Zoë Kravitz
Quick Facts
Biography
Zoë Isabella Kravitz (born December 1, 1988) is an American actress, singer, and model. The daughter of actor-musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, she made her acting debut in the romantic comedy film No Reservations (2007), and had her breakthrough portraying Angel Salvadore in the superhero film X-Men: First Class (2011), which earned her nominations for a Teen Choice Award and a Scream Award.
Kravitz rose to prominence playing Christina in The Divergent Series (2014–16) and Leta Lestrange in the Fantastic Beasts film series (2016–2018). She earned acclaim for her lead roles in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies (2017–2019), which earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and the Hulu romantic comedy series High Fidelity (2020), for which she won a Black Reel Award and received a nomination for a Satellite Award.
Kravitz voiced Catwoman in The Lego Batman Movie (2017), and will reprise the role in Matt Reeves' DC film The Batman (2022); she additionally provided the voice of Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). She appeared as Toast the Knowing in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and has starred in numerous independent films, including Dope (2015), Adam Green's Aladdin (2016), and Gemini (2017).
In addition to acting, Kravitz works as a fashion model and musician. As of 2017, she is the face of YSL Beauté. Kravitz has also starred in campaigns for Tiffany & Co., Vera Wang, Balenciaga, Alexander Wang, Coach New York, Tumi, and Calvin Klein. She fronts the band Lolawolf and released the albums Calm Down in 2014 and Tenderness in 2020.
Early life
Kravitz was born in Venice, Los Angeles at the home of her parents, actress Lisa Bonet and musician Lenny Kravitz. Both parents are of mixed African American and Jewish descent (her paternal grandfather was of Russian-Jewish or Ukrainian-Jewish ancestry). Her paternal grandmother, actress Roxie Roker (a first cousin once removed of television weather forecaster Al Roker), and her maternal grandfather, Allen Bonet, were African American, with some of her grandmother's family being from the Bahamas. Her paternal grandfather, NBC television news producer Sy Kravitz, and maternal grandmother, Arlene Litman, were both of Jewish heritage. Kravitz identifies as a secular Jew.
Kravitz's parents married in 1987 and divorced six years later, in 1993, when Zoë was 5 years old. She lived with her mother in Topanga Canyon, and then moved to Miami at age 11 to live with her father, spending summers with her mother. Kravitz has a younger half-sister, Lola Iolani Momoa, and a half-brother, Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa, from her mother's remarriage to actor Jason Momoa. Her godfather is movie producer Bruce Cohen, and her godmothers are actresses Marisa Tomei and Cree Summer.
Career
Early work and breakthrough (2008–2012)
Kravitz landed her first film role while in high school, playing a babysitter hired by Catherine Zeta-Jones' character in the 2007 romantic comedy No Reservations. In the same year she also appeared in the action thriller The Brave One. In 2008, Kravitz appeared in the music video for Jay Z's "I Know", and was featured singing in will.i.am's music video for "We Are the Ones", in support of US presidential candidate Barack Obama. That same year she also appeared in the family drama Birds of America and neo noir comedy Assassination of a High School President. She began making music at the age of 16. She fronted the New York/Philadelphia-based band Elevator Fight, which she formed in 2009. The band performed at the South by Southwest music festival and on the main stage of the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia in June 2009, along with The Roots, TV On The Radio, and The Black Keys. Kravitz stated in 2011 that her music is a hobby. She also performed with the cabaret troupe The Citizens Band.
In 2009, Kravitz co-starred in the independent ensemble drama The Greatest, in which her character is addicted to grief counseling groups. Also in 2009, she was named the face of Vera Wang's Princess fragrance in 2009, appearing on the website and in advertisements for the brand. In 2010, she appeared in It's Kind of a Funny Story. Also that year, Kravitz appeared in Twelve. Kravitz next starred in the romantic comedy Beware the Gonzo as the female lead and love interest of Ezra Miller's eponymous Gonzo. Kravitz was featured in a campaign for fashion designer Alexander Wang in 2010.
In 2011, Kravitz appeared in the coming-of-age film Yelling to the Sky. She also appeared in eight episodes of the Showtime television series Californication, in which she portrayed Pearl, the vocalist of the all-female band Queens of Dogtown. That same year she portrayed the comic book character Angel Salvadore in X-Men: First Class. Kravitz filmed her scenes in London and performed wire work for her role, to simulate her character's ability to fly. In late 2011, Kravitz completed work on a film with the working title Treading Water, which was eventually released in 2013, renamed The Boy Who Smells Like Fish. In the same year, she represented Vera Wang's new Preppy Princess fragrance.
Rise to prominence and expansion (2013–present)
In 2013, she co-starred in After Earth. In 2013, Kravitz released a jewelry line in collaboration with the Swarovski crystal company. She used ethnic and vintage jewelry, and her birthstone, Turquoise, as inspiration for her designs. In 2014, she portrayed the character Christina in Divergent. Kravitz reprised her role in the sequels Insurgent and Allegiant. Also in 2014, she starred in the independent drama The Road Within and the romantic comedy Pretend We're Kissing. Kravitz started the band Lolawolf while in Los Angeles filming The Road Within. Made up of members from the band Reputante, Lolawolf released an eponymous EP and debuted at the Mercury Lounge in November 2013. The band was named after Kravitz' younger siblings, Lola and Nakoa-Wolf. They released their debut album, Calm Down, on October 21, 2014, and supported Lily Allen, Miley Cyrus, and Warpaint on tour in 2014. The band released the five-track EP, Every Fuckin Day, on June 23, 2015.
Kravitz appeared in 2014's Good Kill. In 2015, she appeared in the comedy-drama Dope and in Mad Max: Fury Road. In 2016, she co-starred in the action thriller Vincent N Roxxy and appeared in the independent film Adam Green's Aladdin. Kravitz also had a role in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as Leta Lestrange. In 2017, Kravitz starred in the mystery thriller Gemini. In the same year, she appeared in the comedy film Rough Night and the animated superhero film The Lego Batman Movie, in which she voiced the comic book character Selina Kyle / Catwoman. She also became the face of Brooklyn-based designer Alexis Bittar's jewelry line in 2015.
From 2017 to 2019, Kravitz starred in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies, in which she portrays Bonnie Carlson; for her performance, she earned two Black Reel Award nominations as well as a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series. Kravitz appeared in the 2018 science fiction action film Kin and reprised her role as Leta Lestrange in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, in a larger capacity. Also in 2018, she appeared on BBC Children in Need with Eddie Redmayne, setting up Alex Jones from The One Show, with the help of children who fed them the answers to the interview questions. Kravitz was ranked one of the best dressed women in 2018 by fashion website Net-a-Porter. In the same year, Kravitz was featured on the song "Screwed" on Janelle Monáe's album Dirty Computer. She was also featured on "Anti-Social Smokers Club" on Rae Sremmurd's third album SR3MM.
In 2020, Kravitz headlined the romantic comedy web television series High Fidelity, premiering on Valentine's Day on Hulu. She starred as one of the leads in Viena and the Fantomes. Kravitz is set to portray Selina Kyle / Catwoman, now in live action, in director Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is scheduled for release on March 4, 2022. In June 2021, Kravitz announced plans to make her directorial debut in Pussy Island, a film she also co-wrote, and plans to star alongside Channing Tatum. In August 2021, it was announced that Kravitz will star and serve as an executive producer on coming-of-age animated series Phatty Patty, bankrolled by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's Westbrook Studios.
Personal life
Kravitz lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The song "Flowers for Zoë", included on her father's second album Mama Said, was written as a tribute to then-two-year-old Zoë.
Kravitz attended Miami Country Day School and Rudolf Steiner School in Manhattan graduating in 2007. Kravitz began studying that year at the acting conservatory under Scott McCrea at the State University of New York at Purchase where her peers included Micah Stock and Jason Ralph. She left college after a year and moved to Brooklyn, New York to work in films. She struggled with anorexia and bulimia throughout high school, until around age 24.
She briefly dated Ezra Miller while they were filming Beware the Gonzo and was in a relationship with actor Penn Badgley from 2011 until 2013. In 2016, Kravitz began a relationship with actor Karl Glusman. Kravitz revealed in an interview published in October 2018 that she became engaged in February of that year. The two were married at Kravitz's father's home in Paris on June 29, 2019. In December 2020, Kravitz filed for divorce from Glusman. The divorce was finalized in August 2021.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | No Reservations | Charlotte | |
The Brave One | Chloe | ||
2008 | Assassination of a High School President | Valerie | |
Birds of America | Gillian Tanager | ||
2009 | The Greatest | Ashley | |
2010 | Twelve | Gabby | |
Beware the Gonzo | Evie Wallace | ||
It's Kind of a Funny Story | Nia | ||
2011 | Yelling to the Sky | Sweetness O'Hara | |
X-Men: First Class | Angel Salvadore | ||
2013 | Treading Water | Laura | |
After Earth | Senshi Raige | ||
2014 | Divergent | Christina | |
Pretend We're Kissing | Autumn | ||
The Road Within | Marie | ||
Good Kill | Vera Suarez | ||
2015 | Dope | Nakia | |
The Divergent Series: Insurgent | Christina | ||
Mad Max: Fury Road | Toast the Knowing | ||
2016 | Too Legit | Sully | Short film |
The Divergent Series: Allegiant | Christina | ||
Vincent N Roxxy | Roxxy | ||
Adam Green's Aladdin | Old Miner | ||
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Leta Lestrange | Cameo | |
2017 | The Lego Batman Movie | Catwoman (voice) | |
Gemini | Heather Anderson | ||
Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That? | Catwoman (voice) | Short film | |
Rough Night | Blair | ||
2018 | Kin | Milly | |
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | Leta Lestrange | ||
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | Mary Jane Watson (voice) | ||
2020 | Viena and the Fantomes | Madge | |
2022 | KIMI | Post-production | |
The Batman | Selina Kyle / Catwoman | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Californication | Pearl | 8 episodes |
2016 | Portlandia | Kendall | Episode: "Breaking Up" |
2016 | Morris & the Cow | Loretta (voice) | Television short |
2017, 2019 | Big Little Lies | Bonnie Carlson | Main role |
2020 | High Fidelity | Robyn "Rob" Brooks | Lead role; also executive producer |
A World of Calm | Narrator | Episode: "The Glassmaker" |
Music videos
Year | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|
2008 | "I Know" | Jay Z |
Discography
Title | Details |
---|---|
Calm Down |
|
Tenderness |
|
Title | Details |
---|---|
Lolawolf (EP) |
|
Everyfuckinday (EP) |
|
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Drive (Los Angeles)" | 2013 | Lolawolf |
"Wanna Have Fun" | Lolawolf | |
"Jimmy Franco" | 2014 | Calm Down |
"Summertime" | N/A | |
"AYO" | Calm Down | |
"Every Fuckin Day" | 2015 | Every Fuckin Day |
"Teardrop" | 2016 | N/A |
"Baby I'm Dyin'" | 2017 | N/A |
"No Diana" | 2020 | Tenderness |
Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"We Are The Ones" | 2008 | will.i.am | N/A |
"Passionfruit" | 2017 | Drake | More Life |
"Screwed" | 2018 | Janelle Monáe | Dirty Computer |
"Anti-Social Smokers Club" | Slim Jxmmi | SR3MM |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Don't" | 2019 | Big Little Lies (Music From Season 2 of the HBO Limited Series) |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Breakout: Female | X-Men: First Class | Nominated | |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Chemistry | Nominated | |||
Scream Awards | Breakout Performance – Female | Nominated | |||
Black Reel Awards | Best Breakthrough Performance | It's Kind of a Funny Story | Nominated | ||
2014 | Napa Valley Film Festival | Audience Award for Favorite Actress | The Road Within | Won | |
2015 | Milano Internationals Film Festival Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | ||
2016 | All Def Movie Awards | Best Actress | Dope | Nominated | |
Black Reel Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |||
Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble Cast | Mad Max: Fury Road | Nominated | ||
2017 | Black Reel Awards for Television | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a TV Movie/Limited Series | Big Little Lies | Nominated | |
2018 | Behind the Voice Actors Awards | Best Voice Ensemble in a Feature Film | The Lego Batman Movie | Nominated | |
2020 | Black Reel Awards for Television | Outstanding Comedy Series | High Fidelity | Nominated | |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Big Little Lies | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | High Fidelity | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series () | Won | ||||
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Big Little Lies | Nominated | ||
2021 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series | High Fidelity | Nominated |