Lea Michele

Her twitter account: @msleamichele


Bio
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 Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays Rachel Berry in the Fox television series Glee.

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 Roman Catholic, while her father is a Spanish Sephardic Jew. Michele grew up in New York City and Tenafly, New Jersey. She attended Rockland Country 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 attended Stagedoor Manor in the Catskills, a center for performing arts training. She was then later accepted to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, but opted instead to continue working professionally on the stage.


Trivia

• Originated the Broadway role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening.
• She is of Spanish and Italian descent.
• She was roommates with "Glee" (2009) co-star Dianna Agron [2009].
• Worked with "Glee" (2009) co-stars, Jenna Ushkowitz and Jonathan Groff, on the musical Spring Awakening.
• Best friends with actor Jonathan Groff.
• "Glee" (2009) creator, Ryan Murphy, wrote the part of Rachel Berry with her in mind.
• Has two cats, Claude and Sheila, named after characters from the musical Hair.
• She was accepted to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, but opted to continue working on stage.
• She was home-schooled for one year while she lived in Toronto, where she was performing in the original cast of Ragtime and again when the show was brought to Broadway.
• Her favorite film is Almost Famous (2000).
• Her favorite novel is "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier.
• Is in a relationship with actor Theo Stockman [November 2009].
• Named to People Magazine's Best Dressed List of 2010.
• In October 2010, Lea 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, where she played the role of Janet Weiss for the benefit.
• She is very active in participating in charities for gay rights and animal rights.
• Was ranked #7 on FHM 100 Most Sexiest Women in the World (2010).
• Was included in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World (2010).
• In April 2010, Lea appeared in a PSA for PETA speaking out against fur, and later that same year in September, she was honored by PETA for her work for animals.
• She enjoys baking in her spare time.
• When she was not working on Broadway during high school, Lea worked in a Bat Mitzvah dress shop where her duties were cleaning and vacuuming.
• Was uninjured after her car was hit by another car as she was driving home from work on March 25, 2011 in Los Angeles.

Personal 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.

Where Are They Now
(July 2009) Los Angeles, California filming the first season of the new original series "Glee" (2009)
(July 2010) Los Angeles, California filming the second season of "Glee" (2009).
(January 2011) Filming New Year's Eve (2011) in New York City, New York