Lea Michele

**Lea Michele Sarfati** (born August 29, 1986), 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

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. Michele's mother is Italian American and Roman Catholic, while her father is a Spanish Sephardic Jew. Michele grew up in New York City and Tenafly, New Jersey. She went to Rockland County Day School  for elementary school in New York and then Tenafly High School. 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. 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.

## Career

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. 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_. 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.

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. 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. Michele is the lead singer in 14 of the top 20 selling _Glee_ songs as of 2010.

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

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

In 2011, Michele made her feature film debut in Garry Marshall’s romantic comedy movie, New Year’s Eve. In 2013, she starred in the animated movie _Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return_, voicing the lead role of Dorothy Gale.

On September 18, 2012, it was announced that Michele would work on her first solo album. 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.  "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.  The single sold over 51,000 copies in its first week of sale. Michele then released four promotional singles in the lead-up to the album: "Battlefield",  "Louder", "What Is Love?", and "You're Mine".  _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.  The second single from the album, "On My Way", was released on May 4, 2014.

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_  and the book was published on May 20, 2014. 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.

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,  and two Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV Actress: Comedy and Choice TV: Villain for her performance in the role.

In 2017, Michele had more television roles in Hulu's _Dimension 404,_ a science fiction anthology series, and ABC's sitcom The Mayor._

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.  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 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.  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. Michele released her cover album, _Forever: A Lullaby Album_, on November 5, 2021.

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. Michele starred opposite Ramin Karimloo who played the role of Nick Arnstein. She was scheduled to perform seven shows a week, excluding Thursday evenings.

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. She returned to the stage on September 20, 2022.

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

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.

## Filmography

|Year|Title|Role|Notes||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1998|_Buster & a Chauncey's Silent Night_|Christina|English dub, voice role||
|rowspan="2"|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||

|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

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". In April 2010, Michele appeared in a PSA for PETA speaking out against fur clothing. In September 2010, Michele was honored by PETA for her work for animals. In addition to working with PETA, Michele is also a vegan.

In support of gay rights, Michele performed at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner in November 2009. 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.

In 2008, Michele performed at a benefit concert, "Alive in the World", 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. 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.

## Awards and nominations

|Year|Award|Category|Result|Notes|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="4"|2007|Drama Desk Award|Outstanding Actress in a Musical||rowspan="4"|_Spring Awakening_|
|rowspan="3"|Broadway.com Audience Award|Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical|||||
|Favorite Female Breakthrough Performance|||||||
|Favorite Onstage Pair <small>(with Jonathan Groff)</small>|||||||
|rowspan="1"|2008|Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album|Original Broadway Cast, including Lea Michele||rowspan="1"|_Spring Awakening_|
|rowspan="3"|2009|New York Television Festival Award|Best Nonscripted Host or Star||_Around the Block_||
|Teen Choice Award|Choice TV Breakout Star||rowspan="9"|_Glee_|||
|Satellite Award|Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy Television Series||||||
|rowspan="11"|2010|Golden Globe Award|Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series||||||
|NewNowNext Award|Brink of Fame: Actor||||||
|rowspan="2"|Teen Choice Award|Choice TV Actress: Comedy|||||
|Choice Music: Group <small>(with Glee Cast)</small>|||||||
|Gold Derby TV Award|Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series||||||
|Emmy Award|Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series||||||
|PETA's 30th Anniversary Gala and Humanitarian Awards Award|Honor||||||
|Billboard's Women in Music Triple Threat Award|Honor||||||
|Glamour Woman of the Year Award|US TV Actress of the Year||||||
|Satellite Award|Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy Television Series||rowspan="5"|_Glee_|||
|rowspan="4"|2011|Golden Globe Award|Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical||||
|Screen Actors Guild Award|Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series||||||
|Grammy Award|Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ("Don't Stop Believin")||||||
|Grammy Award|Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media||||||

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Lea Michele
- **image**: Lea Michele 2009.jpg
- **birth name**: Lea Michele Sarfati
- **birth place**: The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
- **occupation**: Actress, singer, dancer
- **spouse**: Cory Monteith ( January 2010 - February 2013)
Zandy Reich (2019-present)
- **years active**: 1995–present