LEA MICHELE (born August[1] 29, 1986) is an American stage and television actress and singer, who is known for her roles in Broadway musicals, particularly for her starring role as Wendla in Spring Awakening.Beginning in the 1990s as a child actor in Broadway's Les Misérables, LEA MICHELE appeared in several more musicals and created the leading role of Wendla Bergman in the hit musical Spring Awakening, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. LEA MICHELE stars in the Fox television show Glee, which premiered on May 19, 2009.
LEA MICHELE, along with costar Cory Monteith, were included in Entertainment Weekly's 2009 "Summer Must List", being named "Summer's Must Songbirds" for their portrayals of Rachel and Finn on Glee, respectively.LEA MICHELE was born in The Bronx, New York, as LEA MICHELE Sarfati, the daughter of a nurse and a deli owner. LEA MICHELE's mother is Italian American and Catholic, while her father is of Spanish-Sephardic Jewish ancestry. LEA MICHELE grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, where she attended Tenafly High School. LEA MICHELE attended Stagedoor Manor as a child. LEA MICHELE has known Glee costar Jenna Ushkowitz since they were eight years old.
LEA MICHELE debuted on Broadway in 1995 as a replacement in the role of Young Cosette in the original New York production of Les Miserables. This was followed by her creation of the role of Tateh's daughter, the Little Girl, in the 1998 original Broadway cast of Ragtime. In 2004, LEA MICHELE played "Shprintze" and "Chava" in the Broadway revival of the musical Fiddler on the Roof. Regionally, LEA MICHELE has appeared in the title role in The Diary of Anne Frank.
At age 14, LEA MICHELE won the role of Wendla in the workshop for Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical version of Spring Awakening. LEA MICHELE repeated the role in two subsequent workshops of the show, and after performing in the off-Broadway production, she was selected to originate the Broadway role in 2006. Around the same time, LEA MICHELE was invited to perform the role of Eponine in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables. LEA MICHELE chose to remain with Spring Awakening, which debuted on Broadway December 10, 2006. LEA MICHELE was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance in Spring Awakening, as Lead Actress in a Musical.
On May 18, 2008, LEA MICHELE left Spring Awakening with co-star Jonathan Groff and was replaced by former Wendla understudy Alexandra Socha. LEA MICHELE performed in a reading of Sheik and Sater's new musical, Nero, in July 2008 at Vassar College, also featuring Idina Menzel and Michael Arden. On August 8, 9 and 10, 2008, LEA MICHELE portrayed Eponine in the Hollywood Bowl's Les Misérables concert. The next week, LEA MICHELE performed with Upright Cabaret in Los Angeles at Mark's Restaurant. On September 27, 2008, LEA MICHELE performed in Santa Ana, California's Chance Theater with Wicked alum Eden Espinosa and Legally Blonde alum Laura Bell Bundy in the Broadway Chance Style Up Close and Personal concert.
LEA MICHELE now stars in the Fox television show Glee, where she plays the star female singer of a high school glee club, Rachel Berry. The pilot aired on May 19, 2009, to rave reviews. Other television appearances to date have included an episode of Third Watch.LEA MICHELE can be heard on the original Broadway cast recordings of Ragtime and Spring Awakening, as well as the 2003 revival recording of Fiddler on the Roof.
