Lea Michele Biography

Lea Michele Sarfati was born on 29th August 1986, in The Bronx, New York, USA, to Mark David Sarfati and Edith Thomasina. Her father was a real estate agent and former delicatessen owner, while her mother was a nurse.

She is of Greek, Thessalonian, Roman, and Neapolitan descent. Her father is a Sephardic Jew and her mother was an Italian American Catholic. She was raised a Catholic.

The family moved to Tenafly, New Jersey, when she was five. At a young age, she started attending Broadway and her family actively supported her by renting a place in Manhattan.

She attended ‘Rockland Country Day School’ in Congers, New York. Later, she was homeschooled and then attended ‘Tenafly High School.’

She started using her middle name as she was teased for her last name. She started using it while working in ‘Les Misérables and has since used it professionally. During this time, she acted in plays like ‘Les Misérables,’ ‘Ragtime,’ ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ and ‘Spring Awakening.’

She then attended ‘Stagedoor Manor’ in the Catskill Mountains for her arts training. When she was just 19, her mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer, which was treated later.

After achieving success in Broadway theatricals, she was picked for the Fox musical drama series ‘Glee’ as the lead actress and singer. The series started in 2009. Her role was widely appreciated and won her many awards.

In 2010, ‘Glee’ cast performed on stage at various locations in the USA, including Phoenix, LA, Chicago, and New York. These ‘Glee Live! In Concert! Shows’ were expanded later.

She performed at various concerts, including ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ and the ‘Grammy’s MusiCares.’

She was later cast in ‘New Year’s Eve’ as the love interest of Ashton Kutcher’s character. The movie, which released worldwide on December 9th, 2011, was successful at the box office.

In 2012, it was announced that she would release her first independent album. The year 2013 saw the release of her first single ‘Cannonball’ from the album ‘Louder.’ It was a smash hit and reached #75 on the Billboard’s ‘Hot 100’ list. The music video was released in January 2014. This was followed by the release of four promotional songs, namely ‘Battlefield,’ ‘Louder,’ ‘What is Love,’ and ‘You’re Mine.’

In 2014, she voiced the character of ‘Dorothy Gale’ in the animated movie ‘Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return.’

In 2015, she starred alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in the horror comedy show ‘Scream Queens.’ The same year, she announced that she is working on her second album ‘Places.’ She stated that it would have more theatrical roots rather than modern pop music.

In 2017, she embarked on a mini tour titled ‘An Intimate Evening with Lea Michele’ to support her second album.

From 2017 to 2018, she was seen in the TV series ‘The Mayor’ where she played ‘Valentina Barella.’

She released her third studio album ‘Christmas in the City’ on October 25, 2019.

Lea was a great success at Broadway. Her debut as young ‘Cosette’ in ‘Les Miserables’ was well-received. In the later years, she also played ‘Eponine Thenardier.’ Along with that, she also received notable success in theatricals like ‘Spring Awakening’ and ‘Ragtime.’

‘Glee’ is her most notable work as an actress as well as singer. The writers and directors, impressed by her Broadway work, cast her as the lead for the series. Her role won her many awards and she received ample appreciation from her fans and critics.

Her first album ‘Louder’ was released in 2014. The album went on to become a success. It was more of a rock / pop album rather than being theatrical-based, which was considered her forte. The singles in the album were played worldwide and received notable recognition in countries like the USA, Australia, Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand. About 62,000 copies were sold in the first week of its release in the USA.

Her second album was also a hit. However, it was not as popular as its predecessor. It debuted at number 28 on the ‘Billboard 200’ albums chart.

She won the ‘Favorite Female Breakthrough Performance,’ ‘Favorite Onstage Pair,’ and ‘Favorite Ensemble Cast Award’ at the ‘Broadway.com Audience Awards’ for ‘Spring Awakening.’

She received the ‘Do Something Award’ in 2012 for her role as ‘Rachel Berry’ in ‘Glee.’ She received the award under the ‘Best Actress’ category.

She won the ‘UK Glamour Women of the Year Award’ for ‘US TV Actress of the Year’ for ‘Glee’ in 2010 and 2012. She also won the ‘Satellite Award’ for the same.

She won three ‘People’s Choice Awards’ for ‘Glee’ in 2012, 2013, and 2014. She was nominated for the same award for ‘Scream Queens.’

She won the ‘Teen Choice Awards’ for ‘Glee’ in the years 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

She won a ‘Grammy’ for ‘Spring Awakening’ under the ‘Best Musical Theater Album’ category in 2008. She has also received three ‘Grammy’ nominations for other works.

She made it to the Time’s ‘100 most influential people in the world’ list.

She was ranked seventh in FHM’s ‘100 Sexiest Women in the World’ list in 2010.

She has also won many other awards like ‘Victoria’s Secret Sexiest Smile,’ ‘Variety Power of Women,’ ‘StepUp Inspiration Award,’ ‘Giffoni Film Festival Award,’ and ‘Billboard’s Women in Music’ award.

Lea lives in Brentwood, LA. She dated her ‘Glee’ co-star Cory Monteith from February 2012 until his death in July 2013. ‘If You Say So’ from ‘Louder’ and ‘Hey You’ from ‘Places’ were her tributes to him.

She is an active supporter of animal rights and gay rights. She actively participates in PETA’s advertising campaigns that support animal rights.

She and her best friend Jonathan Groff performed for ‘True Colors Cabaret’ to support LGBT equality. She also performed at the ‘Human Rights Campaign Dinner’ to support gay rights.

She believes that happiness is the key to a satisfied life.

Lea Michele announced her engagement to Zandy Reich on April 28, 2018. She got married to Zandy on March 9, 2019, in Napa, California. On August 20, 2020, the couple was blessed with a son whom they named Ever Leo.

She was one of the eight singers to perform the charity single ‘This is for my Girls.’ Written by Diane Warren, the song benefited the White House's ‘#62MillionGirls’ campaign and ‘Let Girls Learn’ initiative, which was set up by Michelle Obama.

She signed a $1 million deal with ‘L’Oreal Paris USA’ in 2012.

She has written two books, namely ‘Brunette Ambition’ and ‘You First.’

She was ranked 10th in After Ellen’s ‘Hot 100’ list. She was ranked 28th in Maxim’s ‘Hot 100’ list in 2011.

She lives in a four-bedroom home worth $2.9 million in LA.

She is a huge fan of Fanny Brice and Kylie Minogue.