Idina Menzel

Idina Menzel was born on May 30, 1971 in New York City as Idina Kim Mentzel. She's an American actress, singer and songwriter. She's best known as Maureen in "Rent", Elphaba in "Wicked" and as the voice of Elsa in Frozen (2013). Her mother, Helene Goldberg, was a therapist and her father, Stuart Mentzel, was a pajama salesman. She's Jewish, her grandparents emigrated to the U.S. from Russia. She grew up in New Jersey and on Long Island. At 15, she started to work as a wedding and bar mitzvah singer. She attended Syosset High School and graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in drama 1992. In 1996 she debuted in theater, originating the role of Maureen in "Rent", which went from Off-Broadway to Broadway. This role also brought Menzel her first Tony nomination. In 1998, she released her first album "Still I Can't Be Still." She made her movie debut in 2001, when she played a minor role in Kissing Jessica Stein (2001). In 2003, she became one of the most popular Broadway performers when she originated the role of Elphaba in "Wicked." This role brought her not only huge popularity and acclaim, but also a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. In 2005, she appeared in the Off-Broadway musical "See What I Wanna See", earning Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award nominations. The same year, she reprised the role of Maureen for the movie adaptation of Rent (2005). In 2007, she appeared in Enchanted (2007). In 2013, she received another Tony nomination for her performance in"If/Then". She appeared for the first time as Elsa in Frozen (2013), a role that she often reprises for sequels and tie-ins. Voicing Elsa meant singing the song "Let It Go," which became a huge hit, winning an Academy and Grammy Award. In addition to theater, movie and TV appearances, she regularly releases new music albums and goes on tour, including one where she served as an opening act for Josh Groban. She was married to Taye Diggs from 2003-2014. She's been married to Aaron Lohr since 2017.