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Zendaya Maree Coleman (born September 1, 1996), better known by the mononym Zendaya, is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is best known for her role as Raquel "Rocky" Blue in Shake It Up, Hailey Brandon in Frenemies, Zoey Stevens in Zapped, K.C. Cooper in K.C. Undercover, Michelle Jones in the Spider-Man Marvel Cinematic Universe films and Ruby "Rue" Bennett in Euphoria.
Life[]
Early Life[]
Zendaya, whose name means "to give thanks" in Shona, was born as Zendaya Maree Coleman to Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu Coleman on September 1, 1996, in Oakland, California. She grew up as part of the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, California where her mother worked as the House Manager. In addition to training at the theater's student conservatory program, and later performing in numerous stage productions, Zendaya helped her mother seat patrons and sell raffle tickets to benefit the theater.
While attending the Oakland School for the Arts, she starred as a young Ti Moune in Once on This Island at the Berkley Playhouse and in the breakout role of the male character Joe in Caroline, or Change at Palo Alto's TheaterWorks.[1] She also studied her craft at the CalShakes Conservatory program and at the American Conservatory Theater. Her other stage credits include Richard III, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It, among others.
Personal Life[]
Zendaya currently lives in Los Angeles with her family and dog, a Giant Schnauzer named Midnight. Her interests include singing, dancing and designing clothes. Zendaya hopes that just as theater led her to television, Shake It Up! will someday lead her to opportunities in the music industry. In October 2010, Zendaya told Variety, "I love singing and would love to record an album at some point."
Career[]
Acting[]
Zendaya began her professional career working as a fashion model for Macy's, Mervyns and Old Navy. She was featured in an iCarly toys ad along with Stefanie Scott. She also appeared as a back-up dancer in a Sears commercial featuring Disney Channel star Selena Gomez; in 2009, she was a featured performer in the Kidz Bop music video for its cover of the song Hot n Cold. Zendaya currently stars on the Disney Channel original series Shake It Up! as Raquel "Rocky" Blue alongside Bella Thorne as CeCe Jones, the comedic duo trying to dance their way to stardom. She additionally starred in the book trailer for "From Bad To Cursed" by Katie Alender. In 2012, she starred in the movie, Frienemies along with her co-star Bella Throne and friend Stefanie Scott from A.N.T. Farm. Early 2013, she was on the 16th season of Dancing With the Stars, being only 16 at the time marked her the youngest competitor in the show history. She won second place in the competition. She also starring in a upcoming DCOM called Zapped with Disney XD, Lab Rats star, Spencer Boldman.
Singing career[]
Zendaya is signed to Hollywood Records which is the same music label as many other Disney stars such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. Zendaya's first single was a song called Swag It Out, available for download on iTunes and Amazon for $0.99. The official music video was released via Youtube on her channel. Zendaya and Bella Thorne have a music video for the song Watch Me, which premiered on Disney Channel on June 17, 2011 during the A.N.T. Farm premiere and just as a commercial. She has been in a Kidz Bop music video for Katy Perry's "Hot n Cold. She has done many songs for Shake It Up along with her co star, Bella Thorne . Zendaya recently released her debut self titled album "Zendaya" which includes her hit single "Replay".
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Pixie Hollow Games | Fern | Voice role |
| 2012 | Frenemies | Hailey Brandon | Television Film; DCOM |
| 2013 | Super Buddies | Lollipop | Voice role |
| 2017 | Spider-Man: Homecoming | Michelle Jones | Marvel movie |
| 2017 | The Greatest Showman | Anne Wheeler | 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) movie |
| 2019 | Spider-Man: Far From Home | Michelle Jones | Marvel movie |
| 2021 | Space Jam: A New Legacy | Lola Bunny | Voice role |
| 2021 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | Michelle Jones | Marvel movie |
Television[]
|
Year |
Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-2013 | Shake It Up | Raquel "Rocky" Blue | Co-Lead Role |
| 2011 | Good Luck Charlie | Raquel "Rocky" Blue |
Crossover episode, "Charlie Shakes It Up" |
| 2011 | Prankstars | Herself | Episode: "Walk the Prank" |
| 2012 | A.N.T. Farm | Sequoia Jones | Episode: "creative consultANT" |
| 2013 | Dancing With The Stars | Herself | Season 16 contestant; placed 2nd |
| 2015-2018 | K.C. Undercover | K.C. Cooper | Lead Role |
| 2019-present | Euphoria | Ruby "Rue" Bennett | Lead Role |
Discography[]
| Year | Title | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Swag It Out | Single |
| Watch Me | Single & Music Video | |
| 2012 | Something To Dance For | Shake It Up Soundtrack |
| Fashion is My Kyropnite | Single/Made in Japan Soundtrack | |
| 2013 | self titled album "Zendaya" | |
External Links[]
- Official Website
- Zendaya on Twitter
- Zendaya on Facebook
- Zendaya on Instagram
- Zendaya at the Internet Movie Database
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |
Trivia[]
- She has a record deal with Hollywood Records.
- She was the love interest in Trevor Jackson's, (Let It Shine) music video, Like We're Grown.
Gallery[]
To see a Zendaya Gallery, click here.