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Who Are Zoe Saldaña’s Parents? A Look at Her Afro-Latino Heritage
When Zoe Saldaña stood on the Oscars stage, golden statue in hand, she honored her history. As the first actress of Dominican descent to win an Academy Award, her acceptance speech wasn’t just about her own success, but about the generations before her.
“I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams, dignity, and hardworking hands,” she declared, looking towards her mom in the audience.
Saldaña dedicated the moment to her family, especially her grandmother, Argentina Cesse, who left the Dominican Republic in the 1960s in search of a better life.
“I know I will not be the last,” she added, reinforcing the importance of Latina representation in Hollywood.
Before the red carpets and blockbuster roles, Zoe’s journey began with the values instilled by her parents, Asalia Nazario and Aridio Saldaña. They shaped her resilience, ambition, and deep connection to her roots.
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Growing Up with Strong Latin Roots
Born on June 19, 1978, in New Jersey, Zoe Saldaña was raised by a Puerto Rican mom and a Dominican dad. From the very beginning, her home was filled with the sounds of both English and Spanish, a true bilingual upbringing. Her parents made sure education was a priority, but just as important was the confidence they instilled in their daughters.
Zoe’s early childhood was spent in Queens, New York, with her sisters Mariel and Cisely. But tragedy struck in 1987 when she was just nine years old: her dad, Aridio, died in a car accident. The loss shattered their family, but it was also a turning point that would eventually lead Zoe to discover her passion for the arts.
“My father was amazing,” she said in the first episode of her AOL Series, Zoe Saldaña Presents My Hero. The actress added, “When we lost him, it was hard. It was very, very tragic. He was a really good guy.”
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After Aridio’s passing, Zoe’s mom, Asalia, made a tough decision: she sent Zoe and her sisters to live with their grandparents in the Dominican Republic while she stayed in New York to work and provide for them.
“Our mom, being a single parent, didn’t want us to grow up in a dangerous place, so she moved us to the Dominican Republic,” Zoe told W magazine. “She would live with us for one year, then spend the next year working in New York to send money back.”
Adapting to a new country, a different culture, and living without their mom wasn’t easy.
“There’s no winter, no Santa Claus, no grapes or apples. It’s mango and guavas,” Zoe recalled in talks with Emmy magazine. “Everything was always changing. It was hard.”
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Despite the challenges, those years in the Dominican Republic would shape her love for dance and performance. To keep her busy, her mom enrolled her in ballet classes, and it was through dance that Zoe first found her artistic voice. That foundation would later help her land her very first film role as a ballet dancer in Center Stage (2000).
While Zoe and her sisters were growing up in the Dominican Republic, Asalia worked two jobs in New York (as a courtroom translator and a hotel maid) doing whatever it took to provide for her daughters.
She became Zoe’s greatest inspiration, not just for her sacrifices, but for the strength she displayed through grief. “She lost my dad, and for years, you could see in her face that she was defeated,” Zoe said in the series. “But she just kept going, putting one foot in front of the other.”
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It’s no surprise that when Zoe and her sisters later created their own production company, Cinestar Pictures, it was with the aim of telling strong female stories, just like the ones they grew up witnessing.
And even after everything, Asalia’s sense of humor never faded. Zoe has often joked that her mom confuses her with Thandiwe Newton, thinking she starred in Westworld. “My mom still thinks I’m in that show,” Zoe laughed in an interview with James Corden.
Asalia eventually remarried, finding love again with Dagoberto Galán, a Dominican man who Zoe considers a second father. “There is a reason I don’t call him my stepfather but my dad,” Zoe shared with The Huffington Post. “Since day one, that’s what he’s been to us—our kind of crazy beautiful!”
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In her own way, Zoe paid tribute to her late father by naming her twin sons Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio. The couple chose their middle names after their grandfathers (Ezio is Perego’s father’s name.)
From the Dominican Republic to Hollywood Royalty
Zoe Saldaña’s story is one of resilience, sacrifice, and love. From losing her father as a child to moving between countries, to watching her mom work tirelessly to give her a better life, her journey is deeply rooted in the strength of her parents and her Afro-Latino heritage.
Now, as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, known for her roles in Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek, and Emilia Pérez, Zoe never forgets where she comes from. And when she stood on that Oscars stage, she wasn’t just accepting an award, she was honoring the people who made it possible.
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