Zooey Claire Deschanel (born January 17, 1980 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress of French and Irish descent. She is the daughter of cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and actress Mary Jo Deschanel. Her sister Emily Deschanel is also an actress.

Noted for her unconventional beauty and a chameleon-like ability to change personas to suit a given role, Deschanel has steadily expanded her Hollywood profile, appearing first in Mumford (1999) and also recently as Trillian in the movie adaptation of Douglas Adams's science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005).

Deschanel has appeared on the talk show circuit (including Jay Leno and Letterman) and presented film industry awards. Her TV portfolio also includes Frasier and various MTV clips including Offspring's video "She's Got Issues".

She appears with fellow actress Samantha Shelton in a cabaret act named If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies.

The name "Zooey" was inspired by the male character of the same name in J. D. Salinger's novel Franny and Zooey.