Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman born September 1, 1996, is an American actress, and producer. She began her career as a child model and backup dancer before gaining prominence for her role as Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up (2010–2013).
In 2013, Zendaya was a contestant on the sixteenth season of the competition series Dancing with the Stars. From 2015 to 2018, she produced and starred as the titular spy, K.C. Cooper, in the sitcom K.C. Undercover. Her performance as a teenager struggling with drug addiction in the HBO drama series Euphoria (2019–present) led her to become the youngest winner of the’ Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series’. Her film roles include the musical drama The Greatest Showman (2017), the superhero film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and its sequel, Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) and the romantic drama Malcolm & Marie (2021).
Zendaya began her career in music by recording songs independently and releasing the singles Swag It Out and Watch Me in 2011, the latter a collaboration with Bella Thorne. She signed with Hollywood Records in 2012 and later released her debut single, Replay, which reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. In 2013, her self-titled debut studio album debuted at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart Rewrite the Stars, taken from the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman, was released as a single in 2018. It reached the top twenty of the United Kingdom and Australian national charts and was certified double platinum in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Philanthropy and advocacy
Zendaya has lent her support to several charities and causes. In 2012, she became an ambassador for Convoy of Hope and encouraged fans to support Hurricane Sandy response efforts.
The following year she promoted other relief efforts. In 2014, Zendaya recorded John Legend’s song All of Me with a portion of the proceeds going to the organisation. The same year, she celebrated her 18th birthday with a campaign to help feed at least 150 hungry children in Haiti, Tanzania and the Philippines through feedONE, and in 2016, she celebrated her 20th birthday with a campaign to raise $50,000 to support Convoy’s Women’s Empowerment Initiative.
In October 2012, Zendaya performed at the medical Operation Smile benefit. She was UNICEF’s Trick-or-Treat 2014 campaign spokesperson. In July 2015, she visited South Africa with UNAIDS, the United Nations programme dedicated to preventing and creating access to treatment for HIV and AIDS. Then she also held a fundraiser with CrowdRise, with proceeds going to non-profit, community based, Ikageng charity in Soweto for a family of AIDS orphans. When Malcolm & Marie, filmed during the pandemic, was sold in September 2020, a portion of the proceeds was shared with Feeding America.
Zendaya supports campaigns to raise awareness about underserved communities, underprivileged schools and to financially support schools. In September 2017, she partnered with Verizon Foundation as a spokesperson for their national #WeNeedMore initiative to bring technology, access and learning opportunities to children. She was also empowering them to pursue careers in STEM. In March 2018, Zendaya teamed up with Google.org to give back to students at a community school in Oakland funding an innovative computer science curriculum.
Feminist
Zendaya is a feminist. In January 2017, she attended the Women’s March on Washington to showcase her support of women’s rights. She has previously discussed her experience as a black female in Hollywood. She uses her social platforms to address racial justice, voting, body shaming and bullying. She has been showing support for the’ Black Lives Matter’ movement on her social media accounts for years; she took part in the George Floyd protests in June 2020 and temporarily lent her Instagram account to Patrisse Cullors to share anti-racism resources and media.
Zendaya has been an advocate for voting over the years. In October 2016, she was one of the celebrities to participate in ‘Vote Your Future’initiative and appeared in a campaign video. In September 2020, she encouraged her fans with Michelle Obama, and her ‘When We All Vote’nonpartisan organisation, to check their voter registration ahead of elections.
The next month, she shared a video while casting her vote to remind about voting again. In October 2013, she took part in P&G’s movement called Mean Stinks, and co-hosted the nationwide live-streamed assembly joined by almost 500 schools. In September 2017, she was fronting, along with her Spider-Man: Homecoming costars, a PSA for awareness campaign Stomp Out Bullying. Zendaya also supported American Heart Association, City Year, Communities in Schools, DonorsChoose.org, Children Mending Hearts, Toys for Tots, Friends for Change and Donate My Dress, among others.
Zendaya owns a home in Los Angeles. She is a vegetarian and explained that “my main reason for being a vegetarian is that I’m an animal lover – definitely not because I love vegetables”.
Her interests include singing, dancing, and designing clothes.