Lea Michele Sarfati (born August 29, 1986), known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Les Misérables. She appeared in several more musicals before being selected for the lead role in the musical Spring Awakening, earning a Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance. Her role as Rachel Berry in the Fox television series Glee has resulted in Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

Michele was born in The Bronx, New York City, the daughter of Edith Sarfati, a nurse, and Marc Sarfati, a delicatessen owner. Michele’s mother is Italian American and Catholic, while her father is a Spanish Sephardic Jew. Michele grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, where she attended Tenafly High School. She attended 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 opted to continue working on stage.

Photo: Lea Michele and Cory Monteith during session for Teen Vogue.

At eight years old, Michele went with a friend to an open call for a musical. Michele decided on a whim she wanted to try out. She was offered the part, and in two weeks from her very first audition, she was starring on Broadway. Michele debuted on Broadway in 1995 as a replacement in the role of Young Cosette in the original New York City production of Les Misérables. This was followed by her performance of the role of Tateh’s daughter, the Little Girl, in the 1998 original Broadway cast of Ragtime. In 2004, Michele played Shprintze and Chava in the Broadway revival of the musical ‘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 originating 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 chose to remain with Spring Awakening, which debuted on Broadway in December 2006. Michele was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance 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 performed in a reading of Sheik and Sater’s new musical, Nero, in July 2008 at Vassar College. On August 8 through 10, 2008, Michele portrayed Eponine in the Hollywood Bowl’s Les Misérables concert.

Michele is on the original Broadway cast recordings of Ragtime and Spring Awakening, as well as the 2003 Broadway revival cast recording of Fiddler on the Roof.

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, Golden Globe Award, and Teen Choice Award for her performance in the role. Her cover of The All-American Rejects’ “Gives You Hell” reached number one on the Irish charts and the top 40 on the US Billboard 200.

Photo: Still of Lea Michele and Cory Monteith from Glee.

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. May 2010, AfterEllen.com named her #16 in Hot 100 of 2010, stating that “Lea Michele is just a perfect storm of hotness”. In May 2010, Michele was named to Victoria’s Secret Sexy List 2010 as having the “Sexiest Smile”. In 2010 Michele joined the cast of the animated movie Dorothy of Oz, voicing the lead role of Dorothy Gale. In 2010, Michele joined the cast of Garry Marshall’s romantic comedy New Year’s Eve.

Michele is active in participating in charities for gay rights and animal rights as well as numerous other charities. 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, Michele played the role of Janet Weiss for the benefit. In April 2010 Michele appeared in a PSA for PETA speaking out against fur. In 2008, Michele was a part of the PETA ad campaign “Buck Cruelty! Say No to Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides”. In September 2010 Michele was honored by PETA for her work for animals. Michele is vegan. In support of gay rights, Michele performed at the Human Rights Campaign Dinner in November 2009. Also in November 2009, Michele and Jonathan Groff performed for 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 Bears, Easter Bonnet Competition and The Flea Market and Grand Auction.

Source: wikipedia.org