Idina Menzel

Idina Menzel

Active - 2001 - 2023  |   Born - May 30, 1971 in Syosset, New York, United States  |   Genres - Comedy, Music, Musical

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Biography by AllMovie

Idina Menzel got her start on the stage, rising to fame in the Broadway productions of the musicals Rent and Wicked, the latter of which she starred in as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. In 2003, Menzel married Rent co-star Taye Diggs, who had already begun a successful crossover to film and television acting (the pair would divorce in 2014). Menzel followed suit, but started out in more low-profile roles, as she remained active on the stage as well. She essayed bit parts in such features as the sleeper hit Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and Just a Kiss (2002), and appeared in guest roles on such series as Grounded for Life, Rescue Me, and Diggs' short-lived drama Kevin Hill. Menzel graduated to supporting billing as the sister of the lead in The Tollbooth (2004) -- a comedy drama about a young painter struggling desperately to find herself despite the objections of her parents -- as well as reprising her Rent role in the 2005 film adaptation of that musical. In 2007, she was cast in another supporting role, this time in the highly promoted (primarily) live-action Disney fairy tale Enchanted. She had a recurring role on the popular FOX musical series Glee. Menzel voiced Elsa, the Snow Queen, in Disney's animated film Frozen in 2013, which led to worldwide recognition singing the song "Let It Go" from the movie.

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Factsheet

  • Began performing at weddings and bar mitzvahs in high school before moving on to participating in rock bands while attending college in New York.
  • Met former husband, Taye Diggs, while both were performing in the original run of Rent on Broadway.
  • Released her debut solo album, Still I Can't Be Still, in 1998.
  • Suffered cracked ribs from a fall through a trap door the day before what was slated to be her last Broadway performance as Elphaba in Wicked. Unable to perform the show, she came on stage at the end of the night to sing her last song, receiving a five-minute ovation.
  • Continues to train with the same voice coach she has studied with since college.