American television and film actor, and singer-songwriter, Zooey Deschanel is best known for her deadpan comedy. Few of her notable movies include
The Good Girl, Elf,
Yes Man, (500) Days of Summer, and All the Real Girls. However, her most significant and prominent work is on the television sitcom New Girl, for which she has received an Emmy Award nomination and three Golden Globe Award nominations as of 2016.
Apart from acting, Deschanel is also a singer and plays various instruments such as keyboards, percussion, banjo, and ukulele. She collaborated with singer-songwriter M. Ward, forming the American indie duo She & He, and released their debut album Volume One in 2008. Subsequently, the duo released their second and third album, Volume Two and Volume Three in 2010 and 2013 respectively.
Early Life
Younger daughter of cinematographer and director Caleb Deschanel and his wife actress Mary Jo Deschanel, Zooey Claire Deschanel was born on the 17th of January, 1980 in Los Angeles, California. She has an elder sister Emily Deschanel, who, like her, is an actress and appears in FOX’s series Bones. Deschanel studied at the the Crossroads School, California, with
Jake Gyllenhaal and
Kate Hudson, who also went on to become movie actors. Passionate about singing, Deschanel sang during her high school days and went on to study at the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in order to prepare for her career in the musical theater space. She then attended the Northwestern University for nine months before dropping out to pursue her acting career.
Personal Life
Deschanel dated American actor, screenwriter, and musician
Jason Schwartzman between 2003 and 2005. Despite being public figures, the two kept their relationship away from the spotlight, and even when they split, they kept it from being messy and public. Before dating Schwartzman, the actor briefly dated the bass guitarist of AFI, Hunter Burgan for around a year in 2002.
Deschanel met the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie band Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Gibbard, in 2008 through their mutual music manager. Soon, the two fell in love and got engaged the same year. The following year, the two got married, however, after three years of marriage, the couple separated. In 2012, Deschanel filed for divorce citing irreconcilable issues. Shortly after splitting with her husband, Deschanel dated the
Dear John writer Jamie Linden in 2012. The two dated for two years after which they split in 2014. Soon after her breakup with the screenwriter, Deschanel met producer Jacob Pechenik in 2014. In 2015, the two were engaged and got married. The same year, they gave birth to their daughter, Elsie Otter.
Television Career
Deschanel made her acting and television debut in 1998 by appearing in an episode of the American sitcom Veronica’s closet. Following which she was seen in single episodes of shows such as Frasier, and Cracking Up. Deschanel has also voiced for animated sitcoms such as American Dad!, where she voiced a number of characters, and The Simpsons, where she lent her voice to Mary Spuckler’s character. Playing the lead role, the actor was seen in the three-part miniseries Tin Man in 2007. Deschanel was then seen in an episode of the crime procedural series Bones, which stars her sister Emily Deschanel in the lead role. However, her most noteworthy and prominent television role is that of Jess in the sitcom New Girl, which she also is a producer for. Her portrayal of Jess has won her an Emmy Award nomination and three Golden Globe Award nominations as of 2016.
Movie Career
After debuting in 1999 with the movie comedy-drama Mumford, Deschanel was seen alongside
Jennifer Aniston,
Jake Gyllenhaal and
John C. Reilly in the 2002 black-comedy drama
The Good Girl. The same year, she was seen in the teen comedy The New Boy, which was battered by the critics calling it unoriginal and cliched. However, the movie went on to become a commercial hit. The following year, in 2003, Deschanel was cast alongside
Paul Schneider and
Shea Whigham in the romantic drama All the Real Girls. Although the movie was a commercial failure, it was well-received by the critics.
In 2003, Deschanel starred in the Christmas comedy Elf, which ranked second at the box-office in its opening week and went on to top the chart in its second week in USA. The movie was both commercially and critically successful. Portraying the role of Trillian, Deschanel was seen in the 2005 science fiction The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy alongside
Martin Freeman and
Mos Def. The movie not only was a commercial success but also remained in the list of top ten movies at the box office throughout its four-week run.
Appearing in Walt Disney Pictures’ adventure fantasy Bridge to Terabithia in 2007, Deschanel was seen playing the role of a music teacher, Ms. Edmund. The movie based on the novel of the same name went on to garner praise from critics, with a few calling it the best family feature of the year. The actor lent her voice to the character of Lani Aliikai in the 2007 animated mockumentary
Surf’s Up alongside
Shia LaBeouf,
Jeff Bridges,
James Woods, and
Jon Heder. The following saw her cast alongside the
Bruce Almighty star
Jim Carrey in the 2008 comedy
Yes Man. The movie opened at no. 1 at the box office on its first weekend. Although a commercial success, the movie opened to mixed reviews.
In 2009, Deschanel was paired opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the romantic-comedy drama (500) Days of Summer, which revolves around a man’s take on his failed relationship. Playing the titular role of Summer continues to remain one of Deschanel’s career’s most important performances. The movie went on to gross 27 times its budget, making it one of the most successful sleeper hits of all time. Deschanel received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her performance in the movie. She then starred in the American comedy
Rock the Kasbah, which was produced by her future husband Jacob Pechenik. The movie co-starring
Bill Murray,
Bruce Willis, and
Kate Hudson bombed at the box-office. In 2016, Deschanel voiced the character Bridget in the animated musical buddy comedy
Trolls, which also features the voices of
Justin Timberlake and
Anna Kendrick.
Music Career
Having a keen interest in singing, Deschanel sang throughout her high school days. In early 2001, she collaborated with actress Samantha Shelton to perform a jazz cabaret, calling it If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies. Deschanel, apart from singing, also plays a number of instruments such as keyboards, percussion, banjo, and ukulele. She then teamed up with singer-songwriter and guitarist M.Ward forming the indie duo She & Him in 2006. The duo dropped their debut album titled Volume One the same year. Their second album titled Volume Two was released in 2010. The following year, the duo released their Christmas album, A Very Christmas She & Him. Subsequently, their fourth album, Volume Three, in 2013, followed by their fifth studio album Classics in 2014.
Apart from singing as a part of the duo, Deschanel has also sang for a couple of movies such as Elf, Yes Man, Your Highness, and Trolls. The She & Him singer also sang the soundtracks of movies such as The Go-Getter, and (500) Days of Summer. She has also sung the official soundtrack of the sitcom New Girl, which she also stars in.