- Nickname
- Z
- Height5′ 2″ (1.57 m)
- Zilah Mendoza was born in Salt Lake City, but was raised on the beaches of Southern California and the deserts of Arizona. She began her professional acting career at an early age in both television and theatre. Her first professional play was with Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad in the play Eastern Standard Time. One of her first experiences on a sit-com was working with Kevin James, Leah Remini, Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller on the King of Queens. She has originated many characters in the contemporary theatre, working with such powerhouse writers as Lisa Loomer (Girl Interrupted) , Sarah Ruhl (Pulitzer Nominated), Luis Alfaro (Prada to Nada), Billy Corbin(Cocaine Cowboys) and Aurin Squire (This is Us). In her spare time, she loves to read new scripts and historical fiction, to travel, to learn about new cultures and to spend time with her family and friends. Zilah was awarded the OBIE for outstanding lead performance in Lisa Loomer's Living Out as well as the Lucille Lortel award. She has received several Backstage Awards and a Garland for various new works.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Zilah Mendoza
- Gender / Gender identityFemale
- In 2005 Zilah appeared on the cover of American Theatre Magazine as Electra in Luis Alfaro's Electricidad.
- While working as a waitress at the Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, Mitzi Shore pushed her into doing Sketch comedy with various stand ups in The Main Room. She performed on weekends on the main stage which led to Zilah being the first actor hired for Mad TV.
- At the age of 8 she attended theatre and dance classes with her mother at Pima Community College on the Pima reservation in Tucson, AZ. Her first acting gig was in Bertolt Brecht's, "Caucasian Chalk Circle". In Jr. High she attended the Theatre and Fine Arts Magnet School in Pacoima, CA where she received first place honors for her portrayal of Anne Frank in the Los Angeles County Drama competition. These early experiences inspired her career as a social justice theatre practitioner.
- In 2004 Zilah became the first Chicana to receive an OBIE (Off Broadway Award) for best lead performance.
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