Zooey Claire Deschanel was born on January 17, 1980, in Los Angeles, California. She is an American actress and musician known for her quirky charm and distinctively offbeat humor. She comes from a renowned entertainment family, with her father Caleb Deschanel being a cinematographer and her mother Mary Jo Deschanel an actress.

Her older sister, Emily Deschanel, is also an actress known for her role in the TV series Bones. She was named after the male protagonist in J.D. Salinger's novella Franny and Zooey.

Zooey Deschanel began her acting career in the late 1990s, making her film debut in Mumford in 1999. She gained recognition for her role in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous in 2000. She is known for her deadpan roles in comedy films such as The Good Girl, Elf, and 500 Days of Summer.

She has also ventured into dramatic roles in films like All the Real Girls and Winter Passing. From 2011 to 2018, she starred as Jess Day in the Fox sitcom New Girl, earning nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.

In addition to acting, Zooey Deschanel is a talented musician. She formed the musical duo She & Him with M. Ward in 2006, and they have released several albums together. Her musical talents extend to playing instruments like the piano, ukulele, and banjo.

She has also performed in the jazz cabaret act If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies with actress Samantha Shelton. She co-founded the female-focused website HelloGiggles, which was acquired by Time Inc. in 2015.

Zooey Deschanel has received numerous awards and nominations throughout her career. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for the song "So Long" from the film Winnie the Pooh.

She has also received nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award, People's Choice Award, and Teen Choice Award.