Zendaya's incredible career so far: Her journey to worldwide fame
She's a global star ⭐️
Last updated 2nd Sep 2024
Zendaya is one of the most sought after actresses out there at the minute. From starting out her career on Disney, the 28-year-old has now become a household name, starring in TV shows such as Euphoria, films such as Spider-Man and Dune, and even performing at Coachella. With upcoming projects coming up, we can't wait to see what she does next.
The actress starred in major Disney Channel shows and films, beginning her career as a child star way back in 2010. From there, she has appeared in huge blockbuster films, released her own music, bagged multiple awards and even became an an executive producer for Euphoria. Join us as we take a look at her journey to stardom, and all of her incredible achievements, leading her to bagging her own waxwork!
Zendaya's career timeline: How did she become famous?
2010: Zendaya joins the cast of Disney's Shake It Up'
Zendaya first got her big break when she joined the cast of the hit Disney Channel TV show Shake It Up. The show premiered on 7th November 2010 and was watched by a whopping 6.2 million viewers, propelling Zendaya into a world of fame from a very young age.
She starred on the show alongside Bella Thorne, as the show continued for three seasons, with the last episode airing on 10th November 2013.
2011: The start of Zendaya's music career
Zendaya released her first single 'Swag it Out' in 2011. The single was released independently. In June of the same year, she released the song 'Watch Me' featuring her Shake It Up co-star Bella Thorne. This second song was more successful, peaking at 86 on the Billboard Hot 100.
These releases marked the beginning of Zendaya's music career.
2012: Zendaya stars in her first film
In 2012 Zendaya starred in Frenemies, marking her first film role. She starred in the Disney Channel film alongside her Shake it Up costar Bella Thorne, in what was the beginning of her incredibly successful movie career.
March - May 2013: Zendaya takes part in Dancing With the Stars
In 2013 Zendaya joined the cast of series 16 of Dancing With the Stars. At 16-years-old she became the youngest contestant to have starred on the show, and she was partnered with professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy.
Zendaya and Valentin did well, making it to the final, but she sadly lost out to country music singer Kellie Pickler and her dance partner Derek Hough. She finished as a runner up, but the show no doubt increased her exposure.
2013: Debut album 'Zendaya'
In September 2013, Zendaya released her debut, self-titled, album. She began recording for the album with Hollywood Records a year prior, in August 2012.
Zendaya described her sound as 'pop music with an urban twist' - and it's fair to say the album is full of bops!
June 2014: Disney's Zapped
In 2014, Zendaya starred in another Disney creation, in the form of the original movie Zapped.
Zendaya starred in multiple films and series for Disney Channel, taking on the main role in K.C. Undercover from 2015.
September 2014: Zendaya's 18th birthday and FeedONE
Zendaya celebrated her 18th birthday by using her influence to create a positive difference! She did this by asking her friends and fans to partner with Convoy of Hope and feedONE in order to feed children at three schools for an entire year.
July 2017: Zendaya lands role in Spider-Man: Homecoming
In 2017, Zendaya made her debut as Michelle (MJ) in Spider-Man: Homecoming, starring alongside Tom Holland. This was Zendaya's first feature film, beginning a very successful career in movies.
December 2017: Zendaya stars in The Greatest Showman
Later in 2017, Zendaya landed the role of Anne Wheeler in The Greatest Showman. She starred alongside Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman, with her character having an on-screen romance with Zac (or as he's known in the film, Phillip Carlyle).
Zendaya and Zac had an incredible connection in the film, with them singing the duet 'Rewrite The Stars'.
Of course, as any good on-screen romance does, the film sparked rumours that Zac and Zendaya were dating - however, this turned out to be exactly that, a rumour!
2018: Zendaya becomes an ambassador for Lancôme
A year later, in 2018, Zendaya became a global ambassador for the beauty brand Lancôme. At just 22-years-old, she became their youngest ever ambassador of Lancôme, who are typically associated with more 'mature' women.
Lancôme global brand president Françoise Lehmann said: "Today, we are happy to announce we have a new member joining our family. She is young but wise beyond her years. Zendaya brings a youthful and a unique approach to beauty that perfectly complements Lancôme's vision and creativity."
2019: The OA and Euphoria
In 2019, Zendaya appeared in season two of Netflix's The OA, appearing as a character named Fola.
In June, however, she landed what could be described as her largest TV role to date, as the star was cast in HBO's Euphoria as main character Rue. Zendaya landed the role alongside other big names such as The Kissing Booth's Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie and Barbie Ferreira.
Zendaya even had a musical number in the show, collaborating with Labrinth on the track 'All for Us' in the final episode of season one. Following the show's huge success, it was later renewed for a second season.
July 2019: Zendaya returns in Spider-Man: Far From Home
2019 was another busy year for the actress, as Zendaya returned for another Spider-Man film, reprising her role as MJ in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Again, working with fellow actors Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) and Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Zendaya also co-starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.
After a pretty dramatic ending to the film, fans couldn't wait to see the gang return.
October 2021: Zendaya appears in Dune
In October 2021, Zendaya appeared in hit film Dune alongside Timothée Chalamet. Despite fans being slightly disappointed with the shot amount of time Zendaya actually appeared in the film, director Denis Villeneuve promised that her character would have a bigger role and more screen time in Dune Part II.
December 2021: Spider-Man: No Way Home
In December 2021, the hugely anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home was released. The film was a monumental success - grossing over $600 million at the box office globally just over a week after its release. This made it the third biggest opening ever.
Starring alongside Tom Holland yet again, the film also welcomed an appearance from Benedict Cumberbatch, with his Marvel character Doctor Strange playing an important role in the movie's plot. Warning, spoilers to follow...
Prior to the film's release, anticipation was built due to rumours that previous Spiderman actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would be making an appearance. As fans soon found out, Doctor Strange's malfunctioned spell resulted in Peter Parker and the gang being brought into the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), and subsequently we saw the return of previous Spiderman villains on the hunt for 'their' Peter Parker.
January 2022: Euphoria season two
After the roaring success of the first series, Euphoria was renewed for a second season which began to be released in January 2022.
The series saw the return of fan favourite characters, such as Zendaya's Rue, Jules, Maddy, Cassie, Fezco and Nate Jacobs. Fans were also introduced to some new faces, as the season was set to be a dramatic one.
January 2022: Zendaya to play Ronnie Spector in upcoming biopic
Zendaya paid a touching tribute to Ronnie Spector following the musician's death in January 2022. The actress is set to star as the late rock star in an upcoming biopic about her life, including her career as the lead singer of legendary girl group the Ronettes.
Paying tribute to Ronnie, Zendaya wrote: 'This news just breaks my heart. To speak about her as if she's not with us feels strange as she is so incredibly full of life. There's not a time I saw her without her iconic red lips and full teased hair, a true rockstar through and through.
'Ronnie, being able to know you has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Thank you for sharing your life with me, I could listen to your stories for hours and hours. Thank you for your unmeasured talent, your unwavering love for performing, your strength, resilience and your grace. There is absolutely nothing that could dim the light you cast.'
The Dune actress added, "I admire you so much and am so grateful for the bond we share. You are a magical force of greatness and the world of music will never be the same. I wish everyone got to experience you the way I did."
"We celebrate your beautiful life and give you all the flowers you so rightfully deserve. Rest in great power Ronnie," Zendaya concluded. "I hope to make you proud."
February 2022: Waxwork at Madame Tussauds London
In February 2022, Madame Tussauds revealed that a brand new Zendaya waxwork was heading to their London exhibition!
The superstar's waxwork figure will be displayed alongside a collection of fellow famous faces, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Angelina Jolie.
September 2022: Zendaya picks up her second Emmy Award
In September, Zendaya won a second Emmy Award from her performance in Euphoria. She picked up the 2022 Award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series, after winning that same award in 2020.
Jan 2023: Golden Globe win
Zendaya won a Golden Globe at the 2023 ceremony, becoming the proud owner of the Best Performance in a Television Series – Drama for her role as Rue Bennett in Euphoria. Although she couldn't attend the ceremony, she shared an Instagram post to thank everyone: 'I'm so sorry I wasn't able to be there tonight, but I just wanted to say thank you to @goldenglobes for this incredible honor. To my fellow nominees, it is a privilege to be named beside you, I admire you all deeply. Thank you to my Euphoria family, without you, none of this is possible.
'Lastly, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has allowed Rue into theirs. I think everyone knows how much she means to me, but the fact that she can mean something to someone else is a gift. I'm honestly at a loss for words as type this, all can say is thank you thank you thank you. Goodnight.'
That same month, Zendaya was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for her work in Euphoria - the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.
April 2023: Louis Vuitton ambassador
The exciting news was announced in April 2023 that Zendaya had officially joined Louis Vuitton as House Ambassador. After she made an appearance at the designer brand's Paris Fashion Week show, fans began to speculate that she may be joining the house - with her shortly being unveiled as the face of the iconic Louis Vuitton Capucines bag, fronting campaigns for the stunning fashion piece.
April 2023: Zendaya joins Labrinth at Coachella
Zendaya, Labrinth and Euphoria fans alike were, well, euphoric when she joined the 'Jealous' singer on stage during his set at Coachella 2023. Performing at the Mojave Tent at the world-renowned festival, Zendaya joined the singer on stage to perform the track 'All for Us', which appears during the finale season one of the American teen drama series Euphoria, and also features Zendaya.
As fans of the show will know, Labrinth is the stunning vocals behind many songs that soundtrack the show, including 'Still Don't Know My Name', 'Forever' and 'Formula'.
February 2024: Second Challengers trailer is released
Although the movie was first announced back in 2022, the romantic sports drama film Challengers - starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor - saw a setback in the release date due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
With a fresh release date of 26th April 2024, Zendaya began to amp up the excitement as she released the second official trailer for the film in February.
March 2024: Dune Part II release
Following her appearance in Dune Part I in 2021, fans were eager to see more from Zendaya in the highly-anticipated sequel, which was finally released on 1st March 2024 following the original date being pushed back. Starring Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler, the film was a huge success and hit with fans - scoring an impressive 97% on the popular TV and film review site Rotten Tomatoes.
April 2024: Challengers release
On 26th April, the highly-anticipated Challengers film was released in cinemas. With a star-studded cast, it came as no surprise that the film quickly became the Number 1 movie in the US.
Days prior to the film's release, Zendaya shared some behind the scenes snaps from filming, writing a touching message about her first time leading a film 'in this way'. She wrote: 'A little bts dump in honor of @challengersmovie coming out in a couple days. This is my first time leading a film in this way so ya girls been nervous but everyones excitement and encouragement has meant the world to me. I'm so honored that I get to do this beside these incredibly talented, brilliant (and hilarious) people and on behalf of all of us, we hope you enjoy the film and again…try not to judge the characters too much lol but also #teamtashi'. (sic)
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