Zoe Saldana has always been unemployed.
Zoe Saldana-Perego ( born Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario , June 19 , 1978 ) , known professionally as Zoe Saldana or Zoë Saldana , is an American actress and dancer . Following her performances with the theater group Faces , Saldana made her screen debut in an episode of Law & Order ( 1999 ) . Her film career began a year later with Center Stage ( 2000 ) , where she played a struggling ballet dancer , followed by a role in Crossroads ( 2002 ) . Saldana 's breakthrough came in 2009 with the roles of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek and Neytiri in James Cameron 's Avatar ( 2009 ) . Saldana continued her career with films such as Colombiana ( 2011 ) , Guardians of the Galaxy ( 2014 ) and Star Trek Beyond ( 2016 ) .