Yara Shahidi

Yara Shahidi

Born Yara Sayeh Shahidi
February 10, 2000
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Nationality American
Occupation Actress
Years active 2009–present
Website
yarashahidi.com

Yara Sayeh Shahidi[1] (born February 10, 2000) is an American actress.[2]

Life and career

Shahidi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to an African-American mother, Keri-Salter Shahidi, and an Iranian father, Afshin Shahidi, a photographer.[2][3] The family moved to California, for Afshin's work, when Yara was 4. She is the older sister of child actor Sayeed Shahidi; they are second-cousins to popular rapper Nas [4]

She began her career when she was 6 years old, appearing in television and print advertisements for companies such as McDonald's, Ralph Lauren, Target, GapKids, Disney, Guess Kids, and Children's Place. She frequently worked with her mother and younger brother in various print and broadcast campaigns.

Shahidi made her theatrical debut in 2009, starring opposite Eddie Murphy in Paramount Pictures' Imagine That,[2] for which she received a Young Artist Award nomination.

In September 2014, Shahidi starred in ABC's prime-time comedy Black-ish as 14-year-old Zoey Johnson. In December 2014 she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category of 'Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy'.[5]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Imagine That Olivia Danielson
2010 Salt Salt's Young Neighbor
2010 Unthinkable Katie
2011 Rip City Montana Television movie
2011 Butter Destiny
2012 Alex Cross Janelle Cross

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Entourage Kandace West Episode: "No Cannes Do"
2009 In the Motherhood Esther 5 episodes
2009 Cold Case Meesha Sullivan '91 Episode: "Read Between the Lines"
2009 Wizards of Waverly Place Olive Episode: "Doll House"
2010 Lie to Me Olivia Episode: "Teacher and Pupils"
2010 $h*! My Dad Says Girl Scout Episode: "Pilot"
2011 The Cape Layla Episode: "Endgame"
2011 Family Guy Little Girl (voice) Episode: "Episode VI: It's a Trap"
2012 The Finder Adina Episode: "The Conversation"
2012–2013 The First Family Chloe Johnson 23 episodes
2013 Scandal Young Olivia Pope 2 episodes
2014–present Black-ish Zoey Johnson 12 episodes
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2014 Bad Teacher Jalissa Episode: "Pilot"
2014 The Fosters Maddie 2 episodes

See also

References

  1. Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "All about Yara". June 1, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  3. "Yara Shahidi: A Star On The Rise". Drfunkenberry.com. October 22, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  4. Shahidi, Yara. Chocolate Mommy http://instagram.com/chocolatemommyluv. Retrieved September 14, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. "Blackish Nominated for Six NAACP Image Awards". Blackish Fans. Retrieved 12 January 2015.

External links