Moon Unit Zappa (born September 28, 1967) is an American actress, singer, and author. She is the daughter of musician
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
.
Early life
Moon Zappa was born in New York City, the eldest child of
Gail
Gail may refer to:
People
*Gail (given name), list of notable people with the given name
Surname
* Jean-Baptiste Gail (1755–1829), French Hellenist scholar
* Max Gail (born 1943), American actor
* Sophie Gail (1775–1819), French singer and ...
(née Sloatman) and musician
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
.
[Moon Unit Zappa Biography (1967–)](_blank)
, Filmreference.com She has three younger siblings:
Dweezil,
Ahmet
Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet.
Etymology
The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
, and
Diva
Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is clo ...
. Zappa's father was of Sicilian, Greek-Arab, and French ancestry, and her mother was of German and Portuguese descent.
Zappa attended
Oakwood School in
North Hollywood
North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
, California.
Career
Zappa first came to public attention in 1982 at the age of 14, when she appeared on her father's hit single "
Valley Girl
A valley girl is a socioeconomic, linguistic, and youth subcultural stereotype and stock character originating during the 1980s: any materialistic upper-middle-class young woman, associated with unique vocal and California dialect features, fr ...
." The song featured Moon's monologue in "
valleyspeak
A valley girl is a socioeconomic, linguistic, and youth subcultural stereotype and stock character originating during the 1980s: any materialistic upper-middle-class young woman, associated with unique vocal and California dialect features, ...
",
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...
terms popular with teenage girls in the
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. "Valley Girl" was Frank Zappa's biggest hit in the United States, and popularized phrases from the lyric such as "grody to the max" and "gag me with a spoon." The song appeared on her father's 1982 album ''
Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch
''Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch'' is an album by American musician Frank Zappa, released in May 1982 and digitally remastered in 1991. It features five tracks composed by Zappa, and one song, "Valley Girl", co-written with his da ...
''.
In the mid-1980s, Zappa and her brother Dweezil were frequent guest
VJs on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
.
She sang on Dweezil's songs "
My Mother Is a Space Cadet
"My Mother Is a Space Cadet" is the first single by Dweezil Zappa, released in 1982. The song was co-written by sister Moon Zappa and Steve Vai. Dweezil was 12 years old at the time of the recording, sister Moon Zappa was 14. The back of the sin ...
" b/w "Crunchy Water" in 1982 and "Let's Talk About It" from the album ''
Havin' a Bad Day
''Havin' a Bad Day'' is the first album by Dweezil Zappa
Dweezil Zappa (born Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa; September 5, 1969) is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. ...
'' in 1986.
As a teenager, Zappa acted in the television series ''
CHiPs
''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The serie ...
'', ''
The Facts of Life'', and the film ''
Nightmares
A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...
''.
While still 18, she was a technical consultant and appeared in several episodes of ''
Fast Times
''Fast Times'' is an American sitcom based on the 1982 movie ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' that was produced by Amy Heckerling, who directed the original film. It ran for 7 episodes on CBS from March 3 until April 23, 1986. Cameron Crowe, who ...
.'' As an adult, she has worked as a
stand-up comic
Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up.
Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...
, magazine writer, and actress, appearing in the films ''
National Lampoon's European Vacation
''National Lampoon's European Vacation'' is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Robert Klane. The second film in National Lampoon's ''Vacation'' film series, it stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Hill, J ...
'' and ''
Spirit of '76 Spirit of '76 may refer to:
* Spirit of '76 (sentiment), patriotic sentiment engendered by the American Revolution
* ''The Spirit of '76'' (painting), a painting by Archibald Willard
* ''Spirit of '76'' (album), a 1975 album by Spirit
* Spirit ...
'', the television
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''
Normal Life
''Normal Life'' is a 1996 American crime drama film based on the real lives of husband-and-wife bank robbers, Jeffrey and Jill Erickson. The film stars Ashley Judd and Luke Perry and was directed by John McNaughton. The original screenplay was w ...
'', and ''
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show
''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' is an American live-action/animated television series airing from September 4 to November 30, 1989, on syndication. The series is based on the video games ''Super Mario Bros.'' and ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' by ...
''.
Zappa appeared as a
niqab-clad Muslim woman in an episode of ''
Curb Your Enthusiasm
''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' is an American television sitcom produced and broadcast by HBO since October 15, 2000, and created by Larry David, who stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself. It follows David's life as a semi-retired televisio ...
'', as Ted Mosby's cousin Stacy in an episode of ''
How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...
'', and on an episode ("Pampered to a Pulp") of ''
Roseanne
''Roseanne'' is an American sitcom television series created by Matt Williams and Roseanne Barr which aired on ABC from October 18, 1988, to May 20, 1997, and briefly revived from March 27, 2018, to May 22, 2018. The show stars Barr as Roseann ...
''. In 2013, Zappa was the voice of Mrs. Lamber on
FOX Broadcasting's Animation Domination High-Def
Animation Domination High-Def (also called Animation Domination HD, Fox ADHD, and ADHD) was a late-night programming block broadcast by Fox. Originally premiering on July 21, 2013 as a spin-off of ''Animation Domination'', the block originally fo ...
series ''
High School USA!
''High School USA!'' is an American adult animated television series produced by Friends Night and Animation Domination High-Def Studios. The series was created and written by Dino Stamatopoulos. Nick Weidenfeld, Hend Baghdady and Stamatopoulos e ...
''.
In 2000, Zappa appeared as guest vocalist on
Kip Winger
Charles Frederick Kip Winger (born June 21, 1961) is an American bass guitarist and singer, active as a member of the rock band Winger and as a solo artist. He initially gained notability as a member of Alice Cooper's band, contributing bass an ...
's third solo album ''
Songs from the Ocean Floor
''Songs from the Ocean Floor'' is the third solo studio album by American rock artist Kip Winger. The album was released in 2001. According to Kip, the lead track "Cross" is an extremely personal song and he opens every solo show with it.
Track li ...
''. She is the author of the novel ''America, the Beautiful'', published in 2001. She has also written for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. In a 2016 interview with the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', Zappa said she was working on a book about growing up in her "crazy house."
Personal life
She married
Paul Doucette
Paul John Doucette (born August 22, 1972) is an American musician best known for being the drummer, rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist of the band Matchbox Twenty.Erlewine, Stephen ThomasMatchbox Twenty Biography, AllMusic, retrieved 2011-0 ...
, drummer and
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
ist for American pop group
Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty (also known as Matchbox 20 and MB20) is an American rock band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995. The group currently consists of Rob Thomas (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brian Yale (bass guitar), Paul Doucette (drums, r ...
, in June 2002. They have one child, Mathilda Plum Doucette. They divorced in 2014.
Following the death of Zappa's mother, Gail, in October 2015, it was revealed that her siblings Ahmet and Diva were given control of the Zappa family trust with shares of 30% each, while Moon and her brother Dweezil were given smaller shares of 20% each.
Speaking to the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' in 2016, Zappa called it "the most hideous shock of
erlife."
As beneficiaries only, Moon and Dweezil will not reportedly receive any distributions from the trust until it is profitable, in 2016, it was "millions of dollars in debt", and must seek permission from Ahmet, the trustee, to make money from their father's music or merchandise bearing his name.
In more recent times, the Zappa siblings have legally reconciled their differences with Dweezil noting "It may be a bumpy road at times – we are a passionate Italian family – but we have decided to work toward privately discussing issues rather than using public forums and lawyers."
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
Zappa Family Album
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zappa, Moon
1967 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American comedians
Actresses from California
Actresses from New York City
American child actresses
American child singers
American women singers
American film actresses
American people of Arab descent
American people of Italian descent
American people of French descent
American people of Greek descent
American people of Portuguese descent
American stand-up comedians
American television actresses
American women comedians
American women writers
Living people
People from Greater Los Angeles
Zappa family