Lea Michele was born Lea Sarfati on August 29th, 1986 in New York. She is the only child of her parents, Edith Thomasina and Mark David Sarfati. Her acting career started early, and she was performing on Broadway at the age of ten in plays like Les Misérables (1995–1996), Ragtime (1997–1999), Fiddler on the Roof (2004–2005), and Spring Awakening (2006–2008). However, her fame came from TV and the role of Rachel Berry on Glee. She also starred in TV shows Scream Queens and The Mayor. Both series only lasted one season each and Lea is actively looking for another TV project. Sarfati played a role in New Year’s Eve, along with the strong cast of Al Pacino, Jessica Biel, and Halle Berry. She has released two solo albums for Columbia Records, titled Louder and Places. Both were received well and scored high on Billboard 200 chart.
Lea Michele’s role as Rachel in Glee brought her several awards, including 2009 Satellite Award for Best Actress. But it was her singing rather than acting that propelled her to stardom. Out of top 20 best-selling Glee cast songs, Lea sang 14. She earned three Grammy Award nominations for her Glee hits, which also made a noted success on Billboard charts. For her acting in Glee, Sarfati received an Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe nominations. In 2010 she was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World on Time’s list. On the list of awards are also Gay People’s Choice Awards for Favorite Breakthrough Actress and Glamour Women of the Year Award, as well as three Audience Awards from Broadway.com. Lea has always cited Barbra Streisand as her role model.
“I really love her, she’s always been such a role model to me. She’s someone who has built her career on focusing on what makes her unique and what makes her special,” Lea said about Barbra in her book Brunette Ambition. This young woman was also heavily influenced by Audra McDonald and claims that Audra is the best singer in the world.
Lea Michele Net Worth 2018
Lea Michele net worth 2018 is estimated at $10 million, most of which was earned on the scene. A part of her wealth comes from commercials, like the one she did for HP TouchPad in 2011, but also from those that were made for Chevrolet and Nike. Sarfati became a spokesmodel for Candie’s clothing brand in 2012, and in the same year, Lea signed a deal with L’Oréal Paris, to be their spokesmodel, which brought her $1 million. Her four-bedroom home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, was purchased for $2.9 million in 2015.
Her relationship with Cory Monteith, a co-star of Glee, was ended by Cory’s death from an overdose in 2013. Lea is now engaged to Zandy Reich, president of clothing brand AYR. The couple announced their engagement in April 2018. The wedding date hasn’t been set yet.
Michele is a published writer, with two books to her name, Brunette Ambition (2014) and You First: Journal Your Way To Your Best Life (2015).
