Career Timeline of Zooey Deschanel: Major Achievements and Milestones
Discover the career path of Zooey Deschanel, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Zooey Deschanel is an American actress and musician recognized for her roles in comedy films like *Elf* and *(500) Days of Summer*, and dramatic films such as *Bridge to Terabithia*. She gained widespread recognition for starring as Jess Day in the Fox sitcom *New Girl* (2011-2018), earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Her early film appearances include *Mumford* and *Almost Famous*, solidifying her presence in the entertainment industry across various genres.
1998: Guest Appearance on Veronica's Closet
In 1998, Zooey Deschanel made a guest appearance on the television series Veronica's Closet.
September 27, 1999: Appearance in The Offspring Music Video
On September 27, 1999, Zooey Deschanel appeared in a non-singing role in The Offspring's music video for "She's Got Issues".
1999: Film Debut in Mumford
In 1999, Zooey Deschanel made her film debut in Lawrence Kasdan's comedy Mumford.
2000: Co-starred in Almost Famous
In 2000, Zooey Deschanel co-starred in Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical Almost Famous.
2000: Supporting Role in Almost Famous
In 2000, Zooey Deschanel had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous.
2001: Appeared in Independent Drama Manic
In 2001, Zooey Deschanel appeared in the independent drama Manic as the love interest of a troubled teen.
2001: Formation of If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies
In 2001, Zooey Deschanel formed a jazz cabaret act called "If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies" with Samantha Shelton, performing in Los Angeles.
2001: Jazz Cabaret Act
Starting in 2001, Zooey Deschanel performed in the jazz cabaret act If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies with actress Samantha Shelton.
2002: On-Screen Singing Debut
In 2002, Zooey Deschanel made her on-screen singing debut in "The New Guy".
2002: Roles in The Good Girl and The New Guy
In 2002, Zooey Deschanel played deadpan roles in the comedy films The Good Girl and The New Guy.
2002: Roles in Four Feature Films
In 2002, Zooey Deschanel took on supporting parts in four feature films: Big Trouble, The New Guy, The Good Girl, and Abandon.
2003: Role in Elf
In 2003, Zooey Deschanel appeared in the comedy film Elf.
2003: Leading Role Debut in All the Real Girls
In 2003, Zooey Deschanel obtained her first leading film role debut in the independent drama All the Real Girls as Noel.
2004: Starred in Eulogy
In 2004, Zooey Deschanel starred in the film Eulogy.
2005: Role in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
In 2005, Zooey Deschanel appeared in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
2005: Modeling for Chanel and Clements Ribeiro
In 2005, Zooey Deschanel modeled for Chanel and Clements Ribeiro.
2005: Played Trillian in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Acted in Winter Passing
In 2005, Zooey Deschanel played Trillian in the film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and acted in Winter Passing.
September 2006: Signed on to play Janis Joplin
In September 2006, it was announced that Zooey Deschanel had signed on to play 1960s singer Janis Joplin in the film The Gospel According to Janis.
2006: Formation of She & Him
In 2006, Zooey Deschanel teamed up with M. Ward to form the musical duo She & Him.
2006: Role in Failure to Launch
In 2006, Zooey Deschanel was in the movie Failure to Launch.
2006: Composed "Bittersuite" for Winter Passing
In 2006, Zooey Deschanel's piano composition "Bittersuite" was used in "Winter Passing", where she also sang "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean".
March 2007: Vocal Contributions to Coconut Records
In March 2007, Zooey Deschanel provided vocals for two songs, "Slowly" and "Ask Her to Dance," on the album "Nighttiming" by Jason Schwartzman's band, Coconut Records.
December 2007: Starred in Tin Man
In December 2007, Zooey Deschanel starred as DG in the Syfy miniseries Tin Man.
2007: Recurring Role in Weeds
From 2006 to 2007, Zooey Deschanel had a recurring role in four episodes of the Showtime television series Weeds.
2007: Role in Bridge to Terabithia
In 2007, Zooey Deschanel had a role in Bridge to Terabithia.
2007: Singing Credits in 2007
In 2007, Zooey Deschanel had several singing credits including in "Once Upon a Mattress", "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", "Raving", and "Bridge to Terabithia".
March 18, 2008: Release of She & Him's "Volume One"
On March 18, 2008, She & Him, the duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, released their first album, "Volume One", to critical acclaim.
April 27, 2008: Voiced Mary on The Simpsons
On April 27, 2008, Zooey Deschanel voiced Mary, Cletus's daughter, in an episode of The Simpsons.
2008: Release of Volume One
In 2008, She & Him released their debut album, Volume One.
2008: Roles in Yes Man and The Happening
In 2008, Zooey Deschanel had roles in the comedy film Yes Man and the dramatic film The Happening.
2008: Singing in "Yes Man"
In 2008, Zooey Deschanel sang several songs in the film "Yes Man" with the fictional band Munchausen by Proxy.
2008: Roles in The Happening, Gigantic, and Yes Man
In 2008, Zooey Deschanel starred in The Happening, Gigantic, and Yes Man.
December 2009: Guest-Starred on Bones
In December 2009, Zooey Deschanel guest-starred in a Christmas episode of the Fox crime procedural comedy-drama Bones, which was the first-ever on-screen pairing of the Deschanel sisters.
2009: Recording "The Fabric of My Life" for Cotton Incorporated
In 2009, Zooey Deschanel recorded "The Fabric of My Life" for an advertising campaign by Cotton Incorporated.
2009: Singing in "500 Days of Summer"
In 2009, Zooey Deschanel sang a cover of The Smiths's "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" in "500 Days of Summer", also created a music video.
March 23, 2010: Release of She & Him's "Volume Two"
On March 23, 2010, She & Him released their second album, "Volume Two".
October 19, 2010: Performance of "God Bless America"
On October 19, 2010, Zooey Deschanel performed "God Bless America" during a baseball game.
2010: Release of Volume Two
In 2010, She & Him released the album Volume Two.
2010: Signed to Represent Rimmel
In 2010, Zooey Deschanel signed a contract to represent Rimmel.
May 2011: Founded HelloGiggles.com
In May 2011, Zooey Deschanel founded HelloGiggles.com, an entertainment website geared towards women, with Sophia Rossi and Molly McAleer.
June 2011: Appearance on Rave On Buddy Holly
In June 2011, She & Him appeared on "Rave On Buddy Holly", performing "Oh, Boy!".
September 6, 2011: Cover of "It's So Easy" Released
On September 6, 2011, Zooey Deschanel's cover of Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy" was released on the tribute album "Listen to Me: Buddy Holly".
September 2011: Announcement of "A Very She & Him Christmas"
In September 2011, "A Very She & Him Christmas" was announced on Pitchfork.com.
September 2011: Premiere of New Girl
In September 2011, the Fox sitcom New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel as Jessica "Jess" Day, premiered.
October 23, 2011: Performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
On October 23, 2011, Zooey Deschanel performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before game four of the World Series in Arlington, Texas.
October 25, 2011: Release of "A Very She & Him Christmas"
On October 25, 2011, She & Him released their Christmas album, "A Very She & Him Christmas".
December 28, 2011: Informal Duet with Joseph Gordon-Levitt
On December 28, 2011, Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt recorded an informal version of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" for her HelloGiggles YouTube channel.
2011: Release of A Very She & Him Christmas
In 2011, She & Him released A Very She & Him Christmas.
2011: Role in Our Idiot Brother
In 2011, Zooey Deschanel acted in the film Our Idiot Brother.
2011: Singing in "Your Highness" and Winnie the Pooh Soundtrack
In 2011, Zooey Deschanel sang in "Your Highness" and appeared on the "Winnie the Pooh" soundtrack, earning a Grammy nomination.
2011: Starred in Our Idiot Brother and Your Highness
In 2011, Zooey Deschanel starred in the comedy Our Idiot Brother and the fantasy-comedy Your Highness.
2011: Janis Joplin Film Cancelled
In 2011, the film The Gospel According to Janis, in which Zooey Deschanel was set to play Janis Joplin, was cancelled altogether after being postponed indefinitely.
February 11, 2012: Hosted Saturday Night Live
On February 11, 2012, Zooey Deschanel hosted Saturday Night Live.
May 2012: Announcement of "Coal Miner's Daughter" Broadway Musical
In May 2012, Loretta Lynn announced that Zooey Deschanel would play her in a Broadway musical adaptation of her autobiography, "Coal Miner's Daughter", and they sang a duet.
September 21, 2012: Producing "Must Be Nice"
On September 21, 2012, it was announced that Zooey Deschanel was producing the comedy "Must Be Nice".
2012: Featured on M. Ward's "A Wasteland Companion"
In 2012, Zooey Deschanel was featured on bandmate M. Ward's sixth solo album, "A Wasteland Companion".
May 2013: Release of She & Him's "Volume 3"
In May 2013, She & Him released their album, "Volume 3", featuring eleven songs written by Zooey Deschanel.
December 2014: Release of She & Him's "Classics"
In December 2014, She & Him's album "Classics", featuring covers of classic songs, was released by Columbia Records.
2014: Release of Classics
In 2014, She & Him released the album Classics.
2015: HelloGiggles Acquired by Time, Inc.
In 2015, HelloGiggles.com, the website founded by Zooey Deschanel, was acquired by Time, Inc.
2015: Guest Vocalist on Brian Wilson's Album
In 2015, Zooey Deschanel appeared as a guest vocalist on Brian Wilson's album "No Pier Pressure".
2015: Role in The Driftless Area
In 2015, Zooey Deschanel had a role in the film The Driftless Area.
2015: Covered "Bitch" for Rock the Kasbah Soundtrack
In 2015, Zooey Deschanel sang a cover of Meredith Brooks's "Bitch" for the soundtrack to the film "Rock the Kasbah".
2015: Starred in Rock the Kasbah and The Driftless Area
In 2015, Zooey Deschanel starred in Rock the Kasbah and The Driftless Area.
2015: HelloGiggles Acquired
In 2015, the female-focused website HelloGiggles, co-founded by Zooey Deschanel, was acquired by Time Inc.
2016: Release of Christmas Party
In 2016, She & Him released Christmas Party.
2016: Release of She & Him's "Christmas Party"
In 2016, She & Him's second Christmas album and sixth album overall, "Christmas Party", was released.
2016: Voiced Bridget in Trolls
In 2016, Zooey Deschanel voiced Bridget in the animated family comedy Trolls.
May 15, 2018: New Girl Series Finale
On May 15, 2018, the series finale of New Girl aired.
2018: End of New Girl
In 2018, Zooey Deschanel finished starring as Jess Day on the Fox sitcom New Girl, a role for which she received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
December 2020: Appeared in Katy Perry's Music Video
In December 2020, Zooey Deschanel appeared in the music video for Katy Perry's song "Not the End of the World".
2021: Co-Hosted The Celebrity Dating Game
In 2021, Zooey Deschanel co-hosted the ABC television series The Celebrity Dating Game with Michael Bolton.
January 2022: Started 'Welcome to Our Show' Podcast
In January 2022, Zooey Deschanel began cohosting Welcome to Our Show, a New Girl rewatch podcast with co-stars Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris.
2022: Release of Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson
In 2022, She & Him released Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson.
August 2, 2023: Appears in season 3 of Physical
On August 2, 2023, Zooey Deschanel appears as Kelly in season 3 of Physical.
August 4, 2023: Appears as Nancy in Dreamin' Wild
On August 4, 2023, Zooey Deschanel appears as Nancy in Dreamin' Wild.
2023: Hosted "What Am I Eating?"
In 2023, Zooey Deschanel hosted the Max informational show "What Am I Eating?".
March 2024: Cast in Merv
In March 2024, Zooey Deschanel was cast in the Amazon MGM romantic comedy film Merv.
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