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Lea Michele

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Lea Michele
Born
Lea Michele Sarfati

(1986-08-29) August 29, 1986 (age 39)
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, singer, dancer
Years active1995–present
SpouseCory Monteith ( January 2010 - February 2013) Zandy Reich (2019-present)

Lea Michele Sarfati (born August 29, 1986),[1] known by her stage name Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working as a child actress on Broadway in shows like Ragtime and Les Misérables. She was the first person to play the character Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and now plays Rachel Berry in the Fox television series Glee.

Early life

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Michele was born in the Bronx, New York City, in 1986. Her mother is Edith Sarfati, a nurse, and her father is Marc Sarfati, a deli owner.[1] Michele's mother is Italian American and Roman Catholic, while her father is a Spanish Sephardic Jew.[2][3] Michele grew up in New York City and Tenafly, New Jersey. She went to Rockland County Day School [4] for elementary school in New York and then Tenafly High School.[5] Michele was home schooled one year while working in Toronto Canada on Ragtime. She went to Stagedoor Manor in the Catskills, a performing arts training center.[6] She was then later accepted to the CAP21 program at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, but instead continued working on stage.[7][8]

Career

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At eight years old, Michele went with a friend to an open casting call for a musical. She decided on a whim she wanted to try out. She was offered the part and made her debut on Broadway in 1995 as a replacement in the role of Young Cosette in the New York City showing of Les Misérables. Then, in 1998, she played Tateh's daughter, the Little Girl, in the original Broadway cast of Ragtime. In 2004, Michele played Shprintze and Chava in the Broadway revival of the musical Fiddler on the Roof. She also sang on the 2003 Broadway revival cast recording of Fiddler on the Roof.

She played the role of Wendla in Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical version of Spring Awakening, starring in early workshops to Off-Broadway and finally playing the role in the Broadway production at the age of 20.[9] Around the same time that the show was set to go to Broadway, she was offered the role of Eponine in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables.[10] She decided to remain with Spring Awakening, which debuted on Broadway in December 2006. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her acting in Spring Awakening in the category of Outstanding Actress in a Musical.[11]

On May 18, 2008, Michele left Spring Awakening with co-star Jonathan Groff. She acted in a reading of Sheik and Sater's new musical, Nero, in July 2008 at Vassar College.[12] From August 8–August 10, 2008, she played Eponine in the Hollywood Bowl's Les Misérables concert. She sings on the original Broadway cast recordings of Ragtime and Spring Awakening.

Michele stars in the Fox television series Glee, where she plays the star singer of a high school glee club, Rachel Berry. The pilot debuted on May 19, 2009. She has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding ensemble performance and the 2009 Satellite Award for best actress. She also received nominations for an Emmy Award, two nominations for a Golden Globe Award, and Teen Choice Award for her performance in the role. Her cover of The All-American Rejects' "Gives You Hell" reached the top 40 on the US Billboard 200.[13] Michele is the lead singer in 14 of the top 20 selling Glee songs as of 2010.[14]

Michele was included in Time magazine's 2010 list of the 100 Most Influential People In the World.[15] FHM named her #7 on 2010 Sexiest Women List, which was the highest ranking for a new entry on the list that year.[16] Michele was named to People Magazine's Best Dressed List of 2010 as "The Newbie"[17] and she was voted "2010 Most Stylish Star" by E! Online.[18]

Before Super Bowl XLV, on February 6, 2011, she performed "America the Beautiful" with the Air Force Tops In Blue. [19]

In 2011, Michele made her feature film debut in Garry Marshall’s romantic comedy movie, New Year’s Eve.[20] In 2013, she starred in the animated movie Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return,[21] voicing the lead role of Dorothy Gale.[22]

On September 18, 2012, it was announced that Michele would work on her first solo album.[23] On November 27, 2013, it was announced that the first single from her debut album Louder would be "Cannonball", which was released on December 10, 2013. [24] "Cannonball" debuted at No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Michele became the first main Glee cast member to have a song chart as a lead soloist. [25] The single sold over 51,000 copies in its first week of sale.[26] Michele then released four promotional singles in the lead-up to the album: "Battlefield",[27] "Louder",[28] "What Is Love?",[29] and "You're Mine". [30] Louder was released on February 28, 2014 and debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 4 selling over 62,000 copies in its first week. [31] The second single from the album, "On My Way", was released on May 4, 2014.[32]

In May 2013, it was announced that she had signed a deal with Harmony Books and Random House to write a part memoir, part how-to book titled Brunette Ambition [33] and the book was published on May 20, 2014.[34] Michele released a second book, You First: Journal Your Way to Your Best Life, on September 22, 2015, which was also published by Random House. [35]

From 2015 to 2016, Michele starred in the Fox horror-comedy series Scream Queens, portraying the character Hester Ulrich. She was nominated for the People's Choice Award for Favorite Actress in a New TV Series, [36] and two Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV Actress: Comedy and Choice TV: Villain for her performance in the role. [37][38]

In 2017, Michele had more television roles in Hulu's Dimension 404,[39] a science fiction anthology series, and ABC's sitcom The Mayor.[40]

On October 8, 2017, Michele performed as a headlining act at the third annual Elsie Fest held in Central Park founded by her Glee co-star Darren Criss. [41] In April 2018, it was announced that she and Criss would co-headline a tour (the LM/DC Tour). It included shows in several North American cities in May and June 2018[42] and had stops in the United Kingdom and Ireland from October to December 2018.

Michele's third studio album, Christmas in the City, was released on October 25, 2019. [43][44] She starred as the lead in Same Time, Next Christmas, a film for ABC. From December 19, 2019, Lea Michele performed live in a series of shows at Adler Hall on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[45] Michele released her cover album, Forever: A Lullaby Album, on November 5, 2021.[46]

On July 11, 2022, it was announced that Michele would return to Broadway in the stage musical production of Funny Girl. Michele replaced Beanie Feldstein in the leading role of Fanny Brice on September 6, 2022, after Feldstein announced that she was leaving the production two months earlier than originally planned.[47][48][49] Michele starred opposite Ramin Karimloo who played the role of Nick Arnstein. She was scheduled to perform seven shows a week, excluding Thursday evenings.[50]

On September 11, 2022, four days into her run as Fanny Brice, Michele announced that she had tested positive for COVID-19, requiring her to be in isolation for at least 10 days.[51] She returned to the stage on September 20, 2022.[52]

On opening night, Michele received seven standing ovations for her performance, which had been highly anticipated. [53] The show had its final performance on September 3, 2023. [54] Michele was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2023.[55]

In May, 2025 Michele was cast as Florence Vassy in the 2025 Broadway revival of Chess opposite Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher, starting on October 15, 2025 at the Imperial Theatre.[56]

Filmography

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Films
Year Title Role Notes
1998 Buster & a Chauncey's Silent Night Christina English dub, voice role
2011 Glee: The 3D Concert Movie Rachel Berry Concert film
New Year's Eve Elise
2014 Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return Dorothy Gale English dub, voice role
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Third Watch Sammi Episode: "Spring Forward Fall Back"
2009–2015 Glee Rachel Berry Main role, 118 episodes
2010 The Simpsons Sarah (voice) Episode: "Elementary School Musical"
2011 The Cleveland Show Rachel Berry (voice) Episode: "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Roberta?"
2012 The Glee Project Herself Guest mentor
2014 Sons of Anarchy Gertie Episode: "Smoke 'em If You Got 'em"
2015–2016 Scream Queens Hester "Chanel #6" Ulrich Main role, 22 episodes
2017 Dimension 404 Amanda Episode: "Matchmaker"
2017–2018 The Mayor Valentina Barella Main role, 13 episodes
2018–2019 American Idol Herself Guest mentor
2019 Same Time, Next Christmas Olivia Henderson Television film

Advocacy

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Michele is active in charities for gay rights and animal rights, as well as in numerous other charities. In 2008, Michele was a part of the PETA ad campaign "Buck Cruelty! Say No to Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides".[57] In April 2010, Michele appeared in a PSA for PETA speaking out against fur clothing.[58] In September 2010, Michele was honored by PETA for her work for animals.[59] In addition to working with PETA, Michele is also a vegan.[60]

In support of gay rights, Michele performed at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner in November 2009.[61][62] In the same month, Michele and Jonathan Groff sang in the True Colors Cabaret, a fundraiser in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.[63]

In 2008, Michele performed at a benefit concert, "Alive in the World",[64] to aid the Twin Tower Orphan Fund. Michele has also been active with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. For Broadway Cares, Michele has participated in Broadway Barks, Broadway Bares, Easter Bonnet Competition and The Flea Market and Grand Auction. In October 2010, Michele performed at a benefit concert for the Painted Turtle, a camp for children with illnesses. The concert celebrated the 35th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with Michele playing the lead role of Janet Weiss for the benefit.[65] In February 2011 she performed for The Grammy's MusiCares Benefit in Los Angeles, California. Money earned by the event go to help musicians in need.[66]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Result Notes
2007 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Musical Nominated Spring Awakening
Broadway.com Audience Award Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical Won
Favorite Female Breakthrough Performance Won
Favorite Onstage Pair (with Jonathan Groff) Won
2008 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album Original Broadway Cast, including Lea Michele Won Spring Awakening
2009 New York Television Festival Award Best Nonscripted Host or Star Won Around the Block
Teen Choice Award Choice TV Breakout Star Nominated Glee
Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy Television Series Won
2010 Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Won
NewNowNext Award Brink of Fame: Actor Won
Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actress: Comedy Nominated
Choice Music: Group (with Glee Cast) Nominated
Gold Derby TV Award Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series Nominated
Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series Nominated
PETA's 30th Anniversary Gala and Humanitarian Awards Award Honor Won  
Billboard's Women in Music Triple Threat Award Honor Won  
Glamour Woman of the Year Award US TV Actress of the Year Won  
Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy Television Series Nominated Glee
2011 Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated
Grammy Award Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ("Don't Stop Believin") Nominated
Grammy Award Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media Nominated

References

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  1. 1 2 "Lea Michele: Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  2. ↑ ""Little Miss Big-Time"". Glamour. 2010-09-03. Archived from the original on 2010-11-06. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  3. ↑ Yuan, Jada (2009-08-23). "Choir Girl". NY Magazine. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  4. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Glee Star Lea Michele's Childhood Photos". 22 May 2010.
  5. ↑ Freydkin, Donna (2010-05-10). "Lea Michele never stopped believing". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  6. ↑ Bonanos, Christopher (2010-07-11). "Jazz Hands, Everyone!". New York Magazine. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  7. ↑ Gans, Andrew (2006-11-04). "DIVA TALK: Chatting with Spring Awakening's Lea Michele Plus News of LuPone, Kritzer and Gravitte". Playbill. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  8. ↑ Messer, Lesley (2010-05-11). "Who Is Lea Michele's Broadway Star Beau?". People. Archived from the original on 2011-01-08. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  9. ↑ "Dramadesk: Awards for the best Casino Action". www.dramadesk.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
  10. ↑ "Diva Talk: Chatting With 'Spring Awakening'/'Les-Mizs' Lea Michele Plus News of Ebersole Eder" playbill.com
  11. ↑ D. Rooney."Musicals pose Tony voting crunch", Variety.com, April 26, 2007
  12. ↑ Bacalzo, Dan. "Arden, Carlson, Menzel, Michele, Robbins, et al. Set for Sater and Sheik's Nero" Archived 2008-10-15 at the Wayback Machine, theatermania.com, 23 June 2008.
  13. ↑ "'Glee Cover Takes Top Spot In Ireland", digitalspy.com
  14. ↑ "Billboard". Billboard.
  15. ↑ Lea Michele – The 2010 TIME 100 Archived 2012-09-18 at Archive.today, Time Magazine
  16. ↑ Lea Michele – FHM #7 Archived 2013-08-01 at the Wayback Machine, gleehab.com, 3 June 2010.
  17. ↑ REUTERS. "Actresses Zoe Saldana, Lea Michele land on People magazine's 'Best Dressed' top 10 - NY Daily News". nydailynews.com. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  18. ↑ "Celebrity Photos, Celebrity Pictures, Celebrity Pics". E! Online.
  19. ↑ "Tops in Blue to perform at Super Bowl". January 31, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Glee's Lea Michele to Celebrate New Year's Eve". MovieWeb.com. 2010-10-22. Archived from the original on 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  21. ↑ "Dorothyofoz •". Dorothyofoz.
  22. ↑ "Quick Takes: 'Glee' star Lea Michele cast in animated 'Dorothy of Oz'". 12 June 2010 – via LA Times.
  23. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn (September 19, 2012). "'Glee' Star Lea Michele Preps Debut Album". MTV. Archived from the original on November 22, 2014.
  24. ↑ Ng, Philiana (November 27, 2013). "Lea Michele's 'Cannonball' to Be First Single From Debut Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 1, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  25. ↑ Trust, Gary (December 18, 2013). "Eminem, Rihanna Remain Atop Hot 100 With 'The Monster'". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Lea Michele's "Cannonball" Is First Song From Any Glee Star to Make Billboard Chart – Where Did It Land?". Wetpaint.com. December 23, 2013. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014.
  27. ↑ Nessif, Bruna (December 27, 2013). "Lea Michele Releases New Single "Battlefield" – Take a Listen!". E! Online. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016.
  28. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (January 13, 2014). "Lea Michele Exclusive Song Premiere: Listen To 'Louder' Title Track". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014.
  29. ↑ Sperry, April (January 27, 2014). "Lea Michele Releases New Single, 'What Is Love'". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  30. ↑ Bucksbaum, Sydney (February 10, 2014). "Lea Michele releases Cory Monteith tribute song 'You're Mine': Listen". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014.
  31. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (March 12, 2014). "Rick Ross Rules With Fifth No. 1 Album On Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  32. ↑ Lewis, Casey (February 25, 2014). "Listen to This Great New Lea Michele Song (Plus, Stream the Whole Album!)". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014.
  33. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (2013-05-23). "'Glee's' Lea Michele to Write Her First Book". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  34. ↑ "Lea Michele Memoir Brunette Ambition Scheduled For 2014 Release". Access Hollywood. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  35. ↑ "Lea Michele's New Book Tells You How to Reach Your Life Goals – Read an Excerpt". InStyle. September 22, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  36. ↑ "2016 Nominees & Winners". People's Choice Awards. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  37. ↑ Vulpo, Mike (May 24, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016 Nominations Announced: See the "First Wave" of Potential Winners". E! Online. Archived from the original on June 28, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  38. ↑ Eliahou, Maya (June 9, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016 – Captain America: Civil War Leads Second Wave of Nominations". E! Online. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  39. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (June 8, 2016). "Lea Michele, Robert Buckley to Star in Hulu Anthology 'Dimension 404'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017.
  40. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (February 23, 2017). "Lea Michele Joins ABC's Daveed Diggs Comedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
  41. ↑ Lee, Ashley (August 1, 2017). "Lea Michele, Alan Cumming and Ingrid Michaelson Lead Elsie Fest Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017.
  42. ↑ Chuba, Kirsten (April 9, 2018). "'Glee' Alums Lea Michele and Darren Criss Announce Co-Headlining Tour". Variety. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018.
  43. ↑ Tracy, Brianne (October 18, 2019). "Lea Michele Is Releasing Her First Christmas Album: 'It's a Great Explanation of Where I'm At'". People. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  44. ↑ Tsai, Yu (October 25, 2019). "Lea Michele Names The One 'Glee' Christmas Song She Had to Revisit for Her Holiday Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  45. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (July 15, 2019). "Lea Michele to Star in ABC Holiday Movie From Freeform". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  46. ↑ Mier, Tomás. "Lea Michele to Release Lullaby Covers Album Forever Dedicated to Son Ever: A 'Dream Come True'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  47. ↑ Quinn, Dave (July 11, 2022). "Lea Michele Will Join Broadway's Funny Girl as Fanny Brice After Beanie Feldstein's Early Exit". people.com. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  48. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (2022-07-11). "Lea Michele Replaces Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice in Broadway's 'Funny Girl'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  49. ↑ Jacobs, Julia (1 September 2022). "Lea Michele Is Well Aware That the Pressure Is On". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  50. ↑ Saad, Nardine (1 September 2022). "With 'Funny Girl' looming, Lea Michele is still addressing those bullying claims". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  51. ↑ Travis, Emlyn (2022). "Lea Michele missing more 'Funny Girl' shows due to COVID-19 test result". EW.com. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  52. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (20 September 2022). "Lea Michele Returns to Broadway's Funny Girl September 20". Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  53. ↑ Ramírez, Juan A. (7 September 2022). "Lea Michele's Funny Girl Debut Slays the Day". The Cut. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  54. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (2 March 2023). "'Funny Girl' With Lea Michele Sets Closing Date on Broadway". Variety. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  55. ↑ "Time 100". Time. April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  56. ↑ Evans, Greg (June 24, 2025). "'Chess' Broadway Revival With Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele & Nicholas Christopher Sets Opening Date, Venue". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  57. ↑ , Broadway World
  58. ↑ "Lea Michele Says No to Fur in PETA Ad" eonline.com
  59. ↑ Radar
  60. ↑ "'Glee' star Lea Michele hits Alicia Silverstone's blog". Mother Nature Network. 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  61. ↑ broadwayworld.com, November 24, 2009
  62. ↑ "STAGE TUBE: Lea Michele Sings 'On My Own' at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner" Archived 2010-01-31 at the Wayback Machine, broadwayworld.com, November 29, 2009.
  63. ↑ Glikas, Bruce. "Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff Reunite Onstage at True Colors Cabaret", BroadwayWorld.com, November 30, 2009
  64. ↑ "Alive in the World". Alive in the World. Archived from the original on 2010-03-28. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  65. ↑ "Rocky Horror Picture Show Tribute, With Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Presented October 28". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  66. ↑ Playbill

Other websites

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