Zendaya Coleman is an American performer in both acting and music. She has earned recognition with two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In 2022, Time magazine listed her among the 100 most influential figures globally. Raised in Oakland, California, Zendaya started her journey as a young model and background dancer.
Date of Birth: September 1, 1996 (29 years old), Oakland, California, USA
Romantic Partner: Tom Holland (since 2021)
Parents: Claire Stoermer, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman
Siblings: Katianna Stoermer Coleman and others
Height: 1.78 m
Full Name: Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman

Zendaya Coleman (/zɛnˈdeɪ.ə/ ⓘ zen-DAY-ə; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She has earned numerous honors, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. In 2022, Time recognized her as one of the 100 most influential figures worldwide.

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Raised in Oakland, California, Zendaya Coleman began her career as a child model and background dancer. She first appeared on television as Rocky Blue in the Disney Channel series Shake It Up (2010–2013), and later played the title role in K.C. Undercover (2015–2018). Her film debut came as MJ in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), a role she reprised in the sequels Far from Home (2019) and No Way Home (2021). Her portrayal of Rue Bennett, a troubled teen battling addiction in HBO’s Euphoria (2019–present), made her the youngest actor to ever win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, an award she has won twice. Her other film credits include the musical The Greatest Showman (2017), the romance dramas Malcolm & Marie (2021) and Challengers (2024), and Chani in the sci-fi blockbusters Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024).

As a singer, Zendaya Coleman released her debut singles “Swag It Out” and “Watch Me” (with Bella Thorne) in 2011. The following year, she signed with Hollywood Records and dropped her self-titled album Zendaya (2013), which achieved moderate success. Its lead track, “Replay,” reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. In 2017, she collaborated with Zac Efron on “Rewrite the Stars” for The Greatest Showman soundtrack, which became an international hit, charting in the top 20 across several countries and earning multi-platinum certifications. She has also contributed original songs to the Euphoria soundtrack.

Early life

Zendaya Coleman was born on September 1, 1996, in Oakland, California, to teachers Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu Coleman. Her father is African-American with Nigerian roots confirmed through DNA testing, while her mother is of German and Scottish descent. The name “Zendaya” comes from the Shona word Tendai, meaning “to give thanks.” She has six older half-siblings from her father’s earlier marriages—one from his first wife and five from his second.

She went to Fruitvale Elementary School, where her mother worked for twenty years. At age six, she and two classmates performed a play there for Black History Month. By the time she was eight, she had joined a hip-hop dance crew called Future Shock Oakland, remaining with them for three years, and later spent two years learning hula at the Academy of Hawaiian Arts. Zendaya’s love for the stage also developed at the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, where her mother worked summers as house manager. Zendaya assisted by seating guests, selling raffle tickets, and eventually found inspiration to become an actress from the plays she saw.

While enrolled at Oakland School for the Arts, Zendaya Coleman landed roles in local productions. At the Berkeley Playhouse, she appeared as Little Ti Moune in Once on This Island, and at TheaterWorks in Palo Alto, she portrayed Joe in Caroline, or Change, a role originally written for a male character. Critic Keith Kreitman of the San Mateo Daily Journal praised the then-11-year-old as “a pure delight.” She also trained at the CalShakes Conservatory and the American Conservatory Theater.

Her theater background includes several Shakespearean performances, such as Lady Anne in Richard III, Celia in As You Like It, and participation in Twelfth Night. During seventh grade, her family relocated to Los Angeles. She later graduated from Oak Park High School in 2015, all while actively pursuing her acting career.

2009–2018: Early Career and Breakthrough
Zendaya Coleman started out as a fashion model, working with brands such as Macy’s, Mervyn’s, and Old Navy. She was also featured in an advertisement for iCarly merchandise.[26] Additionally, she appeared as a backup dancer in a Sears commercial that starred Disney actress Selena Gomez. In 2009, she was seen in the Kidz Bop music video for their version of Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold,” which appeared on Kidz Bop 15.[26][27] Later that year, in November 2009, Zendaya auditioned for the Disney Channel series Shake It Up—then called Dance Dance Chicago.[28] For the audition, she performed Michael Jackson’s “Leave Me Alone.”[29] She ultimately landed the role of Rocky Blue. The show debuted on November 7, 2010, drawing 6.2 million viewers, and became Disney Channel’s second-most-watched premiere in its 27-year history.[30] In 2011, Zendaya released Swag It Out, her first independent promotional single. That same year, she appeared in the book trailer for Katie Alender’s From Bad to Cursed. In June, she teamed up with Bella Thorne to release Watch Me, which reached number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second season of Shake It Up debuted on September 18, 2011. She also hosted Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off 2011 on Disney Channel. Around this time, Target stores introduced D-Signed, a fashion line inspired by outfits worn by Zendaya and her fellow Shake It Up cast members.

Zendaya’s first movie role came in Frenemies (2012), a Disney Channel Original Movie. On February 29, 2012, she put out Something to Dance For as a promotional single for the Live 2 Dance soundtrack. For the same album, she also recorded Made in Japan, Same Heart, and Fashion Is My Kryptonite, the latter also released as a single. In June 2012, Shake It Up was renewed for its third and final season. On September 2, 2012, she officially signed with Hollywood Records. The following month, she performed at the Teen Music Festival and an Operation Smile charity event.

Zendaya was later announced as a contestant on season 16 of Dancing with the Stars. At just 16 years old, she became the show’s youngest competitor at the time, until Willow Shields took the record at age 14 in season 20. Her dance partner was professional Valentin Chmerkovskiy, and in May, the duo finished in second place, just behind Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough.

Her debut album, Zendaya, was released on September 17, 2013. It was led by the single Replay, which dropped on July 16, 2013, and was written by Tiffany Fred and Paul “Phamous” Shelton. That August, she was cast as Zoey Stevens, the lead in the Disney Channel Original Movie Zapped, about a teenage girl whose smartphone mysteriously starts controlling the boys around her. In November, Zendaya was chosen as Elvis Duran’s Artist of the Month and appeared on NBC’s Today to perform Replay live.

She was next tapped to star in a Disney Channel pilot originally titled Super Awesome Katy. By May 2014, the network ordered the show to series, rebranding it as K.C. Undercover, with Zendaya playing K.C. Cooper. She had significant creative input on the renaming of her character and the show, as well as on her character’s traits. K.C. Undercover premiered on January 18, 2015, and was renewed for a second season in May of that year. In 2014, Zendaya also appeared as a guest judge on Project Runway: Under the Gunn, where contestants were tasked with designing an outfit for her to wear at an upcoming concert. In February 2015, following a remark made by Giuliana Rancic about Zendaya’s hair at the 87th Academy Awards—suggesting it smelled of “patchouli oil” and “marijuana”—Zendaya quickly responded on Instagram. She highlighted that many accomplished individuals wear locs, a hairstyle unconnected to drugs. Soon after, Mattel created a Barbie doll in Zendaya’s likeness, replicating her Oscars appearance, as part of their “Sheroes” line celebrating inspirational women.

The next month, producer Timbaland revealed he was collaborating with Zendaya on her second album, after she had transitioned from Disney’s label to Republic Records. On February 5, she released “Something New,” featuring Chris Brown, under both Hollywood Records and Republic Records. It became her first official release since signing with Republic. In December 2016, she appeared as a guest judge on the finale of season 15 of Project Runway.

Zendaya made her big-screen debut as Michelle in Spider-Man: Homecoming, released in July 2017. She attended her audition makeup-free—a choice that was carried into filming—and added personal touches to the role, such as carrying a mug of herbal tea. She described Michelle as “awkward, dry, and intellectual,” noting it was refreshing to play a character who was quirky and relatable to many young women. The film earned $117 million in its opening weekend, topping the box office. Critics praised Zendaya’s performance, with The Hollywood Reporter calling her a “scene stealer” and IndieWire naming her the movie’s “MVP” despite limited screen time. That August, she also starred in Bruno Mars’ music video for “Versace on the Floor.”

Later that year, in December 2017, Zendaya co-starred in the musical film The Greatest Showman. She played a trapeze artist who develops a romance with Zac Efron’s character, set against the backdrop of an era when interracial relationships were controversial. Critics praised her performance and chemistry with Efron; Variety’s Owen Gleiberman highlighted their connection, while The Hollywood Reporter commended her emotional depth in limited scenes. Zendaya appeared on three songs from the soundtrack, including the duet “Rewrite the Stars.” Although reviews were mixed, the film became the third-highest-grossing live-action musical in history.

In September 2018, Warner Bros. released the animated feature Smallfoot, in which Zendaya voiced the yeti Meechee and performed two songs for the soundtrack. The film received favorable reviews. In 2019, Zendaya took on the lead role of Rue in HBO’s drama series Euphoria, an American adaptation of the Israeli show of the same name. Rue is a 17-year-old struggling with addiction and serves as the story’s narrator.[77] The show debuted on June 16, 2019, to strong reviews, and Zendaya’s performance, in particular, earned widespread acclaim. Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian remarked that “Zendaya transforms into the self-destructive, self-hating Rue, delivering a mesmerizing and astonishing performance that overturns every assumption about her abilities.”[78] Similarly, Doreen St. Felix of The New Yorker noted: “It quickly becomes absurd to even recall her lighthearted Disney Channel beginnings, as she so fully embodies this darker role. She grasps the essence of Rue’s desperation: her longing for love at the core, with her reliance on drugs serving a deeper spiritual hunger.”[79] That same year, Zendaya reprised her role as MJ in Spider-Man: Far from Home.[80] Critic Christy Lemire described Zendaya’s take on MJ as “enigmatic and magnetic,” highlighting her “wry, deadpan wit.”[81] The movie went on to become a box-office hit, ranking as the fourth highest-grossing film of 2019.[82][83] At the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards in 2020, Zendaya won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, becoming the youngest person to ever receive the honor at age 24.[84]

In 2021, she appeared in Malcolm & Marie, a project shot during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. With strict safety protocols in place, the production used a small crew to limit health risks. Starring opposite John David Washington and directed by Sam Levinson, the creator of Euphoria, the film had Zendaya not only act but also serve as a producer.[85] She distributed ownership shares among the entire team so that everyone benefited financially once the film was sold, and part of the proceeds supported Feeding America.[86][87] Although critics were divided on the movie itself, Zendaya’s performance received consistent praise.[88] Brian Truitt of USA Today described her as “radiant” and “blazing with intensity,” Richard Brody called her work “the film’s single saving grace,” and Peter Debruge of Variety admired how she “lets Marie’s vulnerability show, only to reveal strength through subtle reactions and silence.”[89][90][91]