michelle in Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Brian Tallerico, writing for Roger Ebert's website, praising her chemistry with Tom Holland and her handling of the character's "emotional final beats".[97]
2022–present: Established actress
Having previously collaborated with Labrinth on "All for Us" for Euphoria's first season,[98] Zendaya co-wrote two songs for the second season in 2022: "I'm Tired" and "Elliot's Song", also providing vocals on the former.[99] For her performance in the second season, she earned four Emmy nominations at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.[100] She became the youngest two-time nominee in Emmy history for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and her nomination as an executive producer for Outstanding Drama Series made her the youngest woman ever recognized in the category. By winning the lead actress award, she also became the youngest person to win two Emmys.[101][102] In 2023, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama at the 80th Golden Globe Awards and received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her performance in Euphoria.[103][104] In 2022, Zendaya appeared in Elvis Mitchell's documentary Is That Black Enough for You?!?.[105]
During the second weekend of Coachella 2023, she joined Labrinth for a surprise performance of "All for Us" and "I'm Tired", marking her first live performance in eight years.[106][107] She was also featured on the opening track, "The Feels", of Labrinth's third studio album, Ends & Begins (2023).[108] Zendaya next appeared in the documentary Invisible Beauty (2023), which focuses on the life and work of American model and activist Bethann Hardison.[109] She said that playing tennis helped her get in shape for her 2024 films Dune: Part Two and Challengers.[110] Zendaya reprised her role as Chani in Dune: Part Two.[110] She stated that she experienced heatstroke because she did not drink enough water during filming, citing a "fear of peeing [her]self".[111] Her "fierce, open-hearted performance" was lauded by Vulture,[112] and Polygon lauded her "economical" acting, deeming it a career-best.[113]
Zendaya starred in and produced the romantic sports drama Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino, alongside Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist.[114] She characterized the role as an opportunity to abandon her earlier image and portray a character closer to her own age.[115][116] In the film, she portrayed a former tennis prodigy who suffered a career-ending injury and became a coach.[117][118] A critic for the New Statesman wrote that the film was "a brilliant showcase for Zendaya, whose on-screen magnetism has rarely been channelled so effectively".[119] At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in 2025, Zendaya received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Challengers.[120] Zendaya will next star opposite Robert Pattinson in the romantic drama The Drama and in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey (2026).[121][122] She is set to appear as Michelle in Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026),[123] and will also reprise her role as Rue Bennett in the third season of Euphoria.[124] In March 2025, Zendaya was confirmed to star as Ronnie Spector, the frontwoman of the Ronettes, in Be My Baby, a biopic based on Spector's memoir of the same name.[125][126][127] She will also serve as a producer on the project.[128] Before her death in 2022, Spector personally chose Zendaya for the role.[129]
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Other activities
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Fashion and business
Zendaya has served as the face of several major brands, including Beats Electronics,[130] Material Girl,[131] CoverGirl,[132] and Chi Hair Care.[133] and has modeled for designers such as Michael Kors and Dolce & Gabbana.[134][135] In August 2013, she published her debut book, Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and Confidence, written to "help girls through the tougher parts of the tween years".[136][137] Two years later, she launched her first shoe collection, Daya—named after her childhood nickname—and followed it in November 2016 with her clothing line, Daya by Zendaya. The brand’s second collection was gender-fluid and offered a full range of sizes.[138][139]
In October 2018, Zendaya became an ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger and co-designed the Tommy x Zendaya capsule collections, drawing inspiration from the 1970s and its "strong, iconic women". Her Paris and New York Fashion Week shows were acclaimed for their celebration of diversity and inclusivity, featuring women of color, plus-size models, and models up to seventy years old as a tribute to pioneering figures in fashion.[140] Zendaya became a spokesmodel for Lancôme in 2019,[141] followed by Bulgari and Valentino in 2020.[142][143] In June 2022, she was named the global brand ambassador for Glaceau Smartwater,[144] and in 2023, she became an ambassador for Louis Vuitton.[145]
Philanthropy and activism
Zendaya has lent her support to several charities and causes. In 2012, she became an ambassador for Convoy of Hope and encouraged fans to support Hurricane Sandy response efforts.[146] The following year, she promoted other relief efforts. In 2014, Zendaya recorded John Legend's song "All of Me" with a portion of the proceeds going to the organization.[147] In 2016, she celebrated her 20th birthday with a campaign to raise $50,000 to support Convoy's Women's Empowerment Initiative.[146] In October 2012, Zendaya performed at the medical Operation Smile benefit.[148] She was UNICEF's Trick-or-Treat 2014 campaign spokesperson.[149] In July 2015, she visited South Africa with UNAIDS, the United Nations programme dedicated to preventing and creating access to treatment for HIV and AIDS. Then she also held a fundraiser with Crowdrise, with proceeds going to non-profit, community-based, Ikageng charity in Soweto for a family of AIDS orphans.[13] When Malcolm & Marie, filmed during the pandemic, was sold in September 2020, a portion of the proceeds was shared with Feeding America.[150] In October 2023, she voiced support for Palestine.[151]
Zendaya supports campaigns to raise awareness about underserved communities, underprivileged schools and to financially support schools. In September 2017, she partnered with Verizon Foundation as a spokesperson for their national #WeNeedMore initiative to bring technology, access and learning opportunities to children.[152] In March 2018, Zendaya teamed up with Google.org to support students at a community school in Oakland funding an innovative computer science curriculum.[153]
Zendaya is a feminist.[154] She has previously discussed her experience as a black female in Hollywood.[155][156] She took part in the George Floyd protests in June 2020 and temporarily lent her Instagram account to Patrisse Cullors to share anti-racism resources and media.[157] Zendaya has been an advocate for voting over the years. In October 2016, she was one of the celebrities to participate in "Vote Your Future" initiative and appeared in a campaign video.[158] In September 2020, she encouraged her fans with Michelle Obama, and her "When We All Vote" nonpartisan[159] organization, to check their voter registration ahead of elections.[159] The next month, she shared a video while casting her vote to remind about voting again.[160] In October 2013, she took part in P&G's movement called Mean Stinks, and co-hosted the nationwide live-streamed assembly joined by almost 500 schools.[161][162] In September 2017, she was fronting, along with her Spider-Man: Homecoming costars, a PSA for awareness campaign Stomp Out Bullying.[163]
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Personal life
Zendaya owns a home in Los Angeles and a condo in Brooklyn.[164][165] She is a vegetarian, saying, "My main reason for being a vegetarian is that I'm an animal lover—definitely not because I love vegetables".[166] She first publicly acknowledged her relationship with British actor and Spider-Man co-star Tom Holland in November 2021.[167][124] She found the consistent media attention their relationship received to be "quite strange and weird and confusing and invasive".[167] The couple moved into a £3m home in London together in 2023.[168] They became engaged in December 2024.[169][170]
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Awards and recognition
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In 2016, Zendaya was featured on Forbes' 30 under 30 list.[171] She was included on TIME magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022; Dune director Denis Villeneuve wrote of her saying, "She is an autonomous creative force herself. A cultural icon in the making. A person driven by pure inspiration, empathy, and respect for her craft, who uses authenticity as a new superpower [...] Zendaya is the future. And there is nothing more comforting to me. This is only the beginning".[172] In that same year, Variety ranked her on its list of the 500 most influential figures in global media.[173]
In 2020, at age 24, Zendaya became the youngest recipient of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, winning for her role as Rue Bennett in the HBO drama series Euphoria. After winning the award again at the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards, she became the youngest two-time acting winner.[174] Zendaya received the CinemaCon Star of the Year Award in 2023.[175]
Zendaya was ranked one of the best-dressed women in 2018 by fashion website Net-a-Porter.[176] For the September 2020 InStyle issue she and her stylist, Law Roach, chose to use all black designers, artists, and creatives.[177] In October 2020, she won the Visionary Award at the CNMI Green Carpet Fashion Awards for "promoting diversity and inclusion in fashion and film".[178] The following year in November, she become the youngest person to ever win the CFDA Fashion Icon award at the CFDA Fashion Awards.[179]
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Filmography
Film
Television
Web
Music videos
As lead artist
As featured artist
As guest appearance
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Discography
- Zendaya (2013)
Concert tours
- Swag It Out Tour (2012–2014)
- Opening act
- Summer Tour (Bridgit Mendler) (2014)
References
Bibliography
External links
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