Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego ( , ; ; born June 19, 1978) is an American actress. Known primarily for her work in science fiction film franchises, she has appeared in all three of the highest-grossing films of all time (Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water and Avengers: Endgame), a feat not achieved by any other performer. Films she has appeared in have grossed more than worldwide and, as of 2023, she is the second-highest-grossing film actress, and the fourth actor overall. A trained dancer, Saldaña began her acting career in two 1999 episodes of 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 film Crossroads (2002). Beginning in 2009, Saldaña achieved a career breakthrough with her roles as Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek film series and Neytiri in James Cameron's Avatar film series. She portrayed Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). In addition to such franchise work, Saldaña has starred in the science fiction film The Adam Project and the romantic drama miniseries From Scratch, both for Netflix in 2022. Early life Saldaña was born on June 19, 1978, in Passaic, New Jersey Her parents were Aridio Saldaña, who was Dominican, and Asalia Nazario, of Puerto Rican descent. Nazario was living as a child with her mother in the Dominican Republic, but they migrated to New York to escape political unrest. In an interview with Wired, Saldaña has said that she is Dominican and Puerto Rican. She and her two sisters, Cisely and Mariel, were raised bilingual in English and Spanish; the latter was their first language at home. The majority of her early childhood was spent in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City. Their father died in a vehicle crash when Saldaña was nine. Her mother sent the three sisters to the Dominican Republic to be raised by their late father's family. She stayed in New York to work in order to afford private school for the girls. The widowed mother Asalia married Dagoberto Galán, who became the stepfather of the girls. They consider him fully their father. With regard to her racial identity, Saldaña has said, "There's no one way to be Black. I'm Black the way I know how to be." Saldaña discovered her love of dance