Born in Los Angeles, actress Zooey Deschanel has built a career on playing offbeat yet charming characters. She is reportedly named after one of the title figures in the novella Franny and Zooey, written by J.D. Salinger. With her dark hair, bright blue eyes and pixie-like manner, Deschanel seemed to personify the indie-film dream girl.
Deschanel grew up in the entertainment business. Her father, Caleb, is an Academy Award–nominated cinematographer, and her mother, Mary Jo, is an actress. Her older sister, Emily, is also an actress. Zooey spent many of her early years traveling around the world as her father worked on different films.
Deschanel attended the Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, California. There, she befriended the likes of such future stars as Jake Gyllenhaal and Kate Hudson. Deschanel loved music and acting and told The New York Times, “All through high school I thought I might be a Broadway singer.”
In 1998, Deschanel made her television debut with a guest spot on the Kirstie Alley sitcom Veronica’s Closet. She briefly studied at Northwestern University before dropping out to pursue acting full-time. A supporting role in the dramatic comedy Mumford (1999) gave Deschanel her first major career boost. She quickly followed up with another well-regarded performance, in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous (2000).
Becoming a popular actress in independent film, Deschanel appeared in Manic (2001) with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and in The Good Girl (2002) with Jennifer Aniston. She earned raves for the little-seen but critically acclaimed All the Real Girls in 2003, co-starring with Paul Schneider and Patricia Clarkson.
Deschanel made the most of a small role in the box-office hit Elf (2004) starring Will Ferrell. The comedy gave the actress the opportunity to showcase some of her musical talents, including her ukulele skills. Deschanel played best friend to Sarah Jessica Parker in the romantic comedy Failure to Launch (2006) with Matthew McConaughey. The film proved to be a commercial and critical disappointment, as did one of her next efforts, M. Night Shyamalan’s environmental thriller The Happening (2007), in which Deschanel co-starred with Mark Wahlberg.
Reteaming with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Deschanel had a career-changing experience with (500) Days of Summer (2009). The film, sometimes called an anti-romantic comedy, reflected on a couple’s relationship in reverse—from their breakup to their beginning. Both she and Gordon-Levitt won wide critical praise for the movie.
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