Biography
Date of Birth
29 December 1986, The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Birth Name
Lea Michele Sarfati
Nickname
Lee
Lele
Height
5' 2½" (1.59 m)
Mini Biography
Lea Michele Sarfati was born in the Bronx, New York to Edith Thomasina (Porcelli), a nurse, and Mark David Sarfati, a delicatessen owner-turned-real estate agent. Her mother is of Italian descent (from Rome and Naples), and her father is of Sephardi Jewish ancestry (from Turkey and Greece). Lea was raised Catholic in Tenafly, New Jersey and graduated from Tenafly High School.
At age eight, Lea went with a friend to an open casting call for an up-and-coming musical. After spontaneously deciding to audition, she was offered the role and, two weeks later, she was starring on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in 1995 as a replacement for the role of Young Cosette in "Les Misérables". She was then cast in the role of Tateh's daughter, the Little Girl, in the 1998 original Broadway cast of "Ragtime", and in 2004 she portrayed Shprintze and understudied the role of Chava in the Broadway revival of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof".
When she was 14, Lea was given the role of Wendla Bergmann in Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical version of "Spring Awakening". She starred in early workshops, off-Broadway, and finally originated the role in the Broadway production at age 20. Around the same time that the show was set to go to Broadway, Lea was offered the role of Éponine Thénardier in the Broadway revival of "Les Misérables". She chose to remain with "Spring Awakening", which debuted on Broadway in December 2006. She was later nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. After two years of starring in "Spring Awakening", Lea left the show with co-star Jonathan Groff, to pursue other opportunities.
In late 2008, Lea won the role of Rachel Berry on the comedy-drama series Glee (2009), and since the show's premiere on May 19, 2009, has received worldwide critical acclaim for her performance. She received the 2009 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Series - Comedy or Musical, and later won three People's Choice Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Along with her award wins, Lea also received Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations.
Trivia
Originated the role of Wendla Bergmann in the Broadway musical "Spring Awakening".
Her father is from a Sephardi Jewish family (from Turkey and Thessaloniki, Greece). Her mother's family is Italian (from Rome and Naples). Lea was raised in her mother's Catholic faith.
Was roommates with Glee (2009) co-star Dianna Agron during the first season of the series.
Worked with Glee (2009) co-stars Jenna Ushkowitz and Jonathan Groff in the musical "Spring Awakening". Michele and Groff were the leads, while Ushkowitz joined the cast in 2008 as an understudy. Skylar Astin and Phoebe Strole, who were also members of the original cast, made guest appearances in the fifth season of Glee (2009).
Best friends with actor Jonathan Groff.
Glee (2009) creator Ryan Murphy wrote the part of Rachel Berry with her in mind.
Was accepted to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, but opted to continue working on stage.
Was home-schooled for one year while she lived in Toronto, where she was performing in the original cast of "Ragtime". When the show was brought to Broadway, she was again home-schooled.
Her favorite novel is "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier.
Was in a relationship with actor Theo Stockman from November 2009 to September 2011.
Named in People's "Best Dressed List" of 2010.
In October 2010, she performed at a benefit concert for the Painted Turtle, a camp for children with chronic illnesses. The concert celebrated the 35th anniversary of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and she played the role of Janet Weiss.
Is active in charities for gay rights and animal rights.
Was ranked #7 on FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" in 2010.
Was included in Time's "100 Most Influential People in the World" list in 2010.
In April 2010, she appeared in a PSA for PETA speaking out against fur, and in September 2010, she was honored by PETA for her work for animals.
Enjoys baking in her spare time.
When she was not working on Broadway during high school, she worked in a Bat Mitzvah dress shop. Her duties were cleaning and vacuuming.
On March 25, 2011, in Los Angeles, she got into a car accident while driving home from work. Her car was hit by another car when she was driving, but she managed to walk away without any injuries.
Loves record players.
As of 2012, she has 14 tattoos.
Was ranked #10 on AfterEllen's "Hot 100" in 2011.
Was ranked #28 on Maxim's "Hot 100" in 2011.
Was ranked #47 on FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" list in 2011.
Is a fan of pop singer Kylie Minogue and Fanny Brice.
Was ranked #12 on People's "25 Beauties (and Hotties) at 25" list in 2011.
In January 2012, Michele became the new spokesmodel for Candie's.
Was voted #19 on AskMen's "99 Most Desirable Women of 2012" list.
Was in a relationship with co-star Cory Monteith from November 2011 until his death on July 13, 2013.
Nearly hit Jon Bon Jovi with her car.
Has said that if she weren't an actress, she would be a lawyer.
Has a wide vocal range. Her range is Eb3 to D6. In an interview, Michele revealed she is classified as a belter and soprano. She belted an A5 during the "Halo/Walking on Sunshine" musical number on Glee (2009).
Cory Monteith set up her Twitter account and gave her the handle "@msleamichele". He also set "Rachel Berry" as her password, but she later changed it.
Rented a car to get to her audition for Glee (2009), and ended up in a crash minutes before. She ditched the car on the side of the road and ran to her audition with shards of glass in her hair.
Her favorite film is Almost Famous (2000).
Demonstrates her personalized workout on the iTunes app "Nike Training Club".
The first concert she attended was Madonna's.
Wrote two books titled "Brunette Ambition" and "You First".
Natalie Imbruglia, who made the song "Torn" famous, stated that she loved Lea's cover of the song and thinks she'll be successful in which ever career she chooses.
During her acceptance speech at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards, she dedicated her award to late boyfriend Cory Monteith, who died on July 13, 2013.
Was in an on- and off-screen relationship with her Glee (2009) co-star Cory Monteith until his death on July 13, 2013.
Landed a $1 million deal to spokesmodel for L'Oreal Paris USA in 2012.
Won the Best Nonscripted Host or Star Award for Around the Block (2008) at the 2009 New York Television Festival.
Filming the fourth season of Glee (2009) in Los Angeles, California, USA. [July 2012]
Filming the third season of Glee (2009) in Los Angeles, California, USA. [September 2011]
Filming the second season of Glee (2009) in Los Angeles, California, USA. [July 2010]
Announced as the new face of the Candie's fashion brand. [January 2012]
Filming New Year's Eve (2011) in New York City, New York, USA. [January 2011]
Filming the first season of Glee (2009) in Los Angeles, California, USA. [July 2009]
Was ranked #31 on Maxim's "Hot 100" in 2014.
Filming the first season of Scream Queens (2015) in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. [July 2015]
Attended the Stagedoor Manor performing arts camp in the summers from 2000 to 2002.
Owns a $2.9 million home in Brentwood, California.
Released her first studio album, "Louder". [March 2014]
Drives a Toyota Prius (May 2013).
Spent the first four years of her life growing up in the Bronx, New York, before moving to Tenafly, New Jersey.
Attended Rockland Country Day School for her elementary education.
Graduated from Tenafly High School, class of 2004.
In high school, she played on the volleyball team, was a member of the debate team, and sang in the school choir.
Filming Dimension 404 (2017) in Los Angeles, California, USA. [June 2016]
Released her second studio album, "Places". [April 2017]
Filming the fifth season of Glee (2009) in Los Angeles, California, USA. [August 2013]
Filming the sixth and final season of Glee (2009) in Los Angeles, California, USA. [September 2014]
In her audition for the role of Young Cosette in "Les Misérables", she sang "Angel of Music" from "The Phantom of the Opera".
Ex-boyfriends include Matthew Morrison, Landon Beard, John Lloyd Young and Robert Buckley. She is still friends with the former, who went on to star with her in Glee (2009).
Credits her "Ragtime" co-star Audra McDonald with educating her on singing and performing.
The first album she ever bought was Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill", and still owns the exact copy.
Ryan Murphy wrote the role of Hester Ulrich in Scream Queens (2015) for her. Murphy wanted to continue working with Michele, and decided to create a character who was very different from Rachel Berry in Glee (2009).
Uses her first and middle names as her stage name because she was teased about the pronunciation of her surname.
Has starred in commercials and advertisements for GAP, Dove, Chevrolet and HP TouchPad.
On April 28, 2018, she became engaged to Zandy Reich, the president of clothing company AYR. Reich proposed to Michele with a 4-carat radiant cut diamond ring he personally designed with Leor Yerushalmi and The Jewelers of Las Vegas. They got married on March 9, 2019 in Northern California.
The fictional date of August 29, 1997 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) occurred on her 11th birthday.
Was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome not long before her 30th birthday.
(April 27, 2020) Expecting her first child with husband Zandy Reich.
Has a son: Ever Leo Reich (b. August 20, 2020) with husband, Zandy Reich.
Trademarks:
Long dark hair
Quotes
One of my favorite things about Spring Awakening is that it is enjoyable and important for both kids and adults to see.
I consider myself lucky to be an only child because if I had other siblings, my mother would not have been able to take me to every audition and be so supportive of my career.
I think it's important in this industry to not just conform to what people want you to do, and instead stand by what you believe in - that's something I'm very passionate about.
I had so many people telling me 'NO' and giving me these limits in my life. It's so funny what can happen once you just decide to not listen to them.
I think people should just be proud of who they are. Negative stuff will always be said, but it is the girl that can always wake up in the morning and put a smile on their face and continue to do what they do that has the best time.
When I first heard those references used towards me, I found it incredibly hurtful. I'm a girl who knows what she wants. I am outspoken. I am strong and I think that sometimes a strong woman with an opinion is called a diva. If a man is strong and opinionated, he's considered powerful, but if you're a woman, it's regarded negatively.
I've always felt good about myself, that is to say, I've always felt beautiful, but I didn't necessarily think other people thought I was beautiful. Glee (2009) opened my eyes. That's what's so great about the show, it includes all different types of beauty.
Happiness is my greatest invisible accessory.
No one knows you better than you. Except maybe your mother.
It's really important to be kind to yourself and to be complimentary.
