Zooey Claire Deschanel (; born January 17, 1980) is an
American actress,
musician and
singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in
Mumford and soon became known for her
deadpan supporting roles in films such as
Almost Famous (2000) and
The New Guy (2002). She then began playing lead roles in films, including
All the Real Girls (2003),
Eulogy (2004),
Winter Passing (2005),
Tin Man (2007),
Flakes (2007),
Yes Man (2008),
(500) Days of Summer (2009), and
Gigantic (2009).
Since 2001, Deschanel has performed in the
jazz cabaret act
If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies with fellow actress
Samantha Shelton. She plays
keyboards,
percussion, banjo and ukulele. She has sung in several of her films, and her debut album
Volume One (recorded with
M. Ward under the moniker
She & Him) was released on March 18, 2008.
