Yara Shahidi

Early life and education

Yara Sayeh Shahidi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Keri Salter Shahidi and Afshin Shahidi, a photographer. Her mother, Keri Shahidi (born Keri Jamelda Salter), is of African American and Choctaw heritage, and her father Afshin Shahidi is Iranian. Afshin was one of the principal photographers for musician Prince, who kept a signed photo of Yara in his editing suite at Paisley Park. The Shahidi family moved to California for Afshin's work when Yara was 4 years old. She is the older sister of child actor and model Sayeed Shahidi and they have a younger brother, Ehsan. The rapper Nas is her first cousin once removed. Yara means "Someone who is close to your heart" in Persian; Shahidi is a common surname in Iran and means "martyr" in Persian.

Shahidi attended Immaculate Heart Middle School and then Immaculate Heart High School. She left to concentrate on her acting career, graduating in 2017 from Dwight Global Online School. In 2017, Shahidi was admitted to Harvard University. She began her studies there in 2018 after taking a gap year, with a plan to major in Interdisciplinary Sociology and Black American Studies. Shahidi graduated from Harvard in 2022.

Acting career

Shahidi began her career when she was 6 years old, appearing in television commercials and print advertisements for companies such as McDonald's, Ralph Lauren, Target, GapKids, Disney, Guess Kids and The Children's Place. She frequently worked with her mother and younger brother in various print and broadcast campaigns. Her first on-screen appearance was in an episode of HBO comedy series, Entourage in 2007. In 2009, she had a recurring role as Jessica St. Clair's character daughter in the short-lived ABC comedy series, In the Motherhood. Later that year, she guest-starred on Cold Case and Wizards of Waverly Place.

Shahidi made her big screen debut in 2009, starring opposite Eddie Murphy in Paramount Pictures comedy film Imagine That, for which she received a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film. She also appeared in the action film Salt in 2010 as a next door neighbor to Angelina Jolie's character. The following year, she starred in the comedy film Butter that premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and garnered mixed reviews from critics. In 2012, she appeared in the action thriller film Alex Cross opposite Tyler Perry. From 2012 to 2013, Shahidi was a regular cast member in the syndicated sitcom The First Family playing the role of Chloe Johnson, the daughter of President William Johnson. In 2013, she played young Olivia Pope in two episodes of the third season of ABC political thriller series, Scandal.

2014–2022

In 2014, Shahidi was cast as a 14-year-old Zoey Johnson, the eldest daughter of Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross's characters in the ABC comedy series Black-ish created by Kenya Barris. She won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the show's first season. She also received Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Breakthrough Role in 2016 and BET YoungStars Award at the 17th BET Awards. She left the series after three seasons but appeared as a recurring guest-star in latter seasons. ABC announced in 2017 that Shahidi would be headlining a Black-ish spinoff, titled Grown-ish, on its sister network Freeform. The series premiered on January 3, 2018, with the positive reviews from critics. For her performance, Shahidi received three NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. She left the series after five seasons, but stayed as an executive producer and recurring guest-star for its sixth and final season in 2023.

In 2016, Shahidi signed to model with New York's Women Management modeling agency, in hopes of providing a platform for more women of color. Time included her on "The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016" list. She was ranked one of the best dressed women in 2018 by fashion website Net-a-Porter. She was one of fifteen women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue, by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. In 2021, Shahidi debuted a sportswear collaboration with Adidas.

In 2019, Shahidi played the leading role in the teen drama film, The Sun Is Also a Star based on the young adult novel of the same name by Nicola Yoon. It was theatrically released in the United States on May 17, 2019, by Warner Bros. Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $6.8 million worldwide. She co-produced Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film-winning film Hair Love (2019). She did voice over work in the films Smallfoot (2018), Fearless (2020), PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021), and My Father's Dragon (2022). In 2020, Shahidi and her mother launched their production company 7th Sun and signed a deal with ABC Studios to produce shows. Their first project was Smoakland, a single-camera comedy pilot for Freeform in 2021. Later in 2021, it was announced that they develop adaptation of Cole Brown's book Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World.

2023–present

Shahidi starred in the Apple TV+ anthology series Extrapolations that premiered on March 17, 2023. She played Tinker Bell in the fantasy adventure film Peter Pan & Wendy, a remake of Peter Pan. It premiered on Disney+ on April 28, 2023. Later in 2023, Shahidi executive produced and played the leading role in the romantic comedy-drama film Sitting in Bars with Cake alongside Odessa A'zion. The film received generally positive reviews from critics with Shahidi's performance as a law student struggling to fulfill her role as a caregiver to her friend diagnosed with cancer receiving praise, though critics generally agreed that she had been overshadowed by A’Zion. Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle felt that Shahidi's friendship with A’Zion was, "the most authentic element of the film". She received NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture nomination for her performance.

Shahidi was set to star alongside Maddie Ziegler and Avantika in the thriller Ballerina Overdrive but exited the film.

Political activism

Shahidi founded Eighteen x 18 with social news publisher NowThis, which "will be a platform to encourage [her] peers to vote for the very first time in our upcoming midterm elections." Her other organizations include Yara's Club a partnership with Young Women's Leadership Network (YWLN) of New York, which provides online mentorship in hopes to end poverty through education.

Shahidi's activism was noticed by former first lady Michelle Obama, who wrote her a letter of recommendation to Harvard University. She was also given the opportunity by Teen Vogue to interview Hillary Clinton in 2017.

In 2021, Shahidi joined the Dior Stand with Women campaign.

In October 2023, Shahidi signed an open letter for the "Artists4Ceasefire" campaign urging US President Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music

As director

Awards and nominations

References

References

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10. (April 10, 2015). "Yara Shahidi Gives the Inside Story on Her Life as Nas' Cousin".
11. J., C.. (January 24, 2015). "C.J.: Mother of Minneapolis-born "Black-ish" star is having a good day when there's no eye twitch". [[Star Tribune]].
12. Weaver, Hilary. (June 7, 2017). "Yara Shahidi Will Join Malia Obama at Harvard in 2018".
13. Weiss, Suzannah. (2017). "Here's Why Yara Shahidi WON'T Be Going to Harvard in the Fall".
14. (June 7, 2017). "Yara Shahidi Reflects on Time Passing the Week After Prom and Before High School Graduation".
15. (2022-05-27). "Yara Shahidi is officially a Harvard graduate".
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18. "Nominations and Special Awards".
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24. Wagmeister, Elizabeth. (May 19, 2017). "'Black-ish' Spinoff Starring Yara Shahidi Greenlit at Freeform". [[Variety (magazine).
25. (February 22, 2020). "NAACP Image Awards: Lizzo Named Entertainer of the Year; 'Just Mercy,' 'Black-ish' Among Top Winners".
26. Bosselman, Haley. (March 28, 2021). "NAACP Image Awards 2021: The Complete Televised Winners List".
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36. (January 28, 2022). "Murray Bartlett, Diane Lane, Yara Shahidi Among Eight Cast in ''Extrapolations'' at Apple (EXCLUSIVE)".
37. Nate. (September 28, 2020). "Yara Shahidi Cast as Tinkerbell in New Live-action 'Peter Pan' Movie".
38. Grobar, Matt. (February 9, 2022). "'Sitting In Bars With Cake': Yara Shahidi To Exec Produce & Star In Amazon Studios Rom-Com".
39. (September 8, 2023). "Sitting in Bars with Cake - Rotten Tomatoes".
40. Horton, Adrian. (2023-09-08). "Sitting in Bars with Cake review – uneven tale of cancer, cakes and friendship". [[The Guardian]].
41. Meyer, Carla. (2023). "Review: A believable central friendship makes 'Sitting in Bars With Cake' a satisfying if bittersweet treat".
42. Jackson, Angelique. (January 25, 2024). "Colman Domingo, Ayo Edebiri, Victoria Monét and Usher Lead NAACP Image Award Nominations".
43. Wiseman, Andreas. (February 8, 2023). "Lena Headey, Yara Shahidi, Isabela Merced, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds & Iris Apatow Set For Buzzy Action Pic 'Ballerina Overdrive' From David Leitch & Kelly McCormick's 87North: EFM Hot Package".
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49. (December 3, 2017). "Yara Shahidi Just Asked Hillary Clinton About That Very Uncomfortable Trump Debate".
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51. (March 16, 2021). "Yara Shahidi joins the Dior Stands With Women campaign".
52. Veltman, Chloe. (October 21, 2023). "Entertainment industry A-listers sign a letter to Biden urging a cease-fire in Gaza". [[NPR]].
53. (2018-04-07). "Yara Shahidi, Rashida Jones, and More Live Their Best Lives in Drake's New Video".
54. "PinkPantheress Shops with Yara Shahidi, Charithra Chandran, India Amarteifio in Adorable 'Mosquito' Video".
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56. "Exclusive: Director Yara Shahidi and Sofia Ongele talk Disney Plus docuseries Growing Up".