She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays Rachel Berry in the Fox television series Glee and made her film debut in New Year’s Eve starring alongside Ashton Kutcher. She attended Rockland Country Day School for elementary school in New York and then Tenafly High School. 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. Michele adopted her stage name at an early age; when she went on her first audition, she gave her name as “Lea Michele,” and has used it ever since. She has stated that she changed it because she was teased about the pronunciation of her last name.
Glee: Which Star Will You Miss Most? Chris Colfer, Lea Michele and Cory Monteith won’t be back after season 3 [link]
