Zoë Kravitz

Zoë Kravitz (born December 1, 1988, Los Angeles, California, U.S.) is an American actress and director known for portraying multifaceted, quietly powerful women in a variety of roles, most notably Catwoman in The Batman (2022).

Early life and career

Kravitz is the daughter of Lisa Bonet, an actress best known for playing Denise Huxtable on the TV series The Cosby Show (1984–92), and musician and actor Lenny Kravitz. Her paternal grandmother is actress Roxie Roker, who notably appeared in The Jeffersons (1975–85). After her parents divorced in 1993, Kravitz initially lived with her mother, but at age 11 she moved in with her father. They eventually settled in New York City, where Kravitz attended the Rudolph Steiner School. Her summers were typically spent with Bonet, who married actor Jason Momoa in 2017; the couple split in 2022.

Kravitz developed an interest in acting at an early age, and she began taking classes. While in high school she appeared in her first movies, No Reservations and The Brave One (both 2007); the latter is a crime drama starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard. In 2007 Kravitz enrolled in the drama program at the State University of New York at Purchase, but she left after a year to focus on an acting career.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Popular series: Divergent and Fantastic Beasts

Kravitz had minor roles in a series of movies, including the crime thriller Twelve and It’s Kind of a Funny Story (both 2010), the latter a dramedy about a teenager suffering from depression. In 2011 she made her TV acting debut, appearing in eight episodes of the Showtime series Californication, which starred David Duchovny. Also that year she played the teenage mutant Angel in X-Men: First Class, the fifth movie in the popular comic book franchise.

As she built her résumé and skills, Kravitz began landing roles in larger movies. She notably played Christina in the Divergent trilogy (Divergent [2014], Insurgent [2015], and Allegiant [2016]), adapted from a sci-fi young adult (YA) book series by Veronica Roth; Toast the Knowing in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), a postapocalyptic action drama that was a huge box office hit; and Leta Lestrange in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), blockbuster prequels in the Harry Potter series.

Later hits: Big Little Lies and The Batman

During this time, Kravitz continued to appear on television. She earned particular attention for the HBO series Big Little Lies (2017 and 2019), which also featured Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Laura Dern. The drama centers on a group of wealthy women who have dark secrets. In 2020 Kravitz had the starring role in the short-lived but highly praised Hulu series High Fidelity, which was based on the film of the same name that her mother had a role in 20 years earlier.

Kravitz achieved star status with her portrayal of Catwoman in the 2022 blockbuster The Batman. Her gritty, mesmerizing performance elevated Catwoman from a flirtatious foil for Batman (played in the film by Robert Pattinson) to a strong, empowered woman. Kravitz won positive reviews from both critics and fans of the iconic comic book character. Also that year she starred as an agoraphobic tech industry worker in Seattle who investigates a crime in director Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

In 2025 Kravitz played a fictionalized version of herself in three episodes of The Studio, an Apple TV+ comedy series created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and others that lampoons the entertainment industry. Her performance earned her an Emmy nomination for best guest actress in a comedy series. Later that year she appeared in Darren Aronofsky’s crime thriller film Caught Stealing. Kravitz played Yvonne, the love interest of Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a bartender who gets involved in the criminal underworld of 1990s New York City.

Directing: Blink Twice

In 2024 Kravitz made her directorial debut with Blink Twice, which she also cowrote. The psychological thriller touches on themes of the Me Too movement, including sexual assault and the power dynamics between men and women. Blink Twice starred Channing Tatum (who became engaged to Kravitz in 2023; the couple split up a year later) as a disgraced tech billionaire who hosts a number of guests on his private island, and the outing turns sinister.

Other activities: Music and modeling

In 2009 Kravitz formed the band Elevator Fight, and four years later she cofounded the R&B group Lolawolf, named for her half siblings (by Bonet and Momoa) Lola and Nakoa-Wolf. Lolawolf released its debut album, Calm Down, in 2014. Kravitz has also represented various brands, including Yves Saint Laurent Beauty.

From 2019 to 2021 Kravitz was married to American actor Karl Glusman.