Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman (born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. Known for her work in television and blockbusters, her films as a leading actress have grossed over $9.8 billion worldwide. Her accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. In 2022, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Born in Oakland, California, Zendaya began her career as a child model and dancer before gaining prominence for her roles on the Disney Channel sitcoms Shake It Up (2010–2013) and K.C. Undercover (2015–2018), the latter of which she also produced. For her performance as the drug-addicted teenager Rue Bennett in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2019–2026), Zendaya won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, becoming the youngest performer to win the award.
Zendaya made her feature film debut as Michelle Jones-Watson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). She reprised the role in the film's sequels Far From Home (2019), No Way Home (2021), and Brand New Day (2026). She also starred in the musical film The Greatest Showman (2017), Denis Villeneuve's Dune trilogy (2021–2026), and The Odyssey (2026), and has earned praise for her performances in the romance films Malcolm & Marie (2021), Challengers (2024) and The Drama (2026).
In 2011, Zendaya released the singles "Swag It Out" and "Watch Me", the latter a collaboration with Bella Thorne. Signed to Hollywood Records, she released the studio album Zendaya in 2013. Its lead single, "Replay", peaked in the top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned multi-platinum certifications. Her duet with Zac Efron, "Rewrite the Stars", from The Greatest Showman soundtrack (2017), charted in the top 20 and achieved multi-platinum status in various countries. Zendaya also wrote and performed several songs for Euphoria.
Zendaya was born in Oakland, California. Her name derives from the Shona name Tendai (meaning 'to give thanks'). Both of her parents were working as teachers at the time of her birth. Her father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, is a black American with Nigerian ancestry. Her mother, Claire Stoermer, has German and Scottish ancestry. Zendaya has six older half-siblings from her father's previous relationships: Latonja, Austin, Julien, Kaylee, Katianna and AnnaBella. Zendaya's parents divorced in 2016.
Zendaya attended Fruitvale Elementary School in Oakland, where her mother taught. She was described as energetic and outgoing at home but reserved and shy at school. At the end of her first school year, her parents had her repeat kindergarten to help build her confidence. Because of her father's passion for basketball, Zendaya's parents enrolled her in a local basketball team. After losing interest in the sport, she switched to soccer and track, but lost interest in those sports, too. At age six, Zendaya and two of her friends performed a play at school for Black History Month.
At age eight, Zendaya joined Future Shock Oakland, a hip-hop dance group with which she performed for three years. She also spent two years dancing hula with the Academy of Hawaiian Arts. After deciding to pursue acting, Zendaya assisted her mother, who spent the summer working as a house manager at the California Shakespeare Theater. There, she assisted patrons with their seats and sold fundraising tickets, but her primary interest was in the performances. Her first acting role was as a silkworm in her school's production of James and the Giant Peach. At age eleven, she began attending Oakland School for the Arts and was cast in several roles in local theaters. Zendaya portrayed Little Ti Moune in Once on This Island at the Berkeley Playhouse. She played Joe—a role originally written for a male performer—at TheaterWorks' Palo Alto production of Caroline, or Change.
By the sixth grade, Zendaya had played Lady Anne in Richard III and Celia in As You Like It and had participated in a production of Twelfth Night. When she was in seventh grade, she and her father moved to a small apartment in downtown Los Angeles, while her mother remained in Oakland. She later reflected that her father was highly attuned to her ambitions, and she "missed a lot of fun things" while pursuing her dreams. In 2015, she graduated from Oak Park High School.
Zendaya began her career working as a fashion model for Macy's, Mervyn's, and Old Navy, and appeared as a backup dancer in a Sears commercial with Disney star Selena Gomez. In 2009, she was a featured performer in the video for the Kidz Bop cover of Katy Perry's song "Hot n Cold". The same year, Zendaya was among 200 girls who auditioned for the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up, which follows two teenage friends who get their big break on the local dance show Shake It Up Chicago. She originally auditioned for the role of CeCe Jones, which ultimately went to her co-star Bella Thorne; Zendaya was cast as Rocky Blue. Disney Channel senior vice president Judy Taylor said Zendaya had a "great presence" and was "completely engaging".
The first season of Shake It Up premiered on November 7, 2010, was watched by 6.2 million viewers, and was the Disney Channel's second highest-rated premiere ever. In 2011, Zendaya released "Swag It Out", a promotional independent single, and starred in the book trailer for "From Bad To Cursed" by Katie Alender. The same year, Zendaya released the single "Watch Me" with Thorne, which peaked at number 86 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was also in 2011 that Target stores launched a clothing line inspired by the outfits worn by Zendaya and other Shake It Up cast members. The second season of Shake It Up premiered in September 2011. Zendaya made her film debut as an aspiring magazine editor in Frenemies (2012), a Disney Channel Original Movie. In February 2012, Zendaya's "Something to Dance For" was released as a promotional single for the soundtrack of the second season of Shake It Up.
In October 2012, Shake It Up's third and final season premiered. That year, Zendaya signed with Hollywood Records. She was later announced as one of the celebrity contestants on the 16th season of Dancing with the Stars. At age sixteen, she became the youngest contestant in the show's history at the time. She and her dance partner, the professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy, finished as runners-up to Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough. Zendaya released her debut studio album, Zendaya, on September 17, 2013. The pop and R&B album explores love and heartbreak, and peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard 200. It was preceded by its lead single, "Replay", which peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2014, Zendaya starred in the Disney Channel film Zapped as a high school student whose cell phone gains the power to control the boys around her. She was then cast as the lead in a Disney Channel pilot, Super Awesome Katy. She was unhappy with the name of her character and the name of the series, and lobbied for them to be changed. Ultimately, the character's name was changed from Katy Cooper to K.C. Cooper, and the show was retitled K.C. Undercover. Disney made the 16-year-old Zendaya a producer on the show after she insisted on it. The studio also agreed to Zendaya's demands that the series depict a family of color, and that K.C. not be talented at acting, dancing or singing, or be otherwise artistically inclined, to show audiences that there are "other things that a girl can be." K.C. Undercover premiered in January 2015.
In 2014, Zendaya appeared as a guest judge on an episode of Project Runway: Under the Gunn in which contestants were challenged to design an outfit for her to wear at an upcoming concert performance. In March 2015, musician Timbaland confirmed that he was collaborating with Zendaya on her second album, after her move from Disney's label to Republic Records. The following year, she released the single "Something New" featuring Chris Brown, through Hollywood Records and Republic Records. In December 2016, Zendaya appeared as a guest judge in the season finale of Project Runway's 15th season.