The Biography

Zooey Claire Deschanel (born January 17, 1980) is an American actress, model, and singer-songwriter. She made her film debut in Mumford (1999) and next obtained a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous (2000). Deschanel is known for her deadpan roles in comedy films such as The Good Girl (2002), The New Guy (2002), Elf (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Yes Man (2008) and 500 Days of Summer (2009). She has ventured into more dramatic territory with Manic (2001), All the Real Girls (2003), Winter Passing (2005), and Bridge to Terabithia (2007). From 2011 to 2018, she played Jessica Day on the Fox sitcom New Girl, for which she received an Emmy Award nomination and three Golden Globe Award nominations. For a few years starting in 2001, Deschanel performed in the jazz cabaret act If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies with actress Samantha Shelton. In 2006, Deschanel teamed up with M. Ward to form She & Him, and subsequently released their debut album, Volume One, in 2008. They have since released five albums: Volume Two, in 2010, A Very She & Him Christmas in 2011, Volume 3 in 2013, Classics in 2014, and Christmas Party in 2016. She received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media for "So Long", which was featured in the 2011 film Winnie the Pooh soundtrack. Besides singing, she plays keyboards, percussion, banjo, and ukulele. Deschanel is also a co-founder of the female-focused website HelloGiggles, which was acquired by Time, Inc. in 2015.