Yara Shahidi

Yara Shahidi
Born Yara Sayeh Shahidi
(2000-02-10) February 10, 2000
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Nationality  United States
Occupation Actress, model
Years active 2007–present
Known for Black-ish

Yara Sayeh Shahidi[1] (Persian: (یارا (سایه) شهیدی‎‎; Persian pronunciation: [jɑːɾɑː sɑːje ʃæhiːdiː]; born February 10, 2000)[1] is an American actress and model. She is best known for playing Zoey Johnson on the sitcom Black-ish.[2]

Early life

Shahidi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a mother, Keri Salter Shahidi, of African-American and Choctaw descent,[3][4] and an Iranian-American father, Afshin Shahidi,[5][6] a photographer.[2][7] The family moved to California for Afshin's work, when Yara was 4. She is the older sister of child actor and model Sayeed Shahidi, and they have a younger brother, Ehsan.[5] The rapper Nas is their cousin.[8] Keri Shahidi said the name Yara translates to "someone who is close to your heart" in Persian.[5]

On June 6, 2017, Shahidi announced she will attend Harvard University.[9]

Career

She began her career when she was 6 years old,[10] appearing in television and print advertisements for companies such as McDonald's, Ralph Lauren, Target, GapKids, Disney, Guess Kids and The Children's Place. She frequently worked with her mother and younger brother in various print and broadcast campaigns.

Shahidi made her cinematic debut in 2009, starring opposite Eddie Murphy in Paramount Pictures' Imagine That,[2] for which she received a Young Artist Award nomination for the best performance in a feature film category.[11] In 2012, she played Chloe Johnson, the daughter of President William Johnson, in the TV series The First Family.

In September 2014, Shahidi starred in ABC's prime-time comedy Black-ish as 14-year-old Zoey Johnson.[12] In December 2014 she won an NAACP Image Award in the category of 'Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy'.[13]

In 2016, she signed to model with New York's Women Management modeling agency, in hopes of providing a platform to see more women of color in diverse roles.[12]

ABC announced in 2017 that Shahidi would be headlining a Black-ish spinoff, College-ish (now titled Grown-ish) on their sister network Freeform set to premiere in 2018.[14]

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 Main Role
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Nominated – BET Awards for YoungStar (2016)
Won – BET Awards for YoungStar (2017)
Pending – Teen Choice Award for Choice Comedy TV Actress
2014 Bad Teacher Jalissa Episode: "Pilot"
2014 The Fosters Maddie 2 episodes
2016 Trollhunters Darcy

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Yara Shahidi". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "All about Yara". June 1, 2009. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  3. ↑ Shams, Alex (2016-06-03). "Yara Shahidi, the Iranian-American Star of ‘Black-ish,’ Is Breaking Stereotypes On & Off Screen". Muftah.org. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved 2016-12-13. Zoey, the Johnson’s eldest daughter, is played by a sixteen-year-old, Iranian-American actress. Born to an Iranian father, Afshin Shahidi, and a mother of mixed African-American and Native Choctaw heritage, Keri Salter, Yara Shahidi lived in Minneapolis before moving to California at a young age.
  4. ↑ Stern, Claire (2015-04-23). "7 Things You May Not Know About Black-ish Star Yara Shahidi". InDesign Magazine. Time Inc. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  5. 1 2 3 "C.J.: Mother of Minneapolis-born "Black-ish" star is having a good day when there's no eye twitch". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  6. ↑ "Yara Shahidi, [Prominent Iranian-Americans]". Virtual embassy of the United States, Tehran.Iran (in Farsi). U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  7. ↑ Brother Troy R. Gibson II "Yara Shahidi: A Star On The Rise". Drfunkenberry.com. October 22, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  8. ↑ Shahidi on the Fuse TV series White Guy Talk Show, transcribed by "Yara Shahidi Gives the Inside Story on Her Life as Nas' Cousin". BCKOnline.com (Black Celebrity Kids, Inc.). April 10, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  9. ↑ shahidi, Yara (2017-06-06). "#CrimsonPridepic.twitter.com/2GoH9k859H". @YaraShahidi. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  10. ↑ "Yara Shahidi". Young Black Stars. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  11. ↑ "Nominations and Special Awards". 31st Annual Young Artist Awards. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  12. 1 2 Okwodu, Janelle (2016-04-19). "Black-ish’s Yara Shahidi Is a Model With a Cause". Vogue Magazine. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  13. ↑ "Blackish Nominated for Six NAACP Image Awards". Blackish Fans. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  14. ↑ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (19 May 2017). "‘Black-ish’ Spinoff Starring Yara Shahidi Greenlit at Freeform". Variety.
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