Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman (born September 1, 1996 in Oakland, California), better known mononymously as Zendaya, is an American actor, singer, model, and dancer. She has been performing since age six, though Shake it Up was her first show as a main character (in this case, as Raquel "Rocky" Blue).
Zendaya began her professional career working as a fashion model for Macy's, Mervyns and Old Navy. She was also 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, and in 2009, she was a featured performer in the Kidz Bop music video for its cover version of the song "Hot 'n Cold". Zendaya became known for her starring role 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 also starred in the book trailer for "From Bad To Cursed" by Katie Alender. Her first movie role was a starring role in the 2012 film, Frenemies alongside Shake it Up co-star, Bella Thorne and Stefanie Scott from A.N.T. Farm.
In August 2012, Zendaya signed with Hollywood Records. In July 2013, She released her major label debut single "Replay" and her debut album was released on September 11, 2013, through VEVO and was released physically and digitally on September 17, 2013. She was also runner-up on Season 16 of Dancing with the Stars.
Her last Disney Channel role was as the title character in the Teen Superspy action/comedy K.C. Undercover, before she launched her career in movies. She played Michelle Jones in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. She is also known for her role as Anne Wheeler in The Greatest Showman. She played Chani in Dune (2021), and will reprise the role in its sequels.
In 2019, she began to star in the American version of the Israeli Teen drama, Euphoria as Rue, a 17-year-old drug addict fresh from rehab with no plans to stay clean. In 2020, she won an Emmy for her performance, becoming at 24, the youngest ever to win in the Lead Actress category, and the first former Disney Channel alumnus to receive such an honor.
Also, she is Meechee.
Discography:
- Zendaya (2013)
Selected filmography:
- Shake it Up (2010 — 2013) as Rocky Blue
- Good Luck Charlie (2011)
- Pixie Hollow Games (2011) as Fern (voice)
- Frenemies (2012)
- Dancing with the Stars (2013) as herself
- Zapped (2014) as Zoey Stevens
- K.C. Undercover (2015 — 2018) as K.C. Cooper
- Lemonade (2016) as herself
- Marvel Cinematic Universe (2017-present) as Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- The Greatest Showman (2017) as Anne Wheeler
- Smallfoot (2018) as Meechee (voice) note
- Euphoria (2019 — Present) as Rue
- Malcolm & Marie (2021) as Marie
- Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) as Lola Bunny (voice)
- Dune (2021) as Chani
Tropes associated with her works:
- The Ace: On Dancing with the Stars.
- Child Popstar: She was once a Kidz Bop vocalist.
- The Cover Changes the Gender: In her cover of Justin Bieber's song "Boyfriend", which she retitled "Girlfriend". There are some significant lyric changes as well.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: Unlike Shake It Up, Zendaya does perform the theme song for K.C. Undercover ("Keep It Undercover").
- The Fashionista: She's well-known for her fashion and was the youngest-ever winner of the CFDA fashion icon award.
- First-Name Basis: She is mostly credited with just her first name.
- Follow Your Heart: "Something to Dance For".
- Heavy Meta: Like "Love You Like a Love Song", "Replay" is a catchy pop song describing a love interest as being stuck in her head like a catchy pop song.
- Idol Singer: As per usual for a teen starlet these days.
- Playing Against Type: Zendaya as Rue Bennett, a teenage drug addict in an HBO show, is a very far cry from her known previous roles like Rocky Blue and K.C. Cooper.
- Romance on the Set: She's rumored to have dated Jacob Elordi after shooting Euphoria together. She and Tom Holland are now in a relationship, which started shortly after meeting while working on the MCU Spider-Man films. The Parker mojo runs through multiple franchises it seems.
- Silly Love Songs: Every song on her debut album, except for "Putcha Body Down", qualifies as this.
- Statuesque Stunner: 5 feet 10 inches. Plus heels, she was taller than her DWTS partner Val (who's 6 feet himself), and two inches taller than Tom Holland, the Spider-Man to her MJ.
