Zooey Deschanel

Born on January 17, 1980, Zooey Deschanel is the daughter of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Deschanel, and the younger sister of actress Emily Deschanel. She made her film debut in 1999 with "Mumford," followed by a breakout role as Anita Miller in Cameron Crowe's 2000 film "Almost Famous." Deschanel became known for her deadpan comedic roles in films such as "Elf" (2003), "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (2005), "Yes Man" (2008), and "(500) Days of Summer" (2009). She also garnered acclaim for dramatic performances in "All the Real Girls" (2003) and "Bridge to Terabithia" (2007). From 2011, she starred as Jessica Day in the Fox sitcom "New Girl," earning an Emmy Award nomination and three Golden Globe Award nominations. Beyond acting, Deschanel is a musician who performs on keyboards, percussion, banjo, and ukulele. She performed in the jazz cabaret act If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies before forming the musical duo She & Him with M. Ward in 2006. They released their debut album, "Volume One," in 2008, followed by "Volume Two" (2010), "A Very She & Him Christmas" (2011), "Volume 3" (2013), and "Classics" (2014). Deschanel also received a Grammy Award nomination for her song "So Long" from the "Winnie the Pooh" soundtrack. She was married to singer Ben Gibbard from 2009 to 2012. In June 2015, she married producer Jacob Pechenik, with whom she has two children, Elsie Otter (born July 2015) and Charlie Wolf (born May 2017), before their divorce was finalized in June 2020. She subsequently began a relationship with television personality Jonathan Scott.