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Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman - Known widely by her first name, Zendaya was born an only child in 1996, though she does have five older half-siblings on her father's side.

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She's always carried gratitude - Her name actually comes from a word that means "to give thanks." 

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Pre-Disney - There was Shakespeare! Zendaya developed her incredible acting chops at a California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda, where her mother works as the house manager.

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Kid model - The teen started her career as a model for brands like Macy's and Old Navy. She even showed off her dance moves in a 2009 Kidz Bop music video.

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Dancer roots - She joined a hip-hop dance group when she was eight, and performed with them for three years.

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Disney beginnings - The young star first gained prominence for her role as Rocky Blue on the Disney Channel sitcom 'Shake It Up', starring alongside Bella Thorne.

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Listening to MJ before she became MJ - For her Disney audition, she reportedly performed Michael Jackson's 'Leave Me Alone.'

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An early music career - Zendaya began recording songs independently, releasing the singles 'Swag It Out' and 'Watch Me' in 2011, the latter of which is a collaboration with Bella Thorne.

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She signed to Hollywood Records when she was 15 - The label had previously signed Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers. In 2012, she released her debut single 'Replay' which hit No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.

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And then she dropped an album at 16 -

In 2013, her self-titled debut studio album debuted at No.51 on the Billboard 200 chart.

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She paid her Hollywood dues - Her first movie role was in the 2012 Disney Original Movie 'Frenemies,' once again co-starring with Bella Thorne.

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Breaking records - In 2013, Zendaya was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 16 of Dancing with the Stars, and since she was just 16, she was also the youngest contestant ever to participate on the show. Plus, she placed second!

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She's an author - In 2013, Zendaya released her debut book. Sure, it was called 'Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and Confidence,' but it's still a book! 

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She's a good kid - She celebrated her 18th birthday with a campaign to help feed at least 150 hungry children in Haiti, Tanzania, and the Philippines through feedONE.

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She got her own Disney show - In 2013, she was cast as the lead in a Disney Channel pilot called Super Awesome Katy, later renamed 'K.C. Undercover.' This wasn't an acting high for her, but it did mark a change in her confidence.

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She started to get involved in the creative process - "The only way I was going to come back to the Disney Channel was if I was in a position of more power," she told Cosmopolitan. "One thing that is really important to me is diversity on the channel ... Representation is very important."

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And she had a huge impact - "I wanted to make sure that she wasn't good at singing or acting or dancing. That she wasn't artistically inclined," she told Vogue. "There are other things that a girl can be ... I want her to be martial arts-trained. I want her to be able to do everything that a guy can do ... I want her to be normal with an extraordinary life."

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She's been deemed an activist - Though she is very humble about it and knows that she is still learning, the teen strives to be an advocate for people. "I want to be a spokesperson for self-love and for diversity," she told Elle.

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She's a feminist - "I think feminism—I've said this before—is believing in the power of a woman as much as you believe in the power of anybody else," she told Elle.

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She’s an introvert - Though she seems to own the spotlight and refuses to give it up, she told Vogue that on her free time she really likes to stay indoors and do nothing.

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Guest judging fashion shows - At 17 years old, Zendaya was a guest judge on an episode of 'Project Runway,' where the competing designers had to create an outfit for her to wear in an upcoming concert performance.

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Working with Timbaland and Chris Brown - In 2015, Timbaland confirmed that he was working with Zendaya on her second album, after she switched record labels to Republic. Her song 'Something New' featured Chris Brown.

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Thrust into controversy, but not her own - At the 2015 Academy Awards, E! Fashion Police host Giuliana Rancic saw Zendaya's dreads and made racist comments about how she thought it would smell of "patchouli oil" and "weed."

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She didn't let it go - Zendaya took to Instagram to address the remark and point out that many successful people have "locs," a hairstyle that has nothing to do with drugs. She also said she made the choice to wear them "to remind people of color that our hair is good enough." Soon after the incident and Rancic's apology, Mattel honored Zendaya with her own Barbie, replicating her Oscars look.

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She's a virtual knight in shining armor - Zendaya is not one to let cyber bullies get away with their trolling, and she's been known to shut down inappropriate jokes, body-shaming, and generally offensive behavior. 

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Body positive -

She also called out a magazine for retouching her body and contributing to "unrealistic ideals of beauty," and posted the photos side by side.

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She's proud of her heritage - With an African-American father and German-Scottish mother, Zendaya has a diverse background that she doesn't shy away from. "My mother's proud of where she's from, and her history, and her past, and same with my dad," she told US Weekly. "I have roots in Africa. Like, I am from Africa as well as from Germany, and I am very proud of that."

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Fashion icon takes the reins - She kicked off her fashion career with a shoe collection called Daya, a childhood nickname. That collection later blossomed into a whole clothing line, Daya by Zendaya, in 2016.

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'Spider-Man: Homecoming' (2017) - Her first blockbuster was a classic Marvel remake, where she became the new MJ. She was praised as a scene-stealer.

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'The Greatest Showman' (2017) -

Then she showed her ability to maintain chemistry on-screen while also singing, dancing, and playing a convincing trapeze artist alongside Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, and Rebecca Ferguson.

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One of her favorite looks - She confessed to Vogue that his one-shouldered butterfly dress by Moschino, which she donned for the Australian premiere of 'The Greatest Showman,' is one of her most favorite dresses.

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Her Tommy Hilfiger collaboration - She was signed to be the brand's new global women's ambassador, which involved campaigns and designing a Tommy x Zendaya collection, but she didn't want to just be the face, so she made sure she was involved in every step.

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TommyxZendaya is more than a fashion statement - Even Hilfiger said, "Right from our first conversations, it was clear she intends to use her celebrity to fight for change. She’s got the heart of an activist," and that's what their show displayed. It featured an all-black cast of models who ranged in age from 18 to 70, and closed with none other than Grace Jones.

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Her personal idols - She listed Michelle Obama, Rihanna, and Beyoncé as her personal idols, the latter of whom she actually got to work with in the making of her visual album 'Lemonade.' She told Seventeen, "It was so empowering as a black woman to watch it and be a part of it."

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Fashion feuds - Lindsay Lohan unleashed the Mean Girl on Zendaya, coming after her 2019 Met Gala light-up look because it had been done before. Zendaya's fans quickly asked about Lohan's film remakes—hadn't they been done before?—and her Met Gala outfit (she hasn't been invited for years).

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'Spider-Man: Far from Home' (2019) - Zendaya stole the show again in the follow-up Marvel film, and on the press tour she paid tribute to MJ's red hair.

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Tom Holland relationship rumors/confirmation - Fans ship these two hard, and for years there was speculation that they have been dating, despite them both saying otherwise and laughing at the gossip sites' claims together. Yet in July 2021, the two were photographed kissing, and have since been inseparable.

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Stepping away from music - In a 2019 interview, Zendaya said she was stepping away from music for a bit. "I think the [music] industry takes a little bit of passion away from you," she told Paper magazine. "It sucks you dry a little bit."

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Everyone wants to be tied to her name - At just 22, she became Lancôme's youngest global ambassador.

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She’s an ambassador for more than just brands - In 2012, she became an ambassador for Convoy of Hope, and in 2016 she celebrated her 20th birthday with a campaign to raise US$50,000 to support Convoy's Women's Empowerment Initiative.

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HBO's 'Euphoria' - In June 2019, Zendaya began starring in the drama series 'Euphoria,' an adaptation of the Israeli series of the same name. She plays the lead character Rue, a lying, vulnerable, drug-addicted 17-year-old who will break your heart and put it back together repeatedly. In 2020, Zendaya was the youngest woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

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Youngest two-time Emmy winner -

Days after turning 26, she became the first Black woman to win the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series two times, as well as the youngest person ever to win in the leading acting categories twice. Of course, these big wins are for her work on HBO's 'Euphoria.' Zendaya delivered the perfect acceptance speech which concluded by thanking everyone who shared their stories with her. "I want you to know that anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are a Rue, I want you to know what I’m so grateful for your stories, and I carry them with me and I carry them with her. So, thank you so much.”

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'Malcolm & Marie' (2021) -

Costarring John David Washington, this film was one of the first Hollywood productions to be shot entirely in quarantine.

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'Space Jam: A New Legacy' (2021) -

Zendaya voiced Lola Bunny opposite LeBron James and the rest of the Toon Squad.

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'Dune' (2021) -

In January 2019, Zendaya was cast as Chani in the upcoming Denis Villeneuve adaptation of 'Dune', alongside stars like Timothée Chalamet, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, and more. She's already confirmed for the sequel.

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'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021) -

Zendaya returned as MJ in the well-reviewed 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' in 2021.

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Fashion Icon Award -

In 2021, at the age of 25, she was given the prestigious Fashion Icon Award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. She arrived on the red carpet in a fabulous red Vera Wang gown, accompanied by her famous stylist Law Roach. "It's kind of a dream and beyond my imagination," the young star told reporters. "It doesn't feel quite real…I was saying, I probably won't even absorb the night until a few weeks from now. I'm still living in a dream." The CFDA bestowed Zendaya with the honor "for her global impact on fashion." Previous recipients of the award include Naomi Campbell, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga.

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Youngest Emmy-nominated producer -

In 2020, Zendaya was the youngest woman to win the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and in 2022, she made history by winning the award again. But as executive producer, at the age of 25 she also became the youngest producer ever to be nominated for an Emmy. 

See also: Celebs making strides for social justice

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