Moon Zappa

Moon Unit Zappa (born September 28, 1967) is an American actress, singer, and author. She is a daughter of musician Frank Zappa.

Early life Moon Zappa was born in New York City, the eldest child of Gail (née Sloatman) and musician Frank Zappa. 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. Zappa attended Oakwood School in North Hollywood, 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". 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" (extremely gross, coming from grotty) and "gag me with a spoon" (strong disgust, coming from forced throwing up). 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. She has also written for The New York Times. In a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Zappa said she was working on a book about growing up in her "crazy house".

Zappa's memoir, Earth to Moon, was released in August 2024.

Personal life Zappa 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.

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 in 2016, Zappa called it "the most hideous shock of [her] life."

Filmography Film

Television