Not only is she a singer and dancer, but Zendaya has been an actress since she was a child. Her career in acting was one of the fastest-rising young actresses in Hollywood. Therefore, TechTrends made a list of the best Zendaya movies and TV shows of all time.
Zendaya has experienced a meteoric rise in her acting career, as she has now become one of the most prominent actors of her generation. During the last few years, she has featured in some of the greatest projects like the Spider-Man series as well as the Dune series. Aside from her film career, she has also shown incredible performances in series like Euphoria, which revolves around the themes of addiction and drugs among teenagers. For her role in this series, she has received critical acclaim and became the youngest to receive an Emmy Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Her initial focus was on more children-focused shows and a music career, but her talent shined through when she starred in ambitious film projects. Not only has she been admired by fans for her incredible acting, but her personal style and fashion have gained a lot of praise, as she is bold and powerful in her choices. Although her career is just beginning, we made a list of the best Zendaya movies and TV shows of all time.
Best Zendaya Movies and TV Shows of All Time
Zendaya initially rose to fame as a kid when she starred on the Disney Channel, with her favorite characters by fans coming in Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover. She then started impressing in feature films, where she played the role of MJ in the Spider-Man movies. However, her biggest claim to becoming famous came in 2020, when she earned the youngest-ever Emmy winner title for her role in Euphoria. She is becoming more and more successful every year. Therefore, TechTrends put together a list of the best Zendaya movies and TV shows of all time.
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2017
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Director: Jon Watts
- Stars: Zendaya, Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Laura Harrier, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr.
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 7.4
Zendaya made her first appearance as MJ, Michelle, in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017. During her few scenes in the movie, she really plays up her character’s awkward intelligence as a high-school student. In the movie, MJ is friends with Peter Parker, who is played by Tom Holland, with their relationship exploring their relationship more. This is regarded as one of the most pivotal roles of Zendaya’s career. For her portrayal of MJ, she opened up the gates to international stardom. This is indeed one of the greatest on our list of the best Zendaya movies and TV shows of all time.
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Spider-Man: Far from Home 2019
- Genre: Action/Sci-fi
- Director: Jon Watts
- Stars: Zendaya, Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jacob Batalon, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 90%, IMDb 7.4
In the second Spider-Man movie, MJ and Peter Parker explore their relationship more. When they go on a school travel to Europe in the summer, the two confess their love for each other. However, it comes after MJ says that she is aware Peter is actually Spider-Man. Zendaya’s character in the movie is very much loved by the fans and critics. Moreover, it was in this sequel that MJ moved from a background character to a supporting role. The critics loved the teen romance between the two, while also praising the superhero action of the film. Watching the superhero shenanigans come between the dynamics between MJ and Peter is funny. This is another one on our list of the best Zendaya movies and TV shows of all time.
Spider-Man: No Way Home 2021
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Director: Jon Watts
- Stars: Zendaya, Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, Marisa Tomei, Willem Dafoe, Jacob Batalon
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 93%, IMDb 8.3
The latest movie of the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy is No Way Home, which proved to be one of the most successful movies of the cinematic universe. Moreover, it became one of the most pivotal moments in Spider-Man history. Zendaya and Tom Holland’s characters see their relationship influenced in some unmendable ways. The highest-rated Zendaya movie was Spider-Man: No Way Home, praised by critics and supporters. Both MJ and Ned were given more role in the third movie. The Spider-Man Trilogy was among the best Zendaya movies ever. You don’t want to miss them, so if you haven’t seen them yet, it’s never too late.
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Dune 2021
- Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Stars: Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 83%, IMDb 8.1
In the movie Dune, Zendaya has a small yet important role as Chani. Although they advertised her character a lot in the trailer of the movie, she just appeared in main character Timothee Chalamet’s dream sequences until the end of the movie. She is the love interest of Chalamet’s Paul and the one to remember. At the end of the movie, Paul Atreides and his mother find Chani and her Freeman allies. Zendaya’s character is believed to have a huge role in the next sequel of the movie Dune after having only a few scenes in the first one. Despite many critics insisting that it struggled with the source material, many believed that the scope and ambition made this movie one of the most thrilling ones of the year.
Read more: Best Timothee Chalamet Movies of All Time
Malcolm & Marie 2021
- Genre: Romance/Drama
- Director: Sam Levinson
- Stars: Zendaya, John David Washington
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 57%, IMDb 6.6
Another one on our list of the best Zendaya movies and TV shows of all time is Malcolm & Marie. Sam Levinson’s Netflix movie is black and white, with Zendaya and John David Washington playing the roles of a Hollywood couple. The movie focuses on just one night when a filmmaker and his girlfriend come home following his successful movie premier. They are impatiently waiting to see what the critics think of his recent movie. Zendaya’s character navigates a messy relationship, where she takes us through a series of arguments. This is among the best Zendaya films ever, and it is from Euphoria creator, writer, and director Sam Levinson.
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The Greatest Showman 2017
- Genre: Musical/Drama
- Director: Michael Gracey
- Stars: Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 56%, IMDb 7.5
Zendaya proved that she could be a versatile player when she tackled the musical genre in the same year she became a part of the MCU. The Greatest Showman is the tale of P.T. Barnum and how he makes one of the greatest musical spectacles ever. Zendaya played alongside fellow Disney Channel star Zac Efron in this movie. The two are a couple in the movie and Efron has joked that Zendaya has been the best kiss he has ever had in acting. Zendaya has fun when flying through the air in this musical movie since she plays the role of an acrobat called Anne Wheeler. Moreover, her relationship with Phillip Carlyle, played by Efron, also angers his racist parents. This is indeed among the best Zendaya movies and TV shows of all time.
Smallfoot 2018
- Genre: Family/Comedy
- Director: Karey Kirkpatrick, Jason Reisig
- Stars: Zendaya, Channing Tatum, James Corden, Gina Rodriguez, Jimmy Tatro, Danny DeVito
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 76%, IMDb 6.6
Because Zendaya is famous for her beautiful voice, it was a matter of time before they asked her to be a voice-over in an animated movie. She plays Meechee in Smallfoot from Warner Brothers, who is a yeti girl and love interest of Mio (Channing Tatum). This is one of her most popular voice roles. Moreover, critics praised the movie and its message. Smallfoot is another one on our list of the best Zendaya movies and TV shows of all time.
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Space Jam: A New Legacy 2021
- Genre: Family/Comedy
- Director: Malcolm D. Lee
- Stars: Zendaya, LeBron James, Michael B. Jordan, Cedric Joe, Don Cheadle, Sonequa Martin-Green
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 26%, IMDb 4.4
2021 was a great year for Zendaya as she had four movies, with two of them being great hits, while the other two were not critically accepted. Zendaya covers Lola Bunny’s voice in Space Jam: A New Legacy. The movie is entertaining and has a positive message for children. This is also among our list of the best Zendaya movies and TV shows of all time.
Euphoria 2019 – Present
- Genre: Drama
- Director: Sam Levinson
- Stars: Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Angus Cloud, Maude Apatow, Barbie Ferreira
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 88%, IMDb 8.4
HBO series starring Zendaya as Ru Bennet, who is a teen drug addict, put the talented actor in a whole other full-fledged one. This was also the opinion of the Emmys as she became the youngest-ever winner of the Best Drama Actress category. She earned the prize at the age of 24, two years younger than Jodie Comer in Killing Eve, who previously held the record. Many of the fans loved Zendaya in the MCU Spider-Man movies, but she proved she is able to do more than that in the TV show Euphoria, where she has a totally different role.
Rue is struggling with her addiction, and the way it was put into the picture raised a lot of praise from critics. She is among a number of high school students going through the complex reality of drugs, sexuality, and social media. Euphoria is considered Zendaya’s most notable performance until now. This is one of the best Zendaya TV shows of all time, where she performed astonishingly.
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Shake It Up 2010 – 2013
- Genre: Sitcom
- Director: Shelley Jensen
- Stars: Zendaya, Davis Cleveland, Bella Thorne, Adam Irigoyen, Caroline Sunshine, Roshon Fegan, Kenton Duty
- Rating: IMDb 4.8
Shake It Up from Disney Channel is where it all started for Zendaya with her first major on-screen appearance. She was 13 years old when she took the role of Rocky Blue, who is CeCe Jones’ best friend. The two aspire to be professional dancers in Chicago, and the show focuses on their journey to audition for and get a place in Shake It Up, Chicago! They are doing their best to make their dream of becoming professional dancers come true. This is one of the best Zendaya TV shows of all time.
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K.C. Undercover 2015 – 2018
- Genre: Sitcom
- Director: Corinne Marshall
- Stars: Zendaya, Trinitee Stokes, Veronica Dunne, Kamil McFadden, Tammy Townsend, Kadeem Hardison
- Rating: IMDb 6.2
Zendaya went back to Disney Channel in 2015 when she featured in the K.C. Undercover series. She joined not only as an actress, but also as a co-producer. She plays the role of a school student K.C. Cooper, who is a smart kid becoming an undercover spy. She lives in Washington, D.C., and when she finds out her parents are undercover spies, that is when she asks to be part of their organization.
Zendaya accepted to take this role when Disney agreed to her demands. Among them were giving her producer credit, altering the title from Super Awesome Katy to K.C. Undercover, and making sure the character can do martial arts. This is one of the best must see Zendaya performances.
“I wanted to make sure that she wasn’t good at singing or acting or dancing. That she wasn’t artistically inclined,” she told Vogue in 2017. “I didn’t want them to all of a sudden be like, ‘Oh, yeah, and then she sings this episode!’ No. She can’t dance, sing, and do that stuff. There are other things that a girl can be.”