The Bookish Life of Zendaya

At conscionable 26, Zendaya has been a household sanction for fractional of her life. She was calved Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman connected September 1, 1996, successful Oakland, California. She is the youngest of six children; parents Kazembe and Claire are some teachers. She began acting astatine property 6, performing with her friends successful an simple schoolhouse play for Black History Month. During the summers she began helping retired astatine the California Shakespeare Theatre, wherever her parent worked. From there, she rapidly began acting arsenic good arsenic dancing, and attended Oakland School for the Arts.

Her aboriginal theatre roles included Jo(e) successful Caroline, oregon Change by Tony Kushner; Ti Moune successful Once connected This Island by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based connected My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, which is simply a retelling of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen; arsenic good arsenic roles successful Shakespeare’s Richard III, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. She studied astatine CalShakes Conservatory and the American Conservatory Theater.

After moving to Los Angeles successful mediate school, Zendaya began moving with the Disney Channel, appearing connected respective long-running shows and starring successful Frenemies, based connected the publication by Alexa Young. She continued to enactment connected Disney bid portion signaling her archetypal fewer albums and appearing connected shows including Dancing with the Stars arsenic a contestant and America’s Next Top Model arsenic a impermanent judge.

2017 was a engaged twelvemonth for Zendaya. She made her diagnostic movie debut arsenic MJ successful Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is of people based connected the Marvel Comics. Her relation reimagines the classical quality Mary Jane Watson arsenic Michelle Jones-Watson, a sarcastic and superb classmate of Peter Parker. She has since reprised the relation successful 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home and 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Also successful 2017, she appeared successful The Greatest Showman, a movie philharmonic from an archetypal script, based (loosely) connected the existent beingness of P.T. Barnum; she played trapeze creator Anne Wheeler. And successful possibly her astir internet-famous appearance, she competed connected Lip Sync Battle against Tom Holland, her Spider-Man costar and aboriginal boyfriend, resulting successful his triumph and the celebrated “Umbrella” video.

In 2018, Zendaya voiced a yeti named Meechee successful Small Foot, an animated movie based connected an unpublished representation book, Yeti Tracks by Sergio Pablos. She besides had 2 songs connected the question representation soundtrack.

Her relation successful 2021’s Dune: Part One, adapted from the caller Dune by Frank Herbert, was small, comprised mostly of appearances successful Paul’s visions. However, Chani and the Fremen volition play a overmuch larger relation successful Dune: Part Two, owed retired aboriginal this year. Dune: Part One was nominated for 10 Oscars and won six, though nary were for acting.

Zendaya besides appeared successful Elvis Mitchell’s 2022 movie effort IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?!? The documentary movie examines Black movie history, particularly successful the 1970s. While the movie is its ain papers and not based connected a book, determination are respective fantabulous books astir Black cinema, including Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films successful a White World by Wil Haygood and Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971, an creation publication edited by Doris Berger and Rhea L. Combs arsenic good arsenic an accumulation astatine the Academy Museum.

Off-screen, Zendaya has rocked the manner satellite with her singular Met Gala costumes. In 2018 she wore a stunning Atelier Versace formal inspired by Joan of Arc; the pursuing year, Tommy Hilfiger dressed her arsenic Cinderella, implicit with a pumpkin carriage–shaped purse.

Between her engaged enactment docket — including film, television, and philharmonic work, not to notation promotions for each of the supra — and her activism, moving with causes from UNAIDS to Feeding America, participating successful the Women’s March connected Washington, and getting retired the ballot with Michelle Obama, it’s hard to judge Zendaya hasn’t been moving for decades.

I can’t hold to spot what Zendaya does next!

Check retired the remainder of our Bookish Life archives, including looks astatine the bookish lives of Idris Elba, Pedro Pascal, and Angela Lansbury.