Date of Birth
17 January 1980, Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth Name
Zooey Claire Deschanel
Nickname
Zo
Height
5' 6" (1.68 m)
Mini Biography
Zooey Deschanel was
born in 1980 into a showbiz family. Her father, Caleb Deschanel is an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer
(perhaps most notably for The
Passion of the Christ (2004)) and
her mother, Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir) is an actress who starred
in "Twin Peaks" (1990). Driven from an early age to
become a successful actress, Zooey got her big break aged 17 playing a model in
TV sitcom "Veronica's
Closet" (1997). She got her
first film role the following year in Mumford (1999), which prompted her to quit
university to pursue acting full-time. Mostly thanks to a role in Cameron Crowe's popular biopic, Almost Famous (2000), Zooey's rise to fame has been
steadily increasing as the 21st century wears on. Her distinctive acting style
found her critical acclaim in 2003 when she was voted Best Actress at the Mar
Del Plata Film Festival for her role in David
Gordon Green's All the Real Girls (2003). She also gained a Best Female
Lead nomination (for All the Real
Girls (2003)) at the following
year's Independent Spirit Awards,
but lost out to Charlize Theron.
Zooey is often compared to golden era Hollywood starlets and is also a talented singer. She has said in interviews that she believes her singing ability was pivotal in gaining the role of Jovie in Elf (2003). She also sang (and acted) in the Disney-produced musical, Once Upon a Mattress(2005) (TV).
Zooey is often compared to golden era Hollywood starlets and is also a talented singer. She has said in interviews that she believes her singing ability was pivotal in gaining the role of Jovie in Elf (2003). She also sang (and acted) in the Disney-produced musical, Once Upon a Mattress(2005) (TV).
Trade Mark
Often plays odd,
uncommon girls
Long brown hair with
bangs
Trivia
Named for the male
character in J.D. Salinger's
"Franny and Zooey".
Daughter of Caleb Deschanel and Mary
Jo Deschanel.
Went to high school
with her Almost Famous (2000) co-star Kate Hudson.
Younger sister of
actress Emily Deschanel.
Graduated from
Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica.
She spent several
summers at camp upstate New York at French Woods Festival of the Performing
Arts. She was also featured in the video for The Offspring's song "She's
Got Issues" and the accompanying MTV documentary The Offspring Complete Music Video
Collection (2005) (V). She also
plays ukulele for the band 'If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies'.
Attended
Northwestern University for one year, but dropped out.
Wrote a screenplay
titled "Circus Girl" with friend Jackson
Nash. "Circus Girl" involves a witch, evil flying red balloons and a
giant diamond. Zooey plans to star in the film as the nerdy main character.
Is a big fan of
actress Parker Posey.
Interests include
jazz singing, philosophy, fashion and photography.
Did her own singing
in the movie Elf (2003).
Plays the piano and
the baritone ukulele.
Has performed with Jackson Nash's comedy group, Manifest
Destinyfest.
Turned down a role
in Bully (2001) to star in Big Trouble (2002).
Loves Ella Fitzgerald.
Is part of the
cabaret group called 'If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies'.
She pronounces her
name "ZOH-ee" (not "zoo-ee").
Her last name is
pronounced "day-shuh-NELL", with "day" slightly more
accented than the middle syllable.
Is part of indie duo
called She & Him with M.
Ward. Their debut album is called Volume One.
Ranked #95 on the
Maxim magazine Hot 100 Women of 2008 list.
Engaged to Benjamin Gibbard of Death
Cab for Cutie (December 2008).
Allergic to gluten,
dairy, and eggs.
Was ranked #73 on
Maxim magazine Hot 100 Women of 2010 list.
Sister-in-law of David Hornsby.
Ranked #39 in the
2011 FHM Australia list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
