Background
Shahidi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to an African-American mother, Keri-Salter Shahidi, and an Iranian father, Afshin Shahidi, a photographer.
Shahidi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to an African-American mother, Keri-Salter Shahidi, and an Iranian father, Afshin Shahidi, a photographer.
The family moved to California, for Afshin"s work, when Yara was 4. She is the older sister of child actor Sayeed Shahidi. She began her career when she was 6 years old, appearing in television and print advertisements for companies such as McDonald"s, Ralph Lauren, Target, GapKids, Disney, Guess Kids, and Children"s Place.
In September 2014, Shahidi starred in American Broadcasting Company"s prime-time comedy Black-ish as 14-year-old Zoey Johnson.