Zooey Deschanel

About

Television and film actress who plays the character Jess Day on the sitcom New Girl. Her film credits include The Good Girl, Elf, Bridge to Terabithia, Almost Famous and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Before Fame

She befriended fellow actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Kate Hudson while attending high school with them in Santa Monica, California. She made her film debut in the 1999 film Mumford.

Trivia

She formed the musical duo She & Him with singer/guitarist M. Ward. They released their debut album, Volume One, in 2008.

Family Life

She was married to Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard from 2009 until 2011. In January 2015, she got engaged to Jacob Pechenik, and the couple married later that year. She and Jacob had a daughter named Elsie Otter and a son named Charlie Wolf before separating in 2019. She began dating Jonathan Scott in 2019 and they got engaged in August 2023. Her dad is Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and her mom is acclaimed actress Mary Jo Deschanel. Her sister is actress Emily Deschanel.