Zooey Deschanel Parents: Meet Mary Jo Deschanel, Caleb Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel is an American actress, singer, and songwriter.

Zooey Claire Deschanel is the younger daughter of actress Mary Jo Deschanel and cinematographer and director Caleb Deschanel.

Her paternal grandfather was French from Oullins, Rhône, and her paternal grandmother was a Quaker; her older sister is actress Emily Deschanel, who starred in the Fox crime comedy-drama series Bones.

Deschanel grew up in Los Angeles but spent much of her childhood travelling because her father was a location scout. She went to Crossroads, a Santa Monica private preparatory school, where she met future co-stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Kate Hudson.

She sang her way through high school, intending to pursue a career in musical theatre and attending the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts. She attended Northwestern University for nine months before leaving to pursue her acting career.

Zooey Deschanel is known for her deadpan roles in comedy films such as The Good Girl (2002), The New Guy (2002), Elf (2003), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Yes Man (2008), 500 Days of Summer (2009) and Our Idiot Brother.