Lea Michele Biography

NAME: Lea Michele Sarfati

OCCUPATION: Theater Actress, Television Actress, Singer

BIRTH DATE: August 29, 1986 (Age: 25)

PLACE OF BIRTH: Bronx, New York

ZODIAC SIGN: Virgo

Synopsis

Lea Michele was born August 29, 1986 in Bronx, New York. Her career-making turn occurred in 2006 with Spring Awakening, a rock musical, but left the cast in 2008. Moving out to Los Angeles,Michele sought out movie and television roles. One of her aspirations at the time was to get a guest spot on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. Michele ended up getting a much more substantial role on Glee.

Early Life

Actress. Born Lea Michele Sarfati on August 29, 1986, in Bronx, New York. Sarfati discovered her passion for performing at an early age. Growing up in Tenafly, New Jersey, she was drawn to nearby New York City's vibrant theater scene. At the age of 8, Michele landed the role of young Cosette in the Broadway production of Les Miserables. She sang a song from Phantom of the Opera, the only musical she knew at the time, at her audition. Michele had gone to the audition to support a friend, but ended up landing the part herself.

Glee

The creators and producers of the show, including Ryan Murphy, were impressed by Michele. Murphy told USA Today that the part was written especially for her. "I really believe in Lea's talent because her talent was once in a lifetime," he said. The role of an ambitious teenager who dreams of stardom appears to be a good fit for the actress. "Rachel is me when I was that age. She knows what she loves and who she is. She doesn't get caught up in what other people think is important," Michele told New York magazine. Her portrayal of Rachel earned Michele her first Emmy Award nomination in 2010.

Lea Michele's starring role on FOX's upcoming hour-long dark comedy Glee is the TV equivalent of a pipe bomb. She plays Rachel Berry, a character self-described as the "stunning young ingenue everyone roots for," a description in stark contrast to the hyper-ambitious girl self-obsessed with the idea of her own stardom that most everyone hates. Yet along with the many hilarious contradictions, Michele brings to the role killer comedic timing and an epic, orchestral set of pipes.

Lea Michele Relationships:

Landon Beard - Ex-significant Other

John Lloyd Young - Ex-significant Other

Edith Sarfati - Mother

Marc Sarfati - Father

Theo Stockman - Ex-significant Other

Lea Michele Awards:

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2010 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy - Nominee

2010 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Nominee

2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Winner

2011 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Telelvision Series - Comedy or Musical - Nominee

2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Nominee

In the musical, which is based on a controversial 1891 play by Frank Wedekind, cowritten by Duncan Sheik (you remember Sheik's 1996 hit single "Barely Breathing," right?) and which has won eight Tony Awards, Lea Michele starred as the female lead Wendla. She has almost literally owned the role, from the show's very inception all the way to Broadway and mainstream success. The role of the young Wendla, which has made Michele a star of the stage, is a demanding one that requires more than your average Broadway sexual freakiness, including the wearing of a see-through nightgown, some nudity and participation in a little sadomasochism.