- Lea Michele is a famous actress and singer
- She starred on 'Glee' for many years
- Learn more about her life and career
The 38 year-old was born as Lea Michele Sarfati and raised in the New York area. As a young girl growing up nearby the Big Apple, Lea became very active in Broadway and on her very first audition dropped her surname to create the stage name we know her by today, Lea Michele.
Lea's Life Before Glee
Her first role came when she was 8 years-old in the play Les Miserables as the young "Cosette". She starred in numerous Broadway plays, such as Spring Awakening and Nero before landing the role of "Rachel" on Glee.
The role of "Rachel Berry"
The role of "Rachel Berry", the talented star of the high school glee club was actually written by Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy specifically for Lea. Lea would go on to star in all 6 seasons of Glee for a total of 121 episodes as the series leading role. Some hit songs she sang on the show include her cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" and All American Rejects "Gives You Hell", which rose to the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her performance as "Rachel" won her numerous awards, including the 2009 Golden Globe for Best Actress-Television Series Musical or Comedy and the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Lea Michele Today
Lea Michele has stayed busy since Glee ended in 2015. In 2015 she started recording on her second studio album, Places and in 2017 she headlined at the third annual Elsie Fest, a musical festival started by her Glee co-star Darren Criss. Lea also has recurring roles on the hit series American Horror Story. In 2019 she released her third studio album, Christmas in the City and also starred in the ABC holiday film Same Time, Next Christmas.
Also Interesting:
Through The Years
Lea enjoys performing at philanthropy events, often performing at benefit concerts and fundraisers for organizations such as The Painted Turtle and Human Rights Campaign. She married Zach Reich in 2019. He works for clothing brand AYR and the couple welcomed a son named Ever Leo in August 2020 and a daughter Emery Sol in August 2024!
We are looking forward to seeing Lea on screen in whatever she's a part of next!
