Born in Passaic, New Jersey, she grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. A tragedy had the family move to the Dominican Republic where her father was from. She soon found herself back in New York where in 1995 she performed in a theater group in Brooklyn.  She later moved on to roles on television and then on to the big screen. She is married to Italian artist Marco Perego, who adopted her surname when they married, breaking the wedding tradition of just the wife taking the surname of the husband. Her name is Zoe Saldana-Perego. His name is Marco Perego-Saldana. Together they have twin sons.

This 38th birthday is bittersweet for her.  It is Father’s Day in the Unites States, a day she cannot celebrate with her father because her dad died in a car crash when she was 9. A memory cruelly relived today and darkened by another tragedy because her Star Trek co-star Anton Yelchin had a freak accident with his car on his property yesterday on June 18. He was pronounced dead today at the age of 27. The talented young Mr. Yelchin portrayed Pavel Chekov in the new series of Star Trek films.

Saldana and Yelchin can be seen together in the latest installment of Star Trek, Star Trek Beyond when it premieres next month on July 22, 2016.

Incidentally Zoe’s name in the Greek language means Life. May she live long, and prosper.

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An actor since the age of 9, he worked both in television and in films. As a 6 month old baby, he came to the United States with his Jewish parents, a pair of famed figure skaters from Russia who sought and received political refugee asylum from the US State Department.

Initial reports state that Yelchin was found pinned between his brick mailbox by his security gate and his vehicle. He was found around 1 am on June 18, 2016  by friends of his who came to see why he was late for a rehearsal. Somehow his car rolled backwards down the incline of his driveway and crushed him. According to reports, his car was in neutral and still running. He was pronounced dead today on Father’s Day.

Anton Yelchin does appear as Chekov in the upcoming second sequel Star Trek Beyond (2016). His other film credits include Terminator Salvation (2009), the remake of Fright Night (2011), and the recent adaptations of The Smurfs films and holiday specials where he voiced the character Clumsy Smurf.

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