Zoe Saldaña

Saldaña at Hollywood Life Magazine's Annual Breakthrough Awards in 2007

Saldaña was a member of Faces after her exposure in an episode of Law & Order (titled "Refuge, Part 2") in 1999.[21] Saldaña's first film role was in Center Stage (2000), directed by Nicholas Hytner, about dancers at the fictitious American Ballet Academy in New York city. She appeared in the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads (2002). The film earned negative reviews from critics, but was a box-office success.[22][23] Saldaña starred in the comedy-drama Drumline (2002), alongside Nick Cannon, earning mixed reviews.[24][25]

In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), she played Anamaria, a pirate joining Will Turner and Mr. Gibbs for a chance to confront Jack Sparrow for stealing her ship. She appeared in The Terminal as Dolores Torres, an immigration officer and Star Trek fan, a role helping Saldaña during her portrayal in the Star Trek reboot (2009).[26] In 2004, she had roles in Haven and Temptation; both earned little-to-no box-office success.

In 2005, Saldaña appeared in Constellation, Guess Who with Ashton Kutcher, and Dirty Deeds. She starred in the romantic comedy-dramas Premium (2006) and After Sex (2007).[27] Saldaña starred in Blackout, a television film set in New York city during the Northeast Blackout of 2003. The film premiered at the 2007 Zurich Film Festival[28] and debuted on BET in 2008.[29] Saldaña had a supporting role as Angie Jones in the action thriller Vantage Point (2008).[30]

Saldaña at the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010

Saldaña appeared in two roles in 2009, raising her profile considerably.[16] She played Nyota Uhura in Star Trek.[31] The film's director J. J. Abrams asked Saldaña to play the role because he enjoyed her work. Saldaña never saw the original series, although she portrayed a Trekkie in The Terminal (2004), but agreed to play the role after Abrams complimented her. She met with Nichelle Nichols to understand the creation of Uhura's background and name of the character.[32] Saldaña's mother was a Star Trek fan, leaving voice-mails during filming, advising on the role.[33] Steven Spielberg taught her the Vulcan salute five years earlier while he directed her in The Terminal.[26] Star Trek (2009) was a box-office success earning $385.7 million.[34]

Saldaña's second high-profile film in 2009 was James Cameron's Avatar portraying the indigenous hunter Neytiri. Avatar was well received by critics, accumulating an approval rating of 83% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[35] It grossed $2.7 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing film of all time,[36] as well as in the United States and Canada. It also became the first film to gross more than $2 billion worldwide.[37] The film was nominated for ten Saturn Awards, and won all ten at the 36th Saturn Awards ceremony. Saldaña's Saturn Award for Best Actress win marked a rare occurrence for an all-CG character.[38]

In 2010, Saldaña performed in The Losers as Aisha al-Fadhil, a native Bolivian woman. For the role, she was required to gain weight to carry weapons for eight hours a day.[39] In 2010, she appeared in Takers, Death at a Funeral, and Burning Palms. Her television ad for Calvin Klein's "Envy" line debuted in 2010.[40] In 2011, Saldaña starred in the romantic comedy The Heart Specialist, and portrayed assassin Cataleya Restrepo in the crime drama Colombiana. Although the latter film earned negative reviews from critics, Saldaña's performance was praised.[41]

In 2012, she appeared in the romantic drama The Words, earning negative reviews from critics with little success at the box-office.[42][43]

In 2013, Saldaña reprised her role as Uhura in Star Trek Into Darkness, the sequel to the Star Trek re-boot. Like the previous film, it was a box-office success, ending its North American theatre run with a box office total of $228,778,661, placing it as the eleventh-highest-grossing film of 2013.[44] It earned $467,365,246 worldwide, ranking it in 14th place for 2013, and making it the highest-grossing film of the franchise.[45] Saldaña voiced her character in the 2013 release of the Star Trek video game.

Saldaña at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival

In 2014, Saldaña played Gamora in the hit Guardians of the Galaxy.[46][47] Saldaña portrayed the Gamora character with make-up rather than computer generated imagery (CGI) or performance capture.[48] The film became the third-highest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, behind The Avengers and Iron Man 3.[49] It was the third-highest-grossing 2014 film (behind Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies), and the highest-grossing superhero film of 2014.[49][50]

The film earned positive reviews. Saldaña was nominated for numerous awards including Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie, Favorite Action Movie Actress at the People's Choice Awards, and Best On-Screen Transformation at the MTV Movie Awards.[51][52]

In May 2014, she performed in Rosemary's Baby, a television adaptation of Ira Levin's horror novel. Saldaña also co-produced the four-hour two-part show.[53] In 2014, Saldaña was recognized by Elle magazine during The Women in Hollywood Awards, honoring women for achievements in film, spanning all aspects of the motion-picture industry, including acting, directing, and producing.[54]

Saldaña starred in Nina, an unauthorized biography about the jazz musician Nina Simone released in 2016. The film depicts the late singer's rise to fame and relationship with her manager Clifton Henderson. Simone's family were critical of the decision to cast her in the role.[55] In August 2020, Saldaña apologized for taking on the role, saying “I'm so sorry. I know better today and I'm never going to do that again. She's one of our giants and someone else should step up. Somebody else should tell her story.” [56] In 2016, she co-starred in the science-fiction sequel Star Trek Beyond released in July, and Ben Affleck's crime drama Live by Night released in December.[57]

Saldaña returned as Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, released in May 2017.[58] She reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and its sequel Avengers: Endgame released in April 2019.

Also in 2017, Saldaña played Mrs. Mollé in I Kill Giants, Anders Walter's adaptation of Joe Kelly's graphic novel I Kill Giants. Shooting commenced in Ireland in September 2016.[59] Also that year, she appeared in My Little Pony: The Movie performing the voice of pirate parrot Captain Celaeno.

On May 3, 2018, she received a star at 6920 Hollywood Boulevard in the Motion Pictures section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[60]

In 2021, Saldaña starred in two roles made by Netflix, appearing as Rosita in the film musical Vivo and stars as the titular character in Maya and the Three. She will join an all-star cast in David O. Russell's Amsterdam.[61]

She will reprise her role as Neytiri in the sequels Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3, scheduled for 2022 and 2024 respectively.[62]