Yara Shahidi stars as Zoey Johnson, who is slaying her post-college
life and is determined to help her brother Junior get the most out of
his college experience at her alma mater Cal U, on the fifth season of
Freeform’s hit comedy “grown-ish,” produced by ABC Signature.

Shahidi is an actress, producer and breakout star of ABC’s Emmy®-
and Golden Globe®- nominated comedy series “black-ish” and the
Freeform spinoff “grown-ish.” Since “black-ish” launched in
2014, Shahidi has been awarded an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding
Supporting Actress, a Gracie Award for Female in a Breakthrough Role
and highlighted on TIME Magazine’s annual 30 Most Influential Teens
list as well as Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2017 and 2018, respectively, on
behalf of her television contributions and humanitarianism. Shahidi is
one of Hollywood’s most heralded young talents as she continues to
use her platform to empower and inspire others.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Shahidi received her start alongside
her mother, appearing in several international commercial and print
campaigns. Her first major film came when she was offered the
opportunity to audition for the role of Olivia Danielson in the
Paramount film “Imagine That,” opposite Eddie Murphy. She quickly
took to the role of the creative and happy-go-lucky daughter to
Murphy, bolstering her love of acting.

Next up, Shahidi will take on the role of Tinker Bell in Disney’s
live-action film “Peter Pan & Wendy.” She will also executive
produce and star in Amazon Studios’ upcoming romantic-comedy
“Sitting in Bars with Cake,” as well as voice a character in
Netflix’s animated film “My Father’s Dragon.”

Shahidi’s extensive film roles include Warner Bros.’ “The Sun is
Also a Star,” which explores a love story alongside one of the most
pressing issues of the century, immigration; Sony Pictures’
“Unthinkable,” as the daughter of Samuel L. Jackson; Columbia
Pictures’ “Salt,” opposite Angelina Jolie; Summit
Entertainment’s “Alex Cross,” as the daughter of Tyler Perry;
and the Weinstein Company film “Butter,” where she starred
opposite Jennifer Garner.

Off-screen, Shahidi is a champion for inclusive media programming and
an advocate for equity. Identified as a leader of the new Hollywood
guard, she has received numerous accolades for her work outside of
entertainment, such as British Vogue Forces for Change, Glamour
Magazine’s Women of the Year and Essence Magazine’s Black Women in
Hollywood, to name a few. Inspired by her extensive work with
President and First Lady Obama, Shahidi founded Eighteen x 18, now
called WeVoteNext, to shine a light on Gen Z and BIPOC inclusion in
the political process. A sought-after public speaker, Shahidi has
appeared in conversation with university peers and thought leaders
such as Dr. Angela Davis, President Obama, Harry Belafonte Jr., former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Dr. Cornell West, Sen. Cory
Booker, and Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock.

This May, she graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of
Arts in social studies and African American studies, with a
concentration in Black political thought under a neocolonial
landscape. Her final thesis for graduation was entitled “I AM A MAN:
The Emancipation of Humanness from Western Hegemony Through the Lens
of Sylvia Wynter.”

TWITTER: @YaraShahidi
INSTAGRAM: @YaraShahidi
