Zendaya Biography
Zendaya (Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman) is an American actress and singer. The name Zendaya is derived from an African word meaning “to give thanks”. Her career began when she appeared as a child model and backup dancer. She gained fame for her role as Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up (2010–2013).
She was a contestant on the sixteenth season of the competition series Dancing with the Stars in 2013. From 2015 to 2018, she produced and starred as K.C. Cooper on the Disney Channel sitcom K.C. Undercover. In 2017, she made her film breakthrough, starring as Michelle “MJ” Jones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Spider-Man: Homecoming and as Anne Wheeler in the musical drama film The Greatest Showman.
In 2011, she began her career in music by recording songs independently and releasing the singles “Swag It Out” and “Watch Me”, the latter a collaboration with Bella Thorne. In 2012, she signed with Hollywood Records and later released her debut single, “Replay”, which reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.
Zendaya Age | Zendaya Date Of Birth
Zendaya was born on 1st September, 1996. She is 22 years old as of 2019. She started her career when she was very young. She is a very promising upcoming actress.
How Tall Is Zendaya | Zendaya Height
Zendaya currently stands 5ft 10 inches tall (1.78M)
Zendaya Family
Born in Oakland, California, she is the only child of Claire Marie (Stoermer) and Kazembe Ajamu (Samuel David Coleman). She has five older half-siblings on her father’s side. Her father is African-American, with roots in Arkansas, while her mother has German and Scottish ancestry. Her parents got married on 2008 when Zendaya was still very young. They divorced amicably in 2008.
She grew as a performer in part at the nearby California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, California where her mother works as the house manager, in addition to training at the theater’s student conservatory program. While she was attending Oakland School for the Arts she appeared in numerous stage productions, starring as Little Ti Moune in Once on This Island at the Berkeley Playhouse and the breakout role of the male character Joe in Caroline, or Change at Palo Alto’s TheaterWorks.
Zendaya Dating
The romours that Zendaya and Tom Holland are dating started spreading back in 2017 while they were filming Spider-Man. The anticipated news however got lit when JustJared shared an Instagram post of Zendaya on her 22nd birthday with the words “rumoured real-life boyfriend Tom Holland” slyly added to the caption. A number of comments followed with many celebrities confirming that the news were true and that the two had been low key for a while.
While the pair have been photographed hanging out and are recurring stars on one another’s social media, Zendaya was as blunt as she could be. When asked if she and Holland were more than just platonic sidekicks, she answered with a resounding no. She continued, “He’s a great dude. He’s literally one of my best friends.” The news about whether or not the two stars are actually dating is yet to be known. Its however beautiful to see the two young souls enjoying each others company.
Zendaya Movies And Tv Shows
Movies
Year | Title | Role |
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2013 | Super Buddies | Lollipop (voice) |
2017 | Spider-Man: Homecoming | Michelle “MJ” Jones |
2017 | The Greatest Showman | Anne Wheeler |
2018 | Duck Duck Goose | Chi (voice) |
2018 | Smallfoot | Meechee (voice) |
2019 | Spider-Man: Far From Home | Michelle “MJ” Jones |
Tv shows
Year | Title | Role |
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2010–2013 | Shake It Up | Rocky Blue |
2011 | Good Luck Charlie | Rocky Blue |
2011 | PrankStars | Herself |
2011 | Pixie Hollow Games | Fern (voice) |
2012 | A.N.T. Farm | Sequoia Jones |
2012 | Frenemies | Halley Brandon |
2013 | Dancing with the Stars | Contestant |
2014 | Zapped | Zoey Stevens |
2015–2018 | K.C. Undercover | K.C. Cooper |
2015 | Black-ish | Rasheida |
2017 | Walk the Prank | Herself |
2017 | Lip Sync Battle | |
2019 | Euphoria | Rue |
Zendaya App
Zendaya’s 1st official App “Zendaya: The App” is now available on the App Store & on Daya’s official website! from 2017.
Zendaya Songs
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) |
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1. | “Replay” |
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2. | “Fireflies” |
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3. | “Butterflies” |
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4. | “Putcha Body Down” |
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5. | “Heaven Lost an Angel” |
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6. | “Cry for Love” |
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7. | “Only When You’re Close” |
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8. | “Bottle You Up” |
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9. | “Scared” |
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JUKEBOX |
10. | “Love You Forever” |
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11. | “My Baby” |
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12. | “Parachute” |
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The STRZ |
Zendaya Awards
Year | Award | Category |
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2011 | Young Artist Award | Outstanding Young Ensemble in a TV Series (shared with Bella Thorne, Davis Cleveland, Roshon Fegan, Adam Irigoyen, Kenton Dutyand Caroline Sunshine) |
2012 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series – Leading Young Actress |
Young Artist Award | Outstanding Young Ensemble in a TV Series (shared with Bella Thorne, Davis Cleveland, Roshon Fegan, Adam Irigoyen, Kenton Dutyand Caroline Sunshine) |
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NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s Series or Special | |
2013 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Movie, MiniSeries, Special or Pilot – Leading Young Actress |
Radio Disney Music Awards | Best Music Video | |
2014 | Radio Disney Music Awards | Breakout Artist |
Best Style | ||
BET Awards | YoungStars Award | |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music: Breakout Artist | |
Teen Choice Awards | Candie’s Style Icon | |
2015 | Radio Disney Music Awards | Best Style |
BET Awards | YoungStars Award | |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | |
2016 | Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards | Favorite Female TV Star – Kids’ Show |
Radio Disney Music Awards | Best Style | |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music: R&B/Hip-Hop Song | |
Choice Style: Female | ||
2017 | Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards | Favorite Female TV Star |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | |
Choice Summer Movie Actress | ||
Choice Breakout Movie Star | ||
Choice Twit | ||
Choice Style Icon | ||
Choice Female Hottie | ||
2018 | Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards | Favorite Female TV Star |
Favorite Movie Actress | ||
Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Actress: Drama | |
Choice Movie Ship (shared with Zac Efron) |
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Choice Liplock (shared with Zac Efron) |
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Choice Collaboration (shared with Zac Efron) |
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Choice Style Icon | ||
2019 | 61st Annual Grammy Awards | Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media |
Zendaya Coleman Instagram
Zendaya Youtube
Zendaya Facebook
Where Does Zendaya Live Now
She currently lives in Los Angeles, California and owns a house there worth $1.4 million
Zendaya New Movie
Zendaya new movie Spider-Man: Far From Home” – is out and is available from this March, 2019.
Zendaya Twitter
Zendaya Interview
Q: Is this the life that you imagined for yourself?
Zendaya: It is. I’m very lucky. I knew even when I was little that this was what I wanted to do and this is what I wanted to be. I definitely couldn’t see myself doing anything else. The only career path I could see my life had gone off into is teaching because both my parents are teachers. So had I not pursued acting, I probably would have been a teacher in my home in Oakland.
Q: I feel like you do that, though, through your social platforms and media appearances.
Zendaya:I’m very aware that I don’t know everything, but I do try my best with the platform that I have, knowing how many people look to me. I try my best to inform myself and live my best life so that I can inspire my fans to live their best lives, be more educated, and learn for themselves. And I try to do it in a way that’s not telling people what to think but opening up their eyes to possibilities, ideas maybe they never thought about. I try to look at it as a responsibility more than anything.
Q: When I first stepped forward with my story in 2011 in this magazine, I felt immense pressure to be something to someone. That burden of representation is real. I feel the pressure to show up and speak up and use my access to bring my sisters and siblings with me. How do you navigate that? What spaces do you turn to, to take care of yourself as you’re grappling not just with your own career but with the social responsibility?
Zendaya: Reaching out and hearing other people’s perspectives always helps. The people I usually call are my mom and my big sister. I’m a very family-oriented person. My chill zone is, honestly, just being with my family. And I know that sounds super corny. I have a lot of nieces and nephews. I’ve become that older person to them, which is super weird. They’re in their teen years, and they don’t necessarily think I’m cool all the time. But they’re watching everything I do. That direct relationship has a huge impact on my life as well, trying to teach them things, keep them aware. I’ll send them articles, and they don’t even read them, but I try. One day maybe they’ll appreciate it. I’m just trying to be the cool auntie.
Q: What are the biggest priorities for you in your career?
Zendaya:Right now, acting has been a great outlet. It’s definitely been a process, especially because I’m coming from this very different world of Disney. Having been consistently on a television show, I felt stagnant. Not having that anymore, I am being seen as a real actress, doing what makes me feel pushed and motivated. I don’t necessarily think comfort is always the best place to live in. I’m kind of excited as I decide what projects I want to take on or if I want to produce. I’ve really found the power in just doing what makes me happy.
Q: It sounds as if there’s some kind of stigma for a young actor out of that specific Disney Channel family. I don’t know why it just struck me, but are there only two black girls who have come out of the Disney machine? Is it just you and Raven-Symoné?
Zendaya: I believe China Anne McClain as well, who is amazing and super talented. There’s a couple of us, but not too many.
Q: Who did you look to as you figured out ways to break out of that Disney framework and be taken seriously as an actor?
Zendaya: What’s funny is I didn’t have someone to look to in that sense. I call it like my Olivia Pope gut. I just had to be in tune with that and be like, “Listen, whatever feels right, go after that.” There’s going to be a lot of different opinions and a lot of people telling you what you should do and what you shouldn’t do, but I had to home in on what Zendaya wanted and drive straight toward that. There’s something liberating about making decisions for yourself. A huge part of it was to take my time. I wanted to create who I was as a person outside of my Disney character. Fashion helped with that. My stylist, Law Roach, and I created a world beyond what I was known as through clothes. Picking the right projects helped too. There was a lot of not getting the audition that I wanted and often going out for parts that weren’t written for a girl who looks like me and just saying, “Hey, see me anyway,” until the right thing stuck. Whenever I’ve been persuaded or trying to do something to please somebody else or because there’s pressure from people in general to make a decision, it always blows up in my face. So I have been in this zone of only doing shit because I want to do it and because it feels right all the way through.
Q: What drives you? What does success look like for you? You’re already successful, but how would you define where it is that you want to be? And what’s pushing you to get there?
Zendaya:I want longevity in my career, and I try to always think about how to create that. But I also like to live in the moment and do what feels right, right now. I think I’m fueled by—oh, wow, here’s a corny moment again. I get fueled by the different people I’m able to positively affect. When people come up to you, and instead of saying, “I loved the last project you did,” they’re like, “I appreciate that you said this,” that makes me feel good. When I’m able to do great things in my career, and fortunately be financially blessed, and then give it away and watch the money actually do good shit, that is the purpose. That’s the reason why you do things. Supporting students in Oakland is important to me. Roses in Concrete Community School there is truly trying to change how we teach our young people in underserved communities. Every child, regardless of where they come from, deserves to have access to a great education. For me, I get to do my passion and what I enjoy, and that has become a forum to do much greater things. Sometimes you build your platform to step off so others can step on, and that’s honestly what motivates me.
Q: How do you process the challenges and the difficulties that you face in your career and in life?
Zendaya: The one thing I struggle with is I sometimes get so afraid to make a mistake. Like, I want to be perfect, I want to make all the right decisions, and when I don’t, it stresses me out. But I can’t allow myself to be scared of not always doing the right thing. I will make mistakes in my career, but I can try my best to make the best decisions that I can and learn from my mistakes. Like, “I’m about to kill it on this next go-round because now I know better.”
Q: But I also wish that black girls could be able to navigate these public spaces and make mistakes and be given chances.
Zendaya:That’s 100 percent true. What my white peers would be able to get away with at this point in their career is not something that I will be able to do. And I knew that from when I was real young. That’s just the truth, and so you’ll be kind of afraid of making mistakes because I love what I do. I don’t want to jeopardize it at any point because I am not allowed the room to mess up.
Q: I think about the actors of your generation, the black girl actors specifically, who are often paired in these kind of interesting ways: you, Amandla Stenberg, and Yara Shahidi [also a voice in Smallfoot]. All three of you are in this rarefied space of navigating this wild industry as black girls.
Zendaya: I know Yara a little bit more than Amandla. I’m a little bit older than Yara, so it’s cool to talk to her and learn where she is in her coming up and her figuring it out. What is important to me is knowing we are not the only black girls in the industry. We kind of have been painted as the face, and that’s not the truth. It’s important to have a conversation where we are opening the door to our peers and more black women who don’t necessarily look like us.
Q: I loved what you said at Beautycon, this idea of being Hollywood’s acceptable version of a black girl, and your call to widen the scope. You three are vocal about these issues, and you all are successful in your different spheres, yet it’s no coincidence that you all are listened to because of the privileges you have as mixed girls. When you called that out, I felt like there was this revelatory kind of shift because you recognized that gap in a public space.
Zendaya:It’s one of those things that is so important to recognize and begin that dialogue. I feel like it’s like such a taboo topic, so we don’t want to talk about, but let’s talk about it.
Q: And why do you think it’s so taboo?
Zendaya:People just don’t want to see it or they just want to pretend it doesn’t exist. I don’t know exactly what the answer to that question is, but I think people just kind of want to avoid it a little bit. I mean, it’s right in our face. We can talk about it. Like, a lot of people in charge who are making things happen in the industry don’t even see it, and that’s the weirdest part.
Q: You talked a little bit earlier about going out for roles that weren’t maybe written for a black girl.
Zendaya:Most things I go out for. For example, Spider-Man definitely wasn’t originally written that way.
Q: And how did you push for that?
Zendaya: At first I thought I would have to because you’re kind of used to the notion that, OK, even though the character is fictional and could be anybody, they probably are going to go with the standard of what they want and what they’ve always had. I definitely went into it like, “Hopefully they’ll”—as they call it in the industry—“go ethnic.” I remember making the decision to straighten my hair. I didn’t know that they were going to be more diverse in their casting. I didn’t know that I was walking into a situation where they were already breaking the rules. You get so used to having to break the rules for people.
Q: You mentioned earlier there were roles you wanted but you didn’t get.
Zendaya: I’m an actress. We’ve all experienced getting the no’s, and that’s okay. I always say, “If you don’t get cast, it wasn’t yours to begin with.” But there’s been a few things. I always tell my theatrical manager, “Anytime it says they’re looking for white girls, send me out. Let me get in the room. Maybe they’ll change their minds.” And, honestly, if there’s a part that I didn’t get or that I really wanted at the time, shit always ends up working out.
Q: That process must have been behind your decision to create a project for yourself with A White Lie, about Anita Hemmings, the first black woman to graduate from Vassar College. You’re starring and producing it with Reese Witherspoon. Where is that project, and how did that come about?
Zendaya: We literally just got a script! The first thing that caught my eye about the project was that Reese was producing it. She is doing a great job at being a boss and creating spaces and telling stories and doing what she wants to do. She’s so dope, and I’ve learned a lot being in the room with her and her team, who are all women. It was like a master class. One day I might want to have my own production company and create the material that I want to be in. Sometimes we have to create our own lane and our own opportunities when they’re not handed to us.
Q: When you’re not concentrating on shifting the industry, what does a day off look like for you?
Zendaya: A day off is doing absolutely nothing. I don’t want to leave the house. I’m just lying down. I’m chilling. I have a pool. Everybody can come over, but I’m not going anywhere.