Zendaya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zendaya
Zendaya in 2026
Born	Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman (1996-09-01) September 1, 1996 (age 29) Oakland, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress singer-songwriter
Years active	2009–present
Spouse(s)	Tom Holland ​ (m. 2026)​
Relatives	Dominic Holland (father-in-law)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Hollywood Republic
Signature

Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman (born September 1, 1996), known simply as Zendaya, is an American actress, singer, and producer. She first rose to fame as a talented young performer on television. Today, she is one of the most successful and respected stars in the world. Her movies have earned billions of dollars in global ticket sales.

She has received many major entertainment awards, including two prestigious Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In 2022, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Zendaya started her career on the Disney Channel in popular sitcoms like Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover. Later, she moved into major blockbuster movies. She is famous for playing MJ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man series and Chani in the epic Dune franchise. Alongside acting, she is a talented singer and a dedicated charity supporter.

Early Life and Growing Up

Where was Zendaya born and raised?

Zendaya was born in Oakland, California. Her first name comes from the Shona name Tendai, which means "to give thanks" in the language spoken in Zimbabwe.

Both of her parents worked as dedicated school teachers. Her father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, is African American with Nigerian roots. Her mother, Claire Stoermer, has German and Scottish heritage. Zendaya has five older half-brothers and half-sisters through her father.

She attended Fruitvale Elementary School, the same school where her mother taught classes. At home, Zendaya was lively, outgoing, and loved performing. At school, however, she felt very shy and quiet around other students. To help build her confidence and social skills, her parents decided to have her repeat kindergarten.

Her father was very passionate about basketball and enrolled her in local youth leagues. Zendaya played basketball for a while, then tried soccer and track, but her real passion was performing.

How did Zendaya discover performing arts?

When she was six years old, Zendaya and two classmates performed a special play for Black History Month. She immediately fell in love with being on stage.

At age eight, she joined a hip-hop dance group called Future Shock Oakland. She danced with the troupe for three exciting years. She also spent two years studying traditional hula dance with the Academy of Hawaiian Arts.

Zendaya spent many summers with her mother at the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, California. Her mother worked there as a house manager. Zendaya helped seat audience members and sell fundraising tickets.

While watching professional actors rehearse classical plays, Zendaya realized she wanted to become an actress herself. Her first official stage role was playing a silkworm in a school production of James and the Giant Peach.

Schooling and theater training

At age eleven, Zendaya enrolled in the Oakland School for the Arts. She trained intensely in acting, singing, and movement while taking regular academic classes.

She performed in various professional stage plays across Northern California. At the Berkeley Playhouse, she starred as Little Ti Moune in the musical Once on This Island. At Palo Alto's TheatreWorks, she played Joe in Caroline, or Change.

By the sixth grade, she was tackling complex Shakespearean roles. She played Lady Anne in Richard III and Celia in As You Like It.

When she entered the seventh grade, Zendaya and her father moved to Los Angeles to pursue professional television auditions. Her mother stayed behind in Oakland to continue teaching and support the family financially. Zendaya studied hard while working and graduated from Oak Park High School in 2015.

Rise to Fame on Disney Channel

How did Zendaya get her big break in acting?

Zendaya began her professional career as a fashion model for department stores like Macy's and Old Navy. She also worked as a backup dancer in commercials alongside pop star Selena Gomez. In 2009, she appeared in a music video for Kidz Bop.

In late 2009, Zendaya auditioned for a brand-new Disney Channel sitcom titled Shake It Up. The show focused on two best friends who achieve their dream of becoming background dancers on a local TV show.

Over 200 young actresses auditioned for the project. Zendaya originally tried out for the role of CeCe Jones, but producers saw something special in her. They cast Bella Thorne as CeCe and gave Zendaya the co-leading role of the smart and sensible Rocky Blue.

Success of Shake It Up

Shake It Up premiered on the Disney Channel on November 7, 2010. The first episode drew 6.2 million viewers, making it one of the biggest television premieres in Disney history.

The series quickly became a massive hit among kids and teenagers worldwide. Viewers loved the upbeat dance routines, fun comedy, and strong friendship between Rocky and CeCe.

In 2011, Zendaya and Bella Thorne recorded the hit dance song "Watch Me". The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became an anthem for young fans. Retail stores even launched clothing lines inspired by the trendy outfits worn by Rocky Blue.

Zendaya made her television movie debut in 2012 starring in the Disney Channel Original Movie Frenemies. Shake It Up ran for three successful seasons, concluding in late 2013 after 75 episodes.

Dancing with the Stars and debut music album

In early 2013, Zendaya joined the sixteenth season of the popular television competition Dancing with the Stars. At just 16 years old, she was the youngest contestant to ever compete on the show at the time.

Partnered with professional ballroom dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, she amazed the judges week after week with routines in the cha-cha, jive, and contemporary dance. She finished the competition in second place as the runner-up.

In September 2013, she released her debut solo studio album, titled Zendaya, through Hollywood Records. The album combined upbeat pop rhythms and smooth R&B melodies.

The album's lead single, "Replay", became a huge international hit. It reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned multi-platinum sales awards.

Producing and starring in K.C. Undercover

In 2014, Zendaya starred in the Disney Channel fantasy comedy movie Zapped. The story followed a teenager whose smartphone app miraculously controls the behavior of boys around her.

Following that success, Disney executives asked her to lead a brand-new television series. Zendaya agreed, but requested that she also serve as a producer so she could shape the show's creative direction.

She renamed the project K.C. Undercover and changed the lead character's name to K.C. Cooper. Zendaya insisted that K.C. should be a smart martial artist, skilled in mathematics, and not a stereotypical spy.

K.C. Undercover premiered in January 2015 and ran for three seasons. Zendaya performed many of her own stunts and learned complex stage combat. The series solidified her status as one of Disney's most versatile young leaders.

Hollywood Breakthrough and Major Movie Roles

Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as MJ

In 2017, Zendaya made her big-screen feature film debut in Marvel Studios' superhero blockbuster Spider-Man: Homecoming. She played Michelle Jones-Watson, known to her friends as "MJ".

Zendaya chose to play MJ as an intelligent, witty, and observant high school student with a dry sense of humor. Film critics praised her performance, calling her a natural scene-stealer.

The movie was a global blockbuster, earning over $880 million worldwide. Zendaya returned to play MJ in the sequels Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

No Way Home became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, earning nearly $2 billion at the global box office. Audiences around the world praised the warm screen chemistry between Zendaya and co-star Tom Holland. She reprised her role again in the 2026 film Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Flying high in The Greatest Showman

Later in 2017, Zendaya starred in the hit original musical film The Greatest Showman. She played Anne Wheeler, a skilled trapeze artist performing in P.T. Barnum's circus.

To prepare for the role, Zendaya trained for months on trapeze rigs and aerial silks. She performed many of her own acrobatic aerial stunts high above the ground.

She sang several songs on the movie's best-selling soundtrack album. Her soaring romantic duet with Zac Efron, "Rewrite the Stars", became a massive global hit and won multiple music awards.

Transition to complex television drama

In 2019, Zendaya took on the lead role of Rue Bennett in the critically acclaimed television drama series Euphoria.

Her performance received widespread praise from critics and entertainment guilds around the world. At the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards, Zendaya won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. At age 24, she became the youngest actress ever to win that award.

In 2022, she won the same Emmy Award a second time for the show's second season, making history as the youngest two-time acting winner in Emmy history. She also served as an executive producer and co-wrote music for the soundtrack.

Exploring science fiction in the Dune series

In 2021, Zendaya joined director Denis Villeneuve's cinematic adaptation of the classic science-fiction novel Dune. She played Chani, a brave warrior native to the desert planet Arrakis.

She returned for a much larger, central role in Dune: Part Two in 2024. Critics hailed her fierce emotional acting as one of the best performances of her career.

Zendaya continued her work in the franchise by filming Dune: Part Three.

Recent projects and acclaimed performances

In 2024, Zendaya starred in and produced the sports drama Challengers, directed by Luca Guadagnino. She played Tashi Duncan, a top tennis champion turned coach. She trained with professional tennis coaches for three months to make her on-court moves look authentic.

In 2026, Zendaya appeared as the Greek goddess Athena in Christopher Nolan's major historical epic The Odyssey. She also starred alongside Robert Pattinson in the romantic drama The Drama.

Philanthropy and Community Work

Charitable causes and disaster relief

Throughout her career, Zendaya has used her fame and resources to help people in need around the world.

In 2012, she became an ambassador for the relief organization Convoy of Hope. She organized fundraisers to assist families impacted by Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters.

For her 20th birthday in 2016, she asked fans to donate to Convoy of Hope's Women's Empowerment Initiative, raising over $50,000 for women in need.

She has served as a spokesperson for UNICEF's Trick-or-Treat campaign. In 2015, she traveled to South Africa with UNAIDS to support local healthcare initiatives and raise funds for children living in underserved communities.

Supporting education and youth technology

Zendaya is passionate about making sure all children have access to good schools and modern technology.

In 2017, she partnered with the Verizon Foundation for the #WeNeedMore campaign. The initiative provided computers, internet access, and science training to underprivileged schools.

In 2018, she worked with Google.org to provide direct funding for computer science and coding classes at a community school in her hometown of Oakland, California.

She has also taken part in major anti-bullying campaigns, including "Stomp Out Bullying," speaking out about the importance of kindness and respect in schools.

Personal Life

Lifestyle and interests

Zendaya lives in Los Angeles and maintains a home in London, England. She is an avid animal lover and has been a committed vegetarian since her teenage years.

She is known for her iconic fashion choices on red carpets and works closely with celebrity stylist Law Roach. In 2021, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honored her with the Fashion Icon Award.

Marriage to Tom Holland

Zendaya met British actor Tom Holland while filming Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016. The two became close friends during production and later began dating in 2021.

The couple became engaged in December 2024. In 2026, they officially married in a private ceremony surrounded by close family and friends.

Complete Film and Television Credits

Feature films

Television roles

Music video appearances

Music Discography and Tours

Studio albums

• Zendaya (Released: September 17, 2013, by Hollywood Records)

Selected hit singles

• "Watch Me" (with Bella Thorne) (2011)
• "Swag It Out" (2011)
• "Something to Dance For" (2012)
• "Replay" (2013)
• "Something New" (featuring Chris Brown) (2016)
• "Rewrite the Stars" (with Zac Efron) (2017)
• "The Greatest Show" (with cast of The Greatest Showman) (2017)
• "All for Us" (with Labrinth) (2019)
• "I'm Tired" (with Labrinth) (2022)

Concert tours

• Swag It Out Tour (2012–2014)
• Summer Tour (opening act for Bridgit Mendler) (2014)

Major Awards and Achievements

Zendaya has been honored with numerous prestigious awards celebrating her acting and music:

• Primetime Emmy Awards: Won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series twice (2020 and 2022) for Euphoria.
• Golden Globe Awards: Won Best Actress in a Television Drama Series (2023) for Euphoria.
• Critics' Choice Movie Awards: Honored with the SeeHer Award in 2021 for promoting positive female representation.
• Saturn Awards: Won Best Supporting Actress in a Film (2019) for Spider-Man: Far From Home.
• CinemaCon Awards: Awarded the Star of the Year Award in 2023.
• Kids' Choice Awards: Won multiple Nickelodeon awards for Favorite Female TV Star and Favorite Movie Actress.

Related Pages

• List of black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees
• List of Primetime Emmy Award winners
• Mononymous person

Images for kids

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  Zendaya hosting the Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off event in 2011

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  Zendaya speaking at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016

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  Zendaya attending the 2018 MTV Movie and TV Awards

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  Zendaya attending the red carpet premiere of Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019

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  Zendaya and co-star Timothée Chalamet promoting Dune: Part Two in 2024

See also

In Spanish: Zendaya para niños