Add/Update Information: Idina Menzel - Actor

Idina Kim Menzel was raised in Syosset, New York. Her parents are from Russian and Polish descent and she has a younger sister named Cara and a son, Walker Diggs. Menzel earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Menzel’s first professional theater job was a Broadway debut in the rock musical “Rent” in which she performed the role of Maureen Johnson from 1995-1997. Following her success in Rent (1995-97), Menzel released her first solo album, Still I Can’t Be Still. She also played the role of Dorothy in “Summer of ‘42” at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. She appeared on Broadway as Amneris in “Aida” and performed as Kate in an off-Broadway musical, The Wild Party. Menzel received the 2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. In the same year, she released her second album called “Here”. She reprised her Tony Award-winning role as Elphaba in the West End production of “Wicked” when it opened at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre from September to December, 2006. During her run, she was the highest paid female performer in the West End at $30,000 per week. Following “Wicked”, Menzel appeared off-Broadway in the Public Theater's production of “See What I Wanna See”. In 2008, she participated in the concert, Chess, and the musical, Nero. She also released her third solo album named “I Stand”. On November 11, 2008, Menzel released "Hope", benefiting Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C). On July 19, 2010, Menzel performed "Defying Gravity" and "What I Did For Love" in front of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House. In 2013, Menzel began her role as Elizabeth in the musical, If/Then, which closed on Broadway in 2015 after 401 regular performances. Her Christmas album, Holiday Wishes, was released on October 14, 2014 becoming her highest charting album as a solo lead artist. Menzel was honoured with the Breakthrough Artist award at the 2014 Billboard Women in Music awards ceremony. In the film and television career, Menzel’s first major role was when she reprised her role of Maureen Johnson in the film adaptation of Rent (2015) and participated in Disney’s film, Enchanted (2007). She also participated in episodes of the TV series, Glee. In 2013, Menzel starred as Elsa in the animated musical film, Frozen, for which she won a Grammy Award for the film’s soundtrack. She gained acclaim for her songs “Let it Go” and “For the First Time in Forever”. She was invited to perform "Let It Go" at the 86th Academy Awards in March 2014, where the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. She reprised her role as Elsa in Frozen Fever (2015), Olaf’s Frozen Adventure (2017) and Frozen II (2019). In 2010, Menzel Co-founded “A BroaderWay Foundation”, an organization dedicated to offering girls from underserved communities an outlet for building self-esteem, developing leadership qualities and striving for personal and social achievement through arts-centered programs. In 2011, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Arts and Letters from Long Island (NY) University, at which time she addressed the graduates of the C.W. Post Campus of the University.

Idina Menzel, an American actress,singer and songwriter born on May 30, 1971 in New York. Her family is Jewish from Russian origin. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama from New York University in 1995. she rose to prominence with her performance in the Broadway musical Rent,which made her reprise her role in the musical's 2005 film adaptation. In 2004 she won Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the musical Wicked.