Zoë Isabella Kravitz born December 1, 1988 is an American actress, singer and model. The daughter of actor-musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, Kravitz made her acting debut in the romantic comedy film No Reservations (2007). She then achieved recognition for her portrayal of Angel Salvadore in the superhero film X-Men: First Class (2011) which was followed by roles as Christina in The Divergent Series (2014–2016) and as Toast the Knowing in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
Kravitz has starred as Leta Lestrange the Fantastic Beasts film series and voiced Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). She has had starring roles in numerous independent films, including Dope (2015), Adam Green’s Aladdin (2016), and Gemini (2017). In addition, she portrayed lead roles in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies (2017–2019) and the Hulu romantic comedy series High Fidelity (2020). After voicing Catwoman in The Lego Batman Movie (2017), she is now set to play her in live action for The Batman (2022).
In addition to acting, Kravitz works as a fashion model and musician. As of 2017, she is the face of YSL Beauté. She has also starred in campaigns for Tiffany & Co., Vera Wang, Balenciaga, Alexander Wang, Coach New York, Tumi, and Calvin Klein. She fronts the band Lolawolf and released the album Calm Down in 2014 and Tenderness in 2020.
Early life
Kravitz was born in Venice, Los Angeles at the home of her parents, actress Lisa Bonet and musician Lenny Kravitz. Both of her parents are of mixed African American and Ashkenazi Jewish descent (Russian-Jewish and Ukrainian-Jewish respectively). Her paternal grandmother, actress Roxie Roker (a first cousin once removed of television weather forecaster Al Roker), and her maternal grandfather, Allen Bonet, were African American, with some of her grandmother’s family being from the Bahamas. Her paternal grandfather, NBC television news producer Sy Kravitz, and maternal grandmother, Arlene Litman, were both of Jewish heritage. Zoë identifies as a secular Jew.
Kravitz’s parents married in 1987 and divorced six years later, in 1993, when she was 5 years old. She lived with her mother in Topanga Canyon, and then moved to Miami at age 11 to live with her father, spending summers with her mother. Kravitz has a younger half-sister, Lola Iolani Momoa, and a half-brother, Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa, from her mother’s remarriage to actor Jason Momoa. Her godfather is movie producer Bruce Cohen, and her godmothers are actresses Marisa Tomei and Cree Summer.
Kravitz attended Miami Country Day School and Rudolf Steiner School in Manhattan graduating in 2007. Kravitz began studying that year at the acting conservatory under Scott McCrea at the State University of New York at Purchase where her peers included Micah Stock and Jason Ralph. She left college after a year and moved to Brooklyn, New York to work in films. She struggled with anorexia and bulimia throughout high school, until around age 24.
Career
2009–2010: Career beginnings and early modeling
Kravitz with her father, Lenny, in March 2010 at the 25th Spirit Awards
Kravitz landed her first film role while in high school, playing a babysitter hired by Catherine Zeta-Jones’ character in the 2007 romantic comedy No Reservations. In the same year she also appeared in the action thriller The Brave One. In 2008, Kravitz appeared in the music video for Jay Z’s “I Know”, and was featured singing in will.i.am’s music video for “We Are the Ones”, in support of US presidential candidate Barack Obama. That same year she also appeared in the family drama Birds of America and neo noir comedy Assassination of a High School President.
Kravitz began making music at the age of 16. She fronted the New York/Philadelphia-based band Elevator Fight, which she formed in 2009. The band performed at the South by Southwest music festival and on the main stage of the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia in June 2009, along with The Roots, TV On The Radio, and The Black Keys. She stated in 2011 that her music is a hobby. She also performed with the cabaret troupe The Citizens Band. In 2009, Kravitz co-starred in the independent ensemble drama The Greatest, in which her character is addicted to grief counseling groups. Also in 2009, she was named the face of Vera Wang’s Princess fragrance in 2009, appearing on the website and in advertisements for the brand. In 2010, she appeared in It’s Kind of a Funny Story. Also that year, Kravitz appeared in Twelve. Kravitz next starred in the romantic comedy Beware the Gonzo as the female lead and love interest of Ezra Miller’s eponymous Gonzo. Kravitz was featured in a campaign for fashion designer Alexander Wang in 2010.
2011–2015: Acting breakthrough, music and fashion
Kravitz at the premiere of Divergent in 2014
In 2011, Kravitz appeared in the coming-of-age film Yelling to the Sky. She also appeared in eight episodes of the Showtime television series Californication, in which she portrayed Pearl, the vocalist of the all-female band Queens of Dogtown. That same year she portrayed the comic book character Angel Salvadore in X-Men: First Class. Kravitz filmed her scenes in London and performed wire work for her role, to simulate her character’s ability to fly. In late 2011, Kravitz completed work on a film with the working title Treading Water, which was eventually released in 2013, renamed The Boy Who Smells Like Fish. In the same year, she represented Vera Wang’s new Preppy Princess fragrance.
Lolawolf performing in Cleveland Heights, Ohio in June 2014
In 2013, she co-starred in After Earth. In 2013, Kravitz released a jewelry line in collaboration with the Swarovski crystal company. She used ethnic and vintage jewelry, and her birthstone, Turquoise, as inspiration for her designs. In 2014, she portrayed the character Christina in Divergent. Kravitz reprised her role in the sequels Insurgent and Allegiant. Also in 2014, she starred in the independent drama The Road Within and the romantic comedy Pretend We’re Kissing. Kravitz started the band Lolawolf while in Los Angeles filming The Road Within. Made up of members from the band Reputante, Lolawolf released an eponymous EP and debuted at the Mercury Lounge in November 2013. The band was named after Kravitz’ younger siblings, Lola and Nakoa-Wolf. They released their debut album, Calm Down, on October 21, 2014, and supported Lily Allen, Miley Cyrus, and Warpaint on tour in 2014. The band released the five-track EP, Every Fuckin Day, on June 23, 2015. She also appeared in the drama Good Kill.
In 2015, Kravitz appeared in the comedy-drama Dope and in Mad Max: Fury Road. In 2016, she co-starred in the action thriller Vincent N Roxxy and appeared in the independent film Adam Green’s Aladdin. Kravitz also had a cameo in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as Leta Lestrange. In 2017, Kravitz starred in the mystery thriller Gemini. In the same year, she appeared in the comedy film Rough Night and the animated superhero film The Lego Batman Movie, in which she voiced the comic book character Selina Kyle / Catwoman. She also became the face of Brooklyn-based designer Alexis Bittar’s jewelry line in 2015.
2016–present: Current work
From 2017 to 2019, Kravitz starred in the HBO drama series Big Little Lies, in which she portrays Bonnie Carlson. Kravitz appeared in the 2018 science fiction action film Kin and reprised her role as Leta Lestrange in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, in a larger capacity. Also in 2018, she appeared on BBC Children in Need with Eddie Redmayne, setting up Alex Jones from The One Show, with the help of children who fed them the answers to the interview questions. Kravitz was ranked one of the best dressed women in 2018 by fashion website Net-a-Porter. In the same year, Kravitz was featured on the song “Screwed” on Janelle Monáe’s album Dirty Computer. She was also featured on “Anti-Social Smokers Club” on Rae Sremmurd’s third album SR3MM.
In 2020, Kravitz headlined the romantic comedy web television series High Fidelity, premiering on Valentine’s Day on Hulu. She starred as one of the leads in Viena and the Fantomes. Kravitz is set to portray Selina Kyle / Catwoman, now in live action, in director Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which is scheduled for release on March 4, 2022.
Personal life
Kravitz lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The song “Flowers for Zoë”, included on her father’s second album Mama Said, was written as a tribute to then-two-year-old Zoë.
She briefly dated Ezra Miller while they were filming Beware the Gonzo and was in a relationship with actor Penn Badgley from 2011 until 2013.
In 2016, Kravitz began a relationship with actor Karl Glusman. Kravitz revealed in an interview published in October 2018 that she became engaged in February of that year. The two were married at Kravitz’s father’s home in Paris on June 29, 2019. On January 2, 2021, it was announced that Kravitz had filed for divorce from Glusman after 18 months of marriage.