Zoe Saldaña net worth is estimated to be around $60 million as of 2024. Zoe Saldaña is an American actress born on June 19, 1978. She’s famous for her roles in big-budget science fiction movies like “Avatar” and the “Avengers” series which are some of the highest-earning films ever made collectively bringing in over $15 billion worldwide. As of 2024, she ranks as the second highest-earning actress in film history. Time magazine recognized her as one of the most influential people globally in 2023.
Before acting Saldaña trained as a dancer. She started her acting career with small roles including appearances in “Law & Order” in 1999. Her breakthrough came with the movie “Center Stage” in 2000 where she played a ballet dancer. She gained early attention starring alongside Britney Spears in “Crossroads.”
From 2009 onward Saldaña became widely known for her roles as Nyota Uhura in the “Star Tre”k movies and Neytiri in James Cameron’s “Avatar” series. She also played Gamora in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films from 2014 to 2023.
Beyond these blockbuster franchises, Zoe Saldaña starred in the sci-fi film “The Adam Project” and the romantic drama miniseries “From Scratch” both released on Netflix in 2022. In 2023, she took on the lead role as a CIA officer in the Paramount+ spy series “Special Ops: Lioness.” Saldaña’s work in the musical crime film “Emilia Pérez” earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress shared with her co-stars.
Zoe Saldaña in Brief
Full Name | Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario |
Date of Birth | June 19, 1978 |
Place of Birth | Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress |
Height | 5 ft 6 in (170 cm) |
Spouse | Marco Perego |
Children | 3 |
Net Worth | $60 million |
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What is Zoe Saldaña Net Worth in 2024?
Zoë Saldana is an American actress with a net worth of $60 million as of 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth. She started her career in theater and then became one of the top actors in the world, mainly by starring in science fiction movies. Zoë has been in some of the highest-earning films ever, like “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
In January 2023, when “Avatar: The Way of Water” made over $2 billion, she became the first actor to appear in four movies that earned more than $2 billion worldwide. Other films include “Avengers: Endgame” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” Overall, her movies have made over $14 billion around the globe.
Zoë first wanted to be a dancer and studied ballet, modern, and jazz at a school in the Dominican Republic. When she came back to the U.S., she switched to acting, joining youth theater groups and performing in musicals. Her role in a small play got her an agent, and in 2000, she made her movie debut in “Center Stage,” a ballet film. Since then, she has had a long career, working alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest male stars. She has been in films like “Drumline,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Star Trek,” “Avatar,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and many more.
Zoe Saldaña’s Early Life and Education
Zoë Yadira Saldaña Nazario was born on June 19, 1978, in Passaic New Jersey. Her parents Aridio Saldaña and Asalia Nazario raised her and her two sisters Cisely and Mariel in a bilingual household where Spanish was their first language. They spent much of their early years in Jackson Heights Queens New York City.
When Zoë was nine her father died in a car accident. Her mother Asalia sent the sisters to the Dominican Republic to be raised by their father’s family while she worked in New York to afford their education. Asalia later remarried Dagoberto Galán who became a father figure to the girls.
Zoë’s racial identity is important to her; she has expressed that being Black can mean different things to different people and she identifies as Black in her way.
Her passion for dance began during her time in the Dominican Republic where she trained at the ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy focusing mainly on ballet. Despite her dedication she eventually left ballet because she felt she lacked the physical attributes required and didn’t want to settle for a lesser role.
Returning to New York City during high school Zoë continued to pursue her passion for acting and performing. She joined the Faces theater group in Brooklyn and later performed with the New York Youth Theater. Her breakthrough came when she was cast in the film Center Stage where her dance background and acting skills helped her secure the role of Eva Rodriguez a ballet student.
Throughout her journey, Zoë Saldaña’s upbringing and diverse experiences have shaped her into the accomplished actress and advocate she is today.
Zoe Saldaña’s Career
Beginnings
Zoe Saldaña got her start after appearing on an episode of “Law & Order” in 1999. Her first big movie role was in “Center Stage” a film about dancers at a fictional ballet school in New York City. She also appeared in “Crossroads” with Britney Spears which made a lot of money despite bad reviews. Zoe starred in “Drumline” with Nick Cannon which got mixed reviews.
In “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” Zoe plays Anamaria a pirate who joins Will Turner and Mr. Gibbs to confront Jack Sparrow for stealing her ship. She was in “The Terminal” as Dolores Torres an immigration officer and “Star Trek” fan which helped her when she later played Uhura in the Star Trek reboot. Zoe also appeared in smaller movies like Haven and Temptation in 2004 which weren’t very successful at the box office.
In 2005, Zoe Saldana was in movies like “Constellation,” “Guess Who” with Ashton Kutcher, and “Dirty Deeds.” She starred in romantic comedies Premium and After Sex. Zoe appeared in “Blackout” a TV movie set in New York City during a blackout and had a role in the action thriller Vantage Point.
Breakthrough with franchise roles
Zoe’s big year was 2009 when she starred as Nyota Uhura in “Star Trek.” The director chose her because he liked her work and she even met with Nichelle Nichols to learn more about the character. Zoe’s mom a big “Star Trek” fan gave her advice during filming. Steven Spielberg had taught her the Vulcan salute years earlier when they worked on “The Terminal.” “Star Trek” was a huge hit making $385.7 million.
In the same year, Zoe starred in “Avatar” as Neytiri an indigenous hunter. Avatar became the highest-grossing film ever making $2.7 billion worldwide. It won ten Saturn Awards and Zoe won Best Actress for playing an all-CG character.
In 2010, Zoe Saldana was in “The Losers” as Aisha al-Fadhil gaining weight to handle weapons for the role. She also appeared in “Takers,” “Death at a Funeral,” and “Burning Palms” and did a TV ad for Calvin Klein. In 2011, Zoe starred in “The Heart Specialist” and played an assassin in Colombiana. The latter got mixed reviews but Zoe’s performance was praised.
In 2012, Zoe was in “The Words” which didn’t do well with critics or at the box office. She returned as Uhura in “Star Trek Into Darkness” another hit. Zoe voiced Uhura in the “Star Trek” video game that year.
In 2014, Zoe Saldaña played Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy” using makeup rather than CGI. The film did well and Zoe got nominated for several awards. She also appeared in “Rosemary’s Baby” a TV adaptation and co-produced the show. That year Zoe was honored at Elle magazine’s Women in Hollywood Awards for her achievements in film.
Zoe Saldaña has been in several notable movies over the years. She starred in “Nina” a film about jazz legend Nina Simone which came out in 2016. Some people criticized her casting because Simone’s family didn’t approve. In 2020, Saldaña apologized for taking the role saying she understood the concerns now and wouldn’t do it again.
In 2016, she was also in “Star Trek Beyond” and “Live by Night.” She played Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” in 2017 and reprised the role in later Marvel movies like “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” She returned as Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in 2023.
In 2017, she appeared in “I Kill Giants” and voiced a character in “My Little Pony: The Movie.” She got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.
In 2021, Zoe Saldaña starred in two Netflix productions “Vivo” and “Maya and the Three” and joined the cast of David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam.”
She also returned as Neytiri in “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 2022 and will continue in “Avatar 3” in 2025. She’s also set to star in the Paramount+ series “Special Ops: Lioness.
Zoe Saldaña’s Personal Life
In June 2010, Zoë Saldaña got engaged to Keith Britton her longtime boyfriend who was an actor and the CEO of My Fashion Database. However, in November 2011, they announced they were ending their relationship after being together for eleven years.
Shortly after from December 2011 to January 2013 Saldaña dated actor Bradley Cooper.
In March 2013, Zoe Saldaña started dating an Italian artist named Marco Perego. They got married in June 2013 in London. A unique thing about their marriage is that Perego adopted Saldaña’s surname so they both use “Saldaña” as part of their names.
They have three sons: twin boys named Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio born in November 2014 and another son named Zen born in February 2017. Saldaña and Perego are raising their children to speak multiple languages—Spanish, Italian, and English.
In July 2016 during an interview, Zoe Saldaña revealed that she has Hashimoto’s thyroiditis an autoimmune disease that runs in her family. To manage this condition she and her husband follow a diet that excludes gluten and dairy.
Aside from her acting career, Saldaña supports FINCA International a micro-finance organization. In 2017, she founded BESE a digital media platform aimed at increasing diversity in mainstream media, especially in portraying positive stories from the Latino community.
In September 2020, Zoe Saldaña used her social media presence to raise awareness about voter ID requirements for the presidential election that year through the VoteRiders #IDCheck Challenge.
Zoe Saldaña Real Estate
In June 2016, actress Zoe Saldana bought a beautiful house in Beverly Hills, California, for $8.7 million. This house is in a fancy neighborhood called Hidden Valley Estates, where famous neighbors like Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, and Jennifer Lawrence live.
In September 2023, Zoe listed her Beverly Hills home for $16.5 million. However, after a few months without a buyer, she decided to rent it out for $50,000 a month and reduced the selling price to $14.5 million.
Later, in December 2023, Zoe purchased a new home in Montecito, California, for $17 million. This property is almost five acres large, making it quite spacious.