Zoë Weizenbaum (born September 21, 1991) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

former actress, most recognized for her roles in '' Missing in America'' (2005), '' Memoirs of a Geisha'' and '' 12 and Holding''.

Early life

Weizenbaum was born in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

mother and a Chinese father. She is the granddaughter of

computer scientist A computer scientist is a scientist who specializes in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation. Although computer scientists can also focus their work and research on ...

Joseph Weizenbaum Joseph Weizenbaum (8 January 1923 – 5 March 2008) was a German-American computer scientist and a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT. He is the namesake of the Weizenbaum Award and the Weizenbaum Institute. Life and career ...

(1923–2008). From the age of two, she grew up in

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massach ...

. She studied

African Dance African dance (also Afro dance, Afrodance and Afro-dance) refers to the various dance styles of sub-Saharan Africa. These dances are closely connected with the traditional rhythms and music traditions of the region. Music and dancing is an int ...

and participated in Amherst's local musical theater productions.

Career

She was called for an audition for '' Missing in America'' after someone saw her perform in a local production of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

''. For this role, she received the Angel Award for Best Actress at the Monaco International Film Festival in 2005. She has also had roles in '' 12 and Holding'', directed by Michael Cuesta and in '' Memoirs of a Geisha'', directed by

Rob Marshall Robert Doyle Marshall Jr.http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/s/1410/images/editor_documents/alumnirelations/getinvolved/alumniawards/all_honorees_2018june1.pdf (born October 17, 1960) is an American film and theater director, producer, and choreographer. ...

Personal life

Weizenbaum attended Amherst Regional High School for her freshman year, before she decided to return to Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, where she went to middle school. Weizenbaum speaks

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

, learning through the

Rosetta Stone The Rosetta Stone is a stele of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a Rosetta Stone decree, decree issued in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt, Egypt, on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts ...

program and intensive Chinese courses at

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

and th
Middlebury Language Schools
From 2010 to 2011, Weizenbaum attended Middlebury and studied

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

. She later majored in Chinese, graduating from

in 2014. From 2015 to 2017, Weizenbaum studied at the

National Cheng Kung University National Cheng Kung University (NCKU; ) is a Public university, public research university located in the East District, Tainan, East District of Tainan, Taiwan. Founded in 1931 during Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese rule as an engineering ...

’s Chinese Language Center in Taiwan. Upon returning to the United States, she began co-operating wit
Ancient Ponies Farm
a permaculture homestead, with her mother in

Shutesbury, Massachusetts Shutesbury is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,717 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts. History For at least 2,000 years, Nipmuc towns along the Towanu ...

Filmography

References

External links

Interview with the cast of "Twelve and Holding"
- ''Now Playing magazine'' * 1991 births Actresses from Massachusetts American film actresses American actors of Chinese descent Living people People from Amherst, Massachusetts Mount Holyoke College alumni 21st-century American women {{US-film-actor-1990s-stub