Zoë Yadira Saldana was born June 19, 1978 in Passaic NJ to a Puerto Rican mother and Dominican father. Her family relocated to the Dominican Republic when she was ten years old. There she practiced ballet at one of the most prestigious dance schools in the country. Saldana returned to New York at age 17, where she began involving herself in theatre groups such as Faces and the New York Youth Theatre. Her ballet training helped land her first on-screen part as Eva in the dance film, Center Stage (2000). The actress’ career continued to flourish with roles in Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) with Johnny Depp, The Terminal (2004) starring Tom Hanks, and Guess Who (2005) opposite Ashton Kutcher. Saldana continues to act and model with editorial features in Elle, Vanity Fair, V, GQ Italia, and Nylon. Saldana is most known for portraying Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She has portrayed the character in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the