Who are Zoe Saldana’s parents? What we know as Emilia Perez actress becomes first actor of Dominican heritage to win Oscar

Zoe Saldana bags her first Oscar for her role in the musical crime-comedy film, Emilia Perez. Saldana won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Besides winning the Academy Award this year, Zoe Saldana also won other prestigious awards like the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and a few others.

Zoe Saldana, who happens to be a first-generation American, was born on June 19, 1978, to her Dominican father, Aridio Saldana, and her Puerto Rican mother, Asalia Nazario. She also has two sisters, Mariel and Cisely. The Oscar-winning actress has always admired and respected her parents and has been vocal about how they taught her a strong work ethic.

Apart from being a first-generation American, Saldana, during an interview with Wired described herself as one-quarter Puerto Rican and three-quarters Dominican. While growing up, she spoke English and Spanish, however, the latter was usually used more at home. She did not have the perfect childhood, as she had to face the harsh realities of life quite early.

Everything changed for the family in 1987 when her father passed away in a fatal car accident. At the time they were living in Queens, New York. After his demise, she and her sisters were sent to the Dominican Republic to live with their relatives, while her mother stayed back to earn money for the family. In the first episode of the 2014 TV series, Zoe Saldana Presents My Hero, the Oscar-winning actress opened up about her father and said:

"My father was amazing."

She added:

"When we lost him, it was hard. It was very, very tragic. He was a really good guy."

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Zoe Saldana, the first actor of Dominican heritage bags an Academy Award

Zoe Saldana is the perfect definition of what one would call a successful actress. She is widely famous for her high-budget, mainstream sci-fi movies including the Avatar film series, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Adam Project, and more. She also had the opportunity to work with senior and well-established directors like Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams, James Cameron, and Jacques Audiard (the director of Emilia Perez).

Saldana has always been vocal and clear about her stance, especially when it came to subjects like race and gender. She also has an interesting take on such matters. In a conversation with The Daily Telegraph's Stellar in 2017, the actress talked about how her roles in all the sci-fi movies made her "gender-blind" and "color-blind". She said:

"[Playing a science fiction character] makes me feel superhuman because, obviously, it’s been brought to my attention continuously since I was born that I’m not a conventional person because of the color of my skin or my gender or my cultural background." She told The Daily Telegraph's Stellar

While accepting the Oscar, Saldana said:

"Thank you to the academy for recognizing the quiet heroism and the power in a woman like Rita. And talking about powerful women, my fellow nominees: The love and community that you have offered me is a true gift, and I will pay it forward. Thank you so much, Jacques Audiard, you are forever a beloved character in my life. Thank you for taking the interest."

"My grandmother came to this country in 1961. I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands, and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award. And I know I will not be the last. I hope!," she added.

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