Zazie Beetz' Parents Gifted Her a Mixed Ethnicity – More about the 'Atlanta' Star's Mom and Dad

Zazie Beetz's parents gifted her with a mixed ethnicity that has helped shape the actress she is today. Known for her breakout role in the hit TV series "Atlanta," the actress is proud of who she is and feels grateful for the experiences provided by her parents.

Zazie Beetz is an actress born on June 1, 1991, in Berlin to Michelle and Thomas Beetz and raised in New York. She fell in love with the entertainment industry at a young age and performed at community theatres and local stages.

The Emmy-nominated actress attended the Harlem School of the Arts and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Art because she loved performing arts. However, when she left for college, she decided not to take up performing arts but earned a bachelor's degree in French from Skidmore College.

In addition to speaking English, the actress now speaks French and her native language German, as her father is German while her mother is African-American. As an actress, Zazie gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of Vanessa in the "Atlanta" series created by Donald Glover.

She has since starred in various movies and series, including "Applesauce," "Margot vs. Lily," "Deadpool 2," "Easy," "The Bad Guys," "Bullet Train," "Atlanta," "Invincible," and more.

She will also have roles in "Full Circle," "Shelter," and the 2024 "Joker: Folie à Deux," alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, and others.

Zazie Beetz' Parents Found a Way to Manage Joint Custody after Divorce

Zazie Beetz's parents met in the United States, and as their relationship developed, they moved to Germany, where her mother got pregnant and gave birth to her. They chose her name based on her father's suggestion from the character in the book and movie "Zazie dans le Métro."

Her mother had her when she was only 22 and had to put her education on hold. When she turned five, her parents divorced, but they made having joint custody of their daughter work, and the actress once remarked that they are the "loveliest and most wonderful parents."

The actress had all her preschool education in Germany. When she was eight, her cabinet-maker father and social-worker mother permanently moved to the United States because her mother wanted her to see more people of color like her.

It was in the United States that she had all her proper schooling. However, she still went to Germany for summer camps. Even though Zazie Beetz's parents were no longer together, they still lived in the same building, so she could move between their houses daily.

When she became a teenager, her mother moved 20 minutes away, which meant switching homes every week. When she turned 15, her mother had another child, a boy, Justin. Having a brother helped her get comfortable around children, and she also babysat and made money from doing so.

Zazie Beetz' Ethnicity Is Mixed and Her Identity Belongs to No One but Herself

Whenever Zazie went back to Germany as a child, she would visit with her grandparents. She remarked that it may take weeks to see another person of color during her summer there. However, irrespective of her experiences, she does not identify as a German or Black woman but as a German and Black woman. She said:

"My identity doesn't belong to anyone but myself, and so I get to decide who I am and what I am, no matter what is perceived or wanted of me."

Regarding her family, Zazie revealed that her father's side does not speak English, and even though she grew up in the United States with her father, they rarely communicated in English. She noted that 95 percent of their communication was in German.

Zazie Beetz Is Grateful to Her Parents for Supporting Her Creativity

As no one in her family is in the arts, Zazie fell in love with acting as a child as she did a school play and had a great drama teacher that shaped her passion for theater. However, her parents never tried to dissuade her from the path but fostered her creative side. She said:

"I find it special that my parents didn't ever challenge that part of me or make me do something that was going to be lucrative or successful. They were beautiful in making me feel that things were possible."

The actress once remarked that even though she did not grow up wealthy, she had loving parents. She also reciprocates that love by sharing pictures of her mother and father on her Instagram.