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Birthdate
Lea Michele Sarfati was born in The Bronx, New York. She was raised as an only child by her parents Marc & Edith Sarfati. -
Early Performances
While living in Tenafly, New Jersey, Lea discovers her love at a young age of 5 for performing in school plays and local theatre productions. She showcased her natural talent and passion for the art. Lea and her family later moved to Manhattan to support her while pursuing Broadway. -
Fun Fact about her Name
Lea started using her middle name "Michele" at an early for auditions and overall for her image to the public. She started this after her first audition for Les Miserables. She would have been Lea Sarfati, but chose Michele. Since then, it's been her professional name. -
Education
Lea was attending Rockland Country Day School for elementary school in Congers, New York. -
Debut on Broadway
At age 8, Michele's mom drove one of her friends' daughters to an audition for the Broadway Production of "Les Miserables." Michele being a stubborn child wanted to join along. For the audition she sandy "Angel of Music" from the film Phantom of the Opera, and coincidentally landed being the replacement for the role of Young Cosette and the understudy of Gavroche. -
2nd role on Broadway
At age 11, she landed the role of "Little girl" in the Broadway musical "Ragtime." During this time she was being homeschooled while in Toronto. -
Voice Acting Debut
Lea voiced a main character, Christina, in the animated film Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night. Chauncey's Silent Night tells the story of how the beloved holiday of hymn Silent Night was created. -
Stagedoor Manor
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Professional Training
Lea enrolls in acting and singing classes to improve her talent and further developing her skills. She attended Stagedoor Manor in the Catskill Mountains for this training. She performed in many productions while attending here. -
3rd Broadway Role
Lea later potrayed the role of Shprintze and was the understudy for the role of Chava in the Broadway revival of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof." -
High School Success
Lea attends Tenafly High School in New Jersey, excelling academically while pursuing her passion for singing and acting. She participated in clubs such as volleyball, debate team and choir. She has a part-time job at a bat mitzvah dress shop and also at her father's deli. -
"Spring Awakening"
Lea joins the original cast of the Broadway musical, receiving critical acclaim. She plays the role of Wendla. She starred in early workshops and Off-Broadway performances, before playing the role at the age of 20. This role allowed her to be nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. -
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Awards
- ‘Favorite Female Breakthrough Performance,’ for ‘Spring Awakening.’
- She won three ‘People’s Choice Awards’ for ‘Glee’ in 2012, 2013, and 2014. She was nominated for the same award for ‘Scream Queens.’
- She won the ‘Teen Choice Awards’ for ‘Glee’ in the years 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. -‘Grammy’ for ‘Spring Awakening’ under the ‘Best Musical Theater Album’ category in 2008. She has also received three ‘Grammy’ nominations for other works.
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Supports Gay Rights
Lea is an active supporter of animal rights and gay rights. Her Best friend Johnathan Groff alongside with her performed for "True Colors Cabaret" to support LGBTQ Equality. She also performed at the ‘Human Rights Campaign Dinner’ to support gay rights. -
Glee
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"Glee" Breakthrough
Lea starts as Rachel Berry in the hit TV series "Glee," captivating audiences worldwide. This allowed her to received widespread recognition. She earned nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy series in 2010 and twice for the Golden Globe Award. This role was widely appreciated which made her win her many awards. -
Golden Globe Nomination
Lea gets nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in "Glee." -
'Glee Live! In Concert!'
Lea and all her co-stars from the tv series Glee led on to perform on stage at various locations in the USA such as Phoenix, LA, Chicago & New York. From the widespread of fans they had, this show biz later expanded to do more and more shows. -
New Year's Eve
Lea plays the role of "Elise" in Comedy/Rom-Com film "New Year's Eve." -
Teen Choice Award
Michele wins the Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress in a comedy for her role in "Glee." -
Lea and Cory
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Dating Life
She dated her Glee co-star Cory Monteith. This sadly came to an end due to his death in 2013. To this day she pays a lot of tribute to him -
Debut Single
After being on New Year's Eve, she released her first single "Cannonball" which later then led to an album. -
2nd Voicing Character Role
Lea voiced the character of "Dorothy Gale" in the animated movie 'Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return." -
Solo Music Career
Lea releases her debut album, "Louder," showcasing her talent as a singer-songwriter. This makes its way at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. -
Memoir Publication
Lea shares her personal journey and experiences in her memoir, "Brunette Ambition." Through her words, she inspires readers to pursue their dreams and embrace their true selves. She emphasizes her rise from being a broadway actress to being a big star on a Fox series. -
After "Glee"
When Glee ended in 2015, she was signed to be the lead in the series "Scream Queens" playing the role of Hester Ulrich. She got the chance to work alongside Jamie Lee Curtis. -
2nd Book Publication
Lea published her 2nd book "You First: Journal Your Way to Your Best Life." She wrote this guided journal to address what she wrote in her previous book such as fitness, diet, work, relationships, etc. But her main purpose was about respecting and understanding what you really want- then going after it. -
Valentina Barella
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Another Role
She was seen in the TV series 'The Mayor' where she played the role of Valentina Barella. -
2nd Album
Lea releases her second studio album, "Places." This debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200. -
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Marriage
Lea announced her engagement to Zandy Reich on April 28, 2018. What she liked about him is that he wasn't really known and was not really in the spotlight much. He wasn't an actor whatsoever. She got married to Zandy on March 9, 2019, in Napa, California. -
3rd Studio Album
She released Christmas in the City, it becoming her 3rd album to be released. -
Child
Lea gave birth to her first born, Ever Leo Reich. In which she had with Zandy. -
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4th Studio Album
The last album she's released to this day is Forever. This was a album full of lullaby covers for her newly born son. -
"Funny Girl"
Lea takes the opportunity to return to Broadway in the revival of Funny Girl, she plays Fanny Brice. -
Fun Facts
Her favorite novel is ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ by Tracy Chevalier. She loves recorders and baking is her favorite hobby.
She is a huge fan of Fanny Brice and Kylie Minogue.
She was one of the eight singers to perform the charity single ‘This is for my Girls.’ Written by Diane Warren, the song benefited the White House's ‘#62MillionGirls’ campaign and ‘Let Girls Learn’ initiative, which was set up by Michelle Obama.
She signed a $1 million deal with ‘L’Oreal Paris USA’ in 2012.