Yara Shahidi

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Yara Shahidi
Yara Shahidi for Vogue 2019 01.png
Shahidi in 2019
Born
Yara Sayeh Shahidi

(2000-02-10) February 10, 2000 (age 23)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA) [1]
OccupationActress, model
Years active2007–present
Relatives
Websiteyarashahidi.com

Yara Sayeh Shahidi (born February 10, 2000)[2] is an American actress and model. She gained recognition for her starring role as the oldest daughter Zoey Johnson on the sitcom Black-ish (2014–2022) and its spin-off series Grown-ish (2018–present).[3] Her film credits include Imagine That (2009), Smallfoot (2018), and the lead role in The Sun Is Also a Star (2019). Time included her on "The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016" list.[4]

Early life

Shahidi at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

Yara Sayeh Shahidi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Keri Salter Shahidi and Afshin Shahidi,[5][6] a photographer.[3][7] Her mother, Keri Salter, is of African-American and Choctaw heritage, whereas her father Afshin is Iranian. Afshin was one of the principal photographers for musician Prince until his death in 2016. Prince also kept a signed photo of Yara in his editing suit at Paisley Park, which can be seen on the VIP Tour.[8][9][10] The family moved to California for Afshin's work when Yara was 4 years old. She is the older sister of child actor and model Sayeed Shahidi and they have a younger brother, Ehsan.[5] The rapper Nas is a cousin.[11]

Her mother Keri states her daughter's first name Yara means "Someone who is close to your heart" in Persian .[5] Shahidi is also a common surname in Iran, of Muslim origin.

Shahidi graduated in 2017 from Dwight Global Online School.[12][13][14] Starting in 2018, Shahidi began college at Harvard University with a plan to major in Interdisciplinary Sociology and African American Studies.[12][15]

Career

She began her career when she was 6 years old,[16] appearing in television commercials 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,[3] for which she received a Young Artist Award nomination for the best performance in a feature film category.[17] She also appeared in the Angelina Jolie action film Salt in 2010 as a next door neighbor. In 2012, she played Chloe Johnson, the daughter of President William Johnson, in the TV series The First Family.

Starting in September 2014, Shahidi began her role in ABC's prime-time comedy Black-ish as 14-year-old Zoey Johnson.[18] In December 2014 she won an NAACP Image Award in the category of 'Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy'.[19]

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.[18]

ABC announced in 2017 that Shahidi would be headlining a Black-ish spinoff, titled Grown-ish, on its sister network Freeform. The series premiered on January 3, 2018.[20]

She was ranked one of the best dressed women in 2018 by fashion website Net-a-Porter.[21]

She was one of fifteen women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue, by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.[22]

In 2020, Shahidi and her mother launched their production company 7th Sun and signed a deal with ABC Studios to produce shows.[23] She was cast as Tinker Bell in the upcoming Peter Pan remake Peter Pan & Wendy.[24] and will appear in the Apple TV+ anthology series Extrapolations.[25]

Activism

Shahidi founded Eighteen x 18 with social news publisher NowThis,[26] which "will be a platform to encourage [her] peers to vote for the very first time in our upcoming midterm elections." Her other organizations include Yara's Club a partnership with Young Women's Leadership Network (YWLN) of New York, which provides online mentorship in hopes to end poverty through education.[27][28]

Shahidi's activism was noticed by former first lady Michelle Obama, who wrote her a letter of recommendation to Harvard University.[29][30] She was also given the opportunity by Teen Vogue to interview Hillary Clinton in 2017.[31][32]

In 2021, Yara Shahidi joined the Dior Stand with Women campaign.[33]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Imagine That Olivia Danielson
2010 Salt Salt's Young Neighbor
Unthinkable Katie
2011 Butter Destiny
2012 Alex Cross Janelle Cross
2018 Smallfoot Brenda Voice
2019 Detective Pikachu Girlfriend
The Sun Is Also a Star Natasha Kingsley Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie Actress (2019)[34]
2020 Fearless Melanie Voice
2021 PAW Patrol: The Movie Kendra Wilson Voice
2022 My Father's Dragon Voice; post-production
Peter Pan & Wendy Tinker Bell Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Entourage Kandace West Episode: "No Cannes Do"
Robotboy Lola MBola
2009 In the Motherhood Esther 5 episodes
Cold Case Meesha Sullivan '91 Episode: "Read Between the Lines"
Wizards of Waverly Place Olive Episode: "Doll House"
2010 Lie to Me Olivia Episode: "Teacher and Pupils"
$♯*! My Dad Says Girl Scout Episode: "Pilot"
2011 The Cape Layla Episode: "Endgame"
Family Guy Little Girl (voice) Episode: "Episode VI: It's a Trap"
Rip City Montana Television film
2012 The Finder Adina Episode: "The Conversation"
2012–2013 The First Family Chloe Johnson 23 episodes
2013 Scandal Young Olivia Pope 2 episodes
2014 Bad Teacher Jalissa Episode: "Pilot"
The Fosters Maddie 2 episodes
2014–2022 Black-ish Zoey Johnson Main role (seasons 1–3), Recurring role (seasons 4–8); 79 episodes
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2015)
BET Award for YoungStar (2017)
Nominated – BET Award for YoungStar (2016)
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Comedy TV Actress (2017, 2019)[34]
2016–2018 Trollhunters Darci Scott (voice) 10 episodes
2018–present Grown-ish Zoey Johnson Lead role, also producer
Nominated - Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer TV Actress (2019)[34]
2018–2019 3Below Darci Scott (voice) 8 episodes
TBA Extrapolations Upcoming series

See also

References

  1. ^ "Yara Shahidi is officially a Harvard graduate". NBC News.
  2. ^ "Yara Shahidi Actor". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "All about Yara". June 1, 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  4. ^ "The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016". Time. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c J., C. (January 24, 2015). "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.
  6. ^ "Yara Shahidi, [Prominent Iranian-Americans]". Virtual embassy of the United States, Tehran.Iran (in Persian). U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  7. ^ Brother Troy R. Gibson II "Yara Shahidi: A Star On The Rise". Drfunkenberry.com. October 22, 2010.
  8. ^ Shams, Alex (June 3, 2016). "Yara Shahidi, the Iranian-American Star of 'Black-ish,' Is Breaking Stereotypes On & Off Screen". Muftah.org. Archived from the original on June 7, 2016. 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 black and Native Choctaw heritage, Keri Salter, Yara Shahidi lived in Minneapolis before moving to California at a young age.
  9. ^ Stern, Claire (April 23, 2015). "7 Things You May Not Know About Black-ish Star Yara Shahidi". InStyle.
  10. ^ Guglielmo, Connie (August 21, 2018). "Why Yara Shahidi thinks the internet can still help make the world a better place". CNET. Retrieved September 14, 2020. Shahidi, the child of a mom who's African-American and Choctaw and an Iranian-American dad.
  11. ^ 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. April 10, 2015 – via BCKOnline.com (Black Celebrity Kids, Inc.).
  12. ^ a b Weaver, Hilary (June 7, 2017). "Yara Shahidi Will Join Malia Obama at Harvard in 2018". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  13. ^ Weiss, Suzannah (2017). "Here's Why Yara Shahidi WON'T Be Going to Harvard in the Fall". Teen Vogue. Retrieved September 14, 2020. Yara, who just finished high school through the New York City Dwight School's online program,
  14. ^ "Yara Shahidi Reflects on Time Passing the Week After Prom and Before High School Graduation". W Magazine | Women's Fashion & Celebrity News. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  15. ^ Peoples, Landon (February 7, 2019). "From Couture To Harvard To Activism, Yara Shahidi "Undefines" Success". Refinery29.com. Retrieved September 14, 2020. ...in real life, at Harvard, where she's set to double major in Interdisciplinary Sociology and African American Studies which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2022...
  16. ^ "Yara Shahidi". Young Black Stars. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016 – via www.youngblackstars.com.
  17. ^ "Nominations and Special Awards". 31st Annual Young Artist Awards. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  18. ^ a b Okwodu, Janelle (April 19, 2016). "Black-ish's Yara Shahidi Is a Model With a Cause". Vogue.
  19. ^ "Blackish Nominated for Six NAACP Image Awards". Blackish Fans. December 10, 2014. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014.
  20. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (May 19, 2017). "'Black-ish' Spinoff Starring Yara Shahidi Greenlit at Freeform". Variety.
  21. ^ "Best Dressed 2018". Net a Porter.
  22. ^ "Meghan Markle puts Sinéad Burke on the cover of Vogue's September issue". The Irish Times. July 29, 2019.
  23. ^ Petski, Denise (July 20, 2020). "'Grown-ish' Star Yara Shahidi Inks Overall Deal With ABC Studios, Launches Production Company". Deadline. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  24. ^ Nate (September 28, 2020). "Yara Shahidi Cast as Tinkerbell in New Live-action 'Peter Pan' Movie". Disney News. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  25. ^ Otterson, Joe (January 28, 2022). "Murray Bartlett, Diane Lane, Yara Shahidi Among Eight Cast in Extrapolations at Apple (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  26. ^ Spangler, Todd (April 18, 2018). "'Black-ish Star Yara Shahidi Kicks Off Political-Engagement Campaign With NowThis". Variety.
  27. ^ Seligson, Hannah (November 27, 2015). "'Black-ish' Star Yara Shahidi Is a Role Model Off-Screen". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  28. ^ Berg, Madeline (November 16, 2017). "Meet Yara Shahidi: The 17-Year-Old Actress And Activist". Forbes.
  29. ^ Rogo, Paula (March 11, 2017). "Star Pupil: Michelle Obama Wrote Yara Shahidi A College Recommendation!". Essence.
  30. ^ Bitmead, Charlotte (September 8, 2020). "Yara Shahidi On Loving Her Monobrow And Why Family Give The Best Beauty Advice". ELLE. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  31. ^ "Yara Shahidi Just Asked Hillary Clinton About That Very Uncomfortable Trump Debate". Harper's Bazaar. December 3, 2017.
  32. ^ Smith, Krista (February 9, 2018). "Yara Shahidi on Being a Role Model, Attending Harvard, and Continuing Her Activism". Vanity Fair.
  33. ^ "Yara Shahidi joins the Dior Stands With Women campaign". Arab News. March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  34. ^ a b c Crist, Allison; Nordyke, Kimberly (August 11, 2019). "Teen Choice Awards: Full List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter.

External links

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