There’s no question that Zendaya is been one of the most prolific names in the entertainment industry nowadays. After getting her start in Disney and passing on to star in several internationally known series such as “Euphoria” and the film “Spiderman No Way Home”, the young and multi-talented Zendaya has already made a name for herself, not only as an actress but also as a singer and fashion icon.
Given her massive and seemingly unstoppable fame, the interest in Zendaya’s family has increased as well. Stay here to learn everything about her mom Claire Stoermer, including her personal life, career, and the ways she’s been supporting her superstar daughter.
Who Is Claire Stoermer?
Claire Marie Stoermer was born on 24 March 1964 in Oakland, California, the daughter of Phillip Stoermer and Daphne Whitelaw, and of German and Scottish descent; she has two siblings named Mark and Hilary.
For several years, Claire worked as a teacher in the Oakland-based Fruitvale Elementary School, on top of working at the California Shakespeare Theater. According to her daughter Zendaya in an interview with Teen Vogue, Claire was very dedicated as a teacher in helping kids from unprivileged backgrounds to ‘open their eyes’ beyond their circumstances to access a good education, also teaching them about art and the ‘wonders of nature’. It was Claire’s example which has inspired Zendaya to support educational organizations and causes in her career.
Claire was married to Kazembe Coleman, who was also a teacher. Zendaya was the only child they welcomed together, though Kazembe has five other children from previous relationships. It’s unclear when exactly Claire and Kazembe were officially divorced, but Zendaya broke the news on social media in 2016, writing that her parents hadn’t been together ‘for a long time’ but were still friends.
Career & Business
Claire Stoermer graduated from Santa Clara University in 1987, later taking her job as a teacher in the Oakland Unified School System. She worked as an elementary teacher for 19 years, before retiring in 2009.
As Claire commented in an interview with Tina Knowles, she took her side job in the California Shakespeare Theater around the time Zendaya was two years old, to save money to take the family to Disneyland, as her salary as a teacher wasn’t very high. During those early years of Zendaya’s life, she started playing basketball and running, the latter which Claire also practiced at some point. However, the young Zendaya quickly got over sports, and became enamored with performing arts after being introduced to them during her visits to Claire’s side job.
According to her LinkedIn page, Claire still works as a house manager at the theater. On top of that, Claire is also an entrepreneur who owns the brand Kizzmet Jewelry, describing her products as ‘intentional jewelry’.
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Relationship With Zendaya
Claire and Zendaya have a very tight mother-and-daughter relationship. The pair appear on each other’s social media, with Zendaya sharing pics of their moments together and screenshots of their internal jokes. On the other hand, Claire has used her Instagram to not only celebrate her daughter’s achievements such as winning an Emmy, but also to defend her against tabloids and rumors.
With that being said, Zendaya never runs out of praise when it comes to her parents. As she said in an interview with Tina Knowles, her parents taught her important life lessons, such as not being a bystander in unfair situations, affirming that she hopes to teach her future kids the same lesson. Also in that interview, Zendaya revealed that it was she who convinced her mother to get her first tattoos at 50 years old, and get a punk-ish hairstyle reminiscent of her days at college in the 1980s.
Claire is also very supportive of her daughter’s philanthropic endeavors, such as the time they visited Fruitvale Elementary School in 2018 while supporting the non-profit organization Project Lead the Way. During that visit, Zendaya affirmed she was ‘born and raised’ in that school due to her mother’s job.
Who Is Zendaya?
Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman was born in Oakland, California USA, on 1 September 1996. Her name is of Zimbabwean origins, and it means ‘to give thanks’.
To overcome her shyness, the young Zendaya played sports but quickly decided to try dancing and acting instead, appearing in school plays and joining a hip-hop dance school before the age of eight.
Zendaya for Lancôme! pic.twitter.com/oW6exlXokQ
— Zendaya Updates (@Zendaya_Updated) January 24, 2022
It was her mother’s involvement with the California Shakespeare Theater as a house manager which brought Zendaya closer to the performing arts, leading Claire to also take a small job as a videographer to sell DVDs for the parents, earning enough money to pay for Zendaya’s tuition at the theater. From then on, Zendaya took part in Shakespearean plays such as “As You Like It” and “Richard III”, also studying at the Oakland School for the Arts.
Within a couple of years, Zendaya had already appeared in several TV ads and was hired for modeling gigs, but her big moment didn’t come until she got her breakthrough role as Rocky Blue in Disney’s hit series “Shake It Up”.
Since then, Zendaya’s career has been unstoppable, acting in highly successful films such as “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, “The Greatest Showman” and “Dune”, on top of starring in “Euphoria” as Rue Bennett, a role which has won her two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe as Best Lead Actress. She’s also a singer, model, and advocate for social causes.
Where’s The Rest Of The Family?
Zendaya’s family is highly private, yet we know a couple of things about them. Her father Kazembe Ajamu was Zendaya’s first manager, leaving his old job as a teacher to help his daughter move her career forward. He was in charge of the business decisions behind Zendaya’s career during the early years, as he explained to the Wall Street Journal in 2013.
Kazembe is also known for his over-protectiveness of Zendaya, not only in the professional aspect but also personally. As she once told Marie Claire in 2016, guys interested in her need to get past her dad first to show if they’re worth her time.
Besides her parents, Zendaya is very close to her older half-siblings. She has two half-brothers named Julien and Austin, while her half-sisters’ names are Kaylee, Katianna, also known as ‘Kizzi’, and Annabella. Zendaya’s niece Ezenia is close to her age, and is her best friend.
With that being said, Zendaya’s family keeps most details about their personal lives on the quiet, to the point some of them are only known because of pics the family only rarely share throughout the years.
Appearance & Net Worth
Claire Stoermer is a woman of White ancestry. She has green eyes and blonde hair, which she often stylizes short and with daring and bright dyed colors. Claire is 6ft 4ins (1.93m) tall, but her weight is unknown.
Claire often prefers natural looks, at least when it comes to makeup. This was described as ‘empowering’ to Zendaya, as she told Vanity Fair about how her mother’s example about not caring about makeup became one significant thing for her growing up.
Some sources have estimated Claire’s net worth at around $300,000, resulting from her career as a jewelry designer and teacher. However, this estimation might not be accurate, as Claire’s career in the public educational system most likely didn’t increase her wealth much.
