Whether as an actress, singer, or fashion icon, Zendaya has long proven she has all it takes to be a star. In a little over a decade, she went from being a fast-rising actress to one of the industry’s icons. Zendaya was listed amongst the Innovators on Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
While already a natural Hollywood sweetheart, her romantic relationship with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland has kept the actress in the spotlight. Zendaya has found success as an actress and singer, consistently raking in millions of dollars over the past years. With a growing profile and status in Hollywood, here’s more on Zendaya’s net worth.
Zendaya’s Early Years and Success
Zendaya was born into a large family, having five older siblings. The actress and singer was born Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman in Oakland, California, on September 1, 1996. Her parents, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman and Claire Stoermer, were both teachers. She was named from a derivative of a Shona (a Bantu language of the Shona people of Zimbabwe) word/name Tendai, which means “to give thanks.” Performing came naturally for Zendaya, who, at 6 years old, was already performing plays in school. She spent most of her formative years performing in theater plays.
Zendaya began modeling for brands like Macy’s, Old Navy, and Mervyns in her early teens. She spent a few years as a fashion model and was also featured in an iCarly toy ad. In 2009, she made a guest appearance as a featured performer in the Kidz Bop music video for Katy Perry‘s song “Hot n Cold.” By the end of 2009, she successfully auditioned for Disney’s Dance Dance Chicago (renamed Shake It Up). Although she had initially auditioned for the role of CeCe Jones, Zendaya was selected to play Rocky Blue. Playing the co-lead on the Disney sitcom put her in the faces of millions of fans. Ultimately, being cast on Shake It Up was a career-defining role for Zendaya.
Zendaya’s Acting Career
Zendaya played Rocky Blue, a book-smart girl passionate about dancing for all 3 seasons of Shake It Up from 2010 to 2013. In early 2013, she competed in Dancing with the Stars season 16. Pairing with her professional partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy, the couple was declared runner-up on May 21, 2013. She landed another lead role in television, playing K.C. Cooper on the Disney Channel’s comedy series K.C. Undercover from 2015 to 2018. She also guest-starred in the “Daddy’s Day” episode of Black-ish in 2015.
When casting calls for Spider-Man: Homecoming were announced, Zendaya showed up without makeup for her screen test. Interestingly, playing Michelle in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) was Zendaya’s feature film acting debut. More surprising is the fact that she didn’t initially know she was auditioning for a Spider-Man movie. When she later found out, she thought it was for a background role and was shocked she was asked to screen test as the female lead.
Before reprising her role in the sequel, Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019), Zendaya starred alongside Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron as Anne Wheeler in the biographical musical drama The Greatest Showman (2017). Zendaya reprised the role of MJ in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Released as her last feature film before her next starring role in Dune: Part Two (2024), Zendaya also starred in movies like Malcolm & Marie (2021) and Dune (2021). In television, she played Rue Bennett, a young drug addict, in HBO’s Euphoria.
Zendaya’s Musical Career
After her performance as a guest artist on Kidz Bop, Zendaya released her independent debut single, “Swag It Out,” in 2011. Her next single, “Watch Me,” one of the songs from the Shake It Up: Break It Down soundtrack album, featured Bella Thorne. “Watch Me,” recorded and released in April and June, respectively, became her first charting song, which peaked at 86 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Zendaya released her debut, self-titled studio album, Zendaya, on September 17, 2013. Released in CD and digital download format, Zendaya peaked at 51 on the Billboard 200. Over the years, Zendaya has also collaborated with several other musical artists. She was a featured artist in Bobby Brackins and Jeremih‘s 2015 song “My Jam.” Zendaya also made guest appearances in songs of popular musical artists like Taylor Swift (“Bad Blood”), Beyoncé (“All Night”), and Bruno Mars (“Versace on the Floor“).
Zendaya’s Net Worth
For much of her life, Zendaya has found success in everything she does. Although her fashion label, Daya by Zendaya, didn’t move in the direction she had wanted, the actress-singer is still successful for her age. Zendaya has an estimated net worth of about $20 million. The actress reportedly received a salary of about $300,000 for her role in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). She also reportedly received a similar salary for the 2019 sequel. However, she was paid a base salary of $2 million for the third film, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), with reports she may have made up to $10 million with the film’s $1.922 billion Box Office earnings.
For her brief 7-minute appearance as Chani in Dune (2021), the actress reportedly received $300,000. By base salary standards, Zendaya’s biggest paycheck is definitely playing Rue Bennett in Euphoria. While the actress may have earned around $10 million from seasons 1 and 2, it’s her renegotiated contract that has got everyone talking. With Euphoria season 3 greenlit for production in February 2022, Zendaya’s new contract will earn the actress a whopping $1 million per episode. With seasons 1 and 2 each having 8 episodes, that’s an easy $8 million for the young actress. Zendaya joins the list of television actors paid $1 million per episode, adding to her net worth.
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