Zendaya

Zendaya (birthname: Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman) has emerged as one of the most dynamic and exciting actor-singers of her generation. Her blistering, Emmy-winning portrayal of Rue Bennett on Sam Levinson’s acclaimed HBO series, Euphoria (2019-present) is one of the most thrilling acting displays in either American cinema or television in recent years, announcing a major talent.

This undeniable brilliance certainly stems from her longtime training in Shakespearean theater, a fact often overlooked about this remarkable performer. Her childhood exposure to The Bard, and care of her mother Claire Stoermer, is at the heart of this: Helping her mom (the company’s house manager) at the East Bay-based California Shakespeare Theatre ignited Zendaya’s desire to perform, and allowing her to be several jumps ahead of her peers in her mastery of theater.

By the time she was cast in Disney’s series, Shake It Up (2010), Zendaya had already played Shakespeare in many guises on stage—a rare experience for young, aspiring American actors. This experience included acting with the renowned A.C.T. in San Francisco, the American Conservatory Theatre. Zendaya’s talent for musical theater received a fine platform in her movie debut in the runaway hit, The Greatest Showman (2017), with Hugh Jackman, earning $435 million globally to rank #5 on the list of top-grossing live-action musicals.

She parlayed this early movie success into the live version of the show, where she re-created her role as Anne. At the same time, Zendaya landed the plum role as MJ in Marvel’s reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, proving to be a key anchor—as co-star with the new Spidey, Tom Holland—of one of the most successful movie runs in the brief history of superhero movies, totaling approximately $4 billion worldwide for Homecoming (2017), Far from Home (2019), and No Way Home (2021). In between these behemoths, Zendaya performed voices for the Chinese-U.S. co-produced animated feature, Duck Duck Goose (2018), and Warner Animation Group’s Smallfoot (2018), with the voices of Channing, Tatum, James Corden, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito, and Gina Rodriguez.

Zendaya’s visibility in Spidey’s universe was extended in September 2022, with Marvel’s re-release (with additional material not in the original release), Spider-Man: No Way Home—The More Fun Stuff Version. Though not confirmed as of August 2022, the studio has reported plans for Zendaya to join Holland for a future trilogy of Spider-Man movies.

Zendaya’s knack for major projects continued in 2021, with her prominent role as Chani (lover to the story’s hero, Paul) in Denis Villeneuve’s elegant version of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic, Dune, with Timothée Chalamet (as Paul), Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Javier Bardem, and Charlotte Rampling.

This massive project—part one earning over $400 million globally–includes the sequel (filmed in 2022), Dune: Part Two (2024). Back on Planet Earth, Zendaya landed her first starring role—along with a position as producer, alongside the powerhouse Hollywood figure and fellow producer, Amy Pascal—of the tennis drama directed by Luca Guadagnino, Challengers (2024), which was produced via MGM and released theatrically by Amazon MGM Studios with Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.