Moon Unit Zappa (born September 28, 1967) is an American actress, singer, and author. She is a daughter of musician Frank Zappa.
Moon Zappa | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 28, 1967 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Frank Zappa Gail Zappa |
| Relatives | Dweezil Zappa (brother) Ahmet Zappa (brother) Diva Zappa (sister) Lala Sloatman (maternal cousin) |
Early life
editMoon Zappa was born in New York City, the eldest child of Gail (née Sloatman) and musician Frank Zappa.[1] She has three younger siblings: Dweezil, Ahmet, and Diva. Zappa's father was of Sicilian, Greek-Arab, and French ancestry, and her mother was of German and Portuguese descent.[2] Zappa attended Oakwood School in North Hollywood, California.
Career
editZappa first came to public attention in 1982 at the age of 14, when she appeared on her father's hit single "Valley Girl." The song featured Moon's monologue in "valleyspeak", slang terms popular with teenage girls in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. "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.
In the mid-1980s, Zappa and her brother Dweezil were frequent guest VJs on MTV.
She sang on Dweezil's songs "My Mother Is a Space Cadet" b/w "Crunchy Water" in 1982 and "Let's Talk About It" from the album Havin' a Bad Day in 1986.
As a teenager, Zappa acted in the television series CHiPs, The Facts of Life, and the film Nightmares.[1] While still 18, she was a technical consultant and appeared in several episodes of Fast Times. As an adult, she has worked as a stand-up comic, magazine writer, and actress, appearing in the films National Lampoon's European Vacation and Spirit of '76, the television sitcom Normal Life, and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show.
Zappa appeared as a niqab-clad Muslim woman in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, as Ted Mosby's cousin Stacy in an episode of How I Met Your Mother, and on an episode ("Pampered to a Pulp") of Roseanne. In 2013, Zappa was the voice of Mrs. Lamber on FOX Broadcasting's Animation Domination High-Def[broken anchor] series High School USA!.
In 2000, Zappa appeared as guest vocalist on Kip Winger's third solo album Songs from the Ocean Floor. She is the author of the novel America, the Beautiful, published in 2001.[3] She has also written for The New York Times.[4] In a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Zappa said she was working on a book about growing up in her "crazy house."[5]
Zappa's memoir, Earth to Moon, was released in August 2024.[6][7]
Personal life
editZappa married Paul Doucette, drummer and rhythm guitarist for American pop group Matchbox Twenty, in June 2002. They have one child, Mathilda Plum Doucette. They divorced in 2014.[8]
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.[9] Speaking to the Los Angeles Times in 2016, Zappa called it "the most hideous shock of [her] life."[9] As beneficiaries only, Moon and Dweezil will reportedly not receive any distributions from the trust until it is profitable—as of 2016[update], 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.[9]
In 2018, the Zappa siblings were reported to 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."[10]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Nightmares | Pamela | |
| 1985 | National Lampoon's European Vacation | Rusty's California Girl | |
| The Boys Next Door | Nancy | ||
| 1987 | Heartbeat | Band Performer | Direct-to-video |
| 1989 | Listen to Me | Longnecker | |
| Heartstopper | Lenora Clayton | ||
| 1990 | The Spirit of '76 | Cheryl Dickman | |
| 1992 | Little Sister | Venus | |
| 1994 | Dark Side of Genius | Carrie | |
| 1996 | Love Always | Mary Ellen | |
| 1997 | The Girl Gets Moe | Hostess Jillian | |
| Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills | Susie | ||
| 1998 | Anarchy TV | Katie | |
| Jack Frost | School Teacher | Uncredited | |
| 2000 | Brutal Truth | Alex | |
| Behind the Seams | Astric | ||
| 2010 | Love & Distrust | Donna | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | Last Will | Belinda DeNovi |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | CHiPs | Tami | Episode: "Speedway Fever" |
| 1985 | The Facts of Life | Sondra | Episode: "The Last Drive-In" |
| 1986 | Fast Times | Barbara | 6 episodes |
| 1987 | Student Exchange | Murphy the Biker | Television film |
| 1989 | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! | Marilyn | Episode: "Wild Thing" |
| 1990 | Normal Life | Tess Harlow | 13 episodes |
| 1991 | The Trials of Rosie O'Neill | Janet Franey | Episode: "Wolf Pack" |
| 1993 | Wild Palms | Judy | Episode: "Hungry Ghosts" |
| 1996 | Murder One | Chris | Episode: "Chapter Seventeen" |
| Clueless | Taki | Episode: "Do We with Bad Haircuts Not Feel?" | |
| Roseanne | Carol | Episode: "Pampered to a Pulp" | |
| 1997 | Party of Five | Merika | Episode: "Adjustments" |
| 2000 | Tenacious D | Art Gallery Visitor | Episode: "The Fan" |
| 2003 | The Complete Master Works | Video documentary | |
| 2004 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Haboos | Episode: "The Blind Date" |
| 2006 | How I Met Your Mother | Stacy | Episode: "How Lily Stole Christmas" |
| 2007 | Private Practice | Jenny | Episode: "In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl from Somewhere Else" |
| 2010 | Grey's Anatomy | Kelly | Episode: "Push" |
| 2013 | High School USA! | Tracey Lamber (voice) | 5 episodes |
References
edit- ^ a b Moon Unit Zappa Biography (1967–) Archived 2008-09-17 at the Wayback Machine, Filmreference.com
- ^ Miles, Barry (2004). Zappa. Grove Press. pp. 124. ISBN 978-0-8021-1783-0.
- ^ Zappa, Moon Unit. America the Beautiful: A Novel. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 2001. ISBN 978-0-7432-1383-7
- ^ Zappa, Moon Unit (2001-11-18). "One Street at a Time; Positively Third Street". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2008-12-16. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ Roberts, Randall. "Zappa family drama: A look at where Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva are today". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on 2017-03-25. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
- ^ "Earth to Moon". HarperCollins. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "From Bong Joon-ho to Van Gogh: Observer critics' culture highlights for 2024". The Guardian. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Moon Zappa Divorce -- Our Kid Will Still Get the Star Treatment". TMZ.com. 2014-04-11. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
- ^ a b c Randall Roberts (24 June 2016). "It's brother and sister against brother and sister in bitter fight over control of Frank Zappa's legacy". www.latimes.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
- ^ Andrew O'Brien (May 17, 2018). "Dweezil Zappa Announces Reconciliation With His Siblings & Zappa Family Trust After Years-Long Feud". Live for Live Music. Retrieved January 18, 2021.