Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario was born on June 19, 1978, in Passaic, New Jersey. She began her acting career in the late 1990s with roles in television series and films. Saldana’s breakthrough role came in 2009 with her performance as Neytiri in James Cameron’s “Avatar,” which became the highest-grossing film of all time. She continued to build a successful career with roles in blockbuster films such as “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Star Trek.”