Actress Zoe Saldana , best known for her lead roles in big franchises such as James Cameron’s Avatar, Star Trek, and Guardians of the Galaxy celebrates her birthday today. She turns 38. Her breakout year was 2009 where both Avatar and the first film of the rebooted version of Star Trek appeared in cinemas in the United States and abroad. This popular actress has reprised her roles in upcoming sequels for all three franchises. You might also remember her for her roles in the film adaptation of DC’s The Losers and in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Born in Passaic, New Jersey, she grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. A tragedy had the family move to the Dominican Republic where her father was from. She soon found herself back in New York where in 1995 she performed in a theater group in Brooklyn. She later moved on to roles on television and then on to the big screen. She is married to Italian artist Marco Perego, who adopted her surname when they married, breaking the wedding tradition of just the wife taking the surname of the husband. Her name is Zoe Saldana-Perego. His name is Marco Perego-Saldana. Together they have twin sons.
This 38th birthday is bittersweet for her. It is Father’s Day in the Unites States, a day she cannot celebrate with her father because her dad died in a car crash when she was 9. A memory cruelly relived today and darkened by another tragedy because her Star Trek co-star Anton Yelchin had a freak accident with his car on his property yesterday on June 18. He was pronounced dead today at the age of 27. The talented young Mr. Yelchin portrayed Pavel Chekov in the new series of Star Trek films.
Saldana and Yelchin can be seen together in the latest installment of Star Trek, Star Trek Beyond when it premieres next month on July 22, 2016.
Incidentally Zoe’s name in the Greek language means Life. May she live long, and prosper.