American singer-songwriter and actress

Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress and singer. She made her film debut in Mumford (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous (2000). Deschanel is known for her deadpan roles in comedy films such as The Good Girl (2002), The New Guy (2002), Elf (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Yes Man (2008), 500 Days of Summer (2009), and Our Idiot Brother (2011). She has also ventured into dramatic film territory with Manic (2001), All the Real Girls (2003), Winter Passing (2005), Bridge to Terabithia (2007), The Happening (2008), and The Driftless Area (2015).

Born

1980

January 17

Died

Living

Era

1980s

Country

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About

Zooey, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1980 Born

Also on January 17

What else happened on this day, through history

-38 Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
1362 Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea.
1377 Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.
1524 Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean.

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The world in 1980

When Zooey arrived

april 12 The Americo-Liberian government of Liberia is violently deposed.
april 12 Transbrasil Flight 303, a Boeing 727, crashes on approach to Hercílio Luz International Airport in Florianópolis, Brazil. Fifty-five out of the 58 people on board are killed.
april 12 Canadian runner and athlete, Terry Fox begins his Marathon of Hope Run in St. John's, NF
april 18 The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country's first President. The Zimbabwean dollar replaces the Rhodesian dollar as the official currency.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on January 17

Alain Badiou 1937– French philosopher and academic Calvin Harris 1984– Scottish singer-songwriter, DJ, and producer Clyde Walcott 1926–2006 Barbadian cricketer and coach (born 1926) Davíð Oddsson 1948– Icelandic politician, 21st Prime Minister of Iceland (died 2026) Denis O'Hare 1962– American actor and singer Derrick Mason 1974– American football player Dwyane Wade 1982– American basketball player Gyude Bryant 1949–2014 Liberian businessman and politician (born 1949) Kang Chan-hee 2000– South Korean singer and actor

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1980

Aaron Brown 1980–2024 American journalist and academic (born 1948) Anthony Minichiello 1980– Australian rugby league player Bijou Phillips 1980– American actress and model Bradley Wiggins 1980– English cyclist Byron Leftwich 1980– American football player and coach Clinton Toopi 1980– New Zealand rugby league player Cody Ross 1980– American baseball player Daniel MacPherson 1980– Australian actor and television host Daniel Sedin 1980– Swedish ice hockey player

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More to explore

Zooey's birthday January 17 Zooey's zodiac Capricorn When Zooey arrived 1980