Lea Michele Sarfati (born August 29, 1986 in The Bronx, New York), 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 Les Misérables. She appeared in several more musicals before being selected for the lead role in the musical Spring Awakening, earning a Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance. Her role as Rachel Berry in the Fox television series Glee has resulted in Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.