Idina Kim Menzel (pronounced /ɨˈdiːnə ˈmɛnzəl/; née Mentzel; born May 30, 1971) is a Tony Award-winning American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and the green-skinned Elphaba in Wicked.
Idina Menzel was born on Long Island, New York, of Jewish heritage. Her mother, Helene, is a therapist, and her father, Stuart Mentzel, worked as a pajama salesman. She was raised in Syosset, New Yor...
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Idina Kim Menzel (pronounced /ɨˈdiːnə ˈmɛnzəl/; née Mentzel; born May 30, 1971) is a Tony Award-winning American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and the green-skinned Elphaba in Wicked.
Idina Menzel was born on Long Island, New York, of Jewish heritage. Her mother, Helene, is a therapist, and her father, Stuart Mentzel, worked as a pajama salesman. She was raised in Syosset, New York with her younger sister Cara and later changed her last name (Mentzel) because of constant mispronunciation. When Menzel was 15 years old, her parents divorced and she started working as a wedding and bar mitzvah singer, a job which she continued throughout her time at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Drama at NYU prior to being cast in Jonathan Larson's rock musical Rent. She was friends with actor Adam Pascal before they worked together in Rent.
In 1995, Menzel auditioned for...
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