Portrait of Lea Michele

Birthday profile

Lea Michele

Lea Michele, American actress and singer

Born
August 29, 1986
Age in 2026
40
Zodiac sign
Virgo
Birth year
1986

About Lea Michele

Lea Michele Sarfati ( LEE-ə mish-EL; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway, appearing in productions of Les Misérables (1995–1996), Ragtime (1997–1999), Fiddler on the Roof (2004–2005), and Spring Awakening (2006–2008). She found prominence playing Rachel Berry on the Fox series Glee (2009–2015), receiving nominations for an Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. She also contributed to music recorded for the series, which spawned multiple hits on the Billboard charts and earned her a Grammy Award nomination. Michele made her feature film debut in New Year's Eve (2011). She starred as Hester Ulrich on the TV series Scream Queens (2015–2016) on Fox, and as Valentina Barella on the ABC sitcomThe Mayor (2017). In 2012, she was signed to Columbia Records and released her debut single in 2013, "Cannonball". Next, her debut studio album, Louder (2014), came out, debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. In 2017, she released her second studio album, Places. In 2019, she released Christmas in the City, her third album, and in 2021 released her fourth studio album, Forever. Michele has also published two books, Brunette Ambition (2014) and You First: Journal Your Way to Your Best Life (2015). In 2022, Michele returned to Broadway starring as Fanny Brice in the musical revival of Funny Girl, and received widespread acclaim for her performance. She is starring as Florence in the 2025 Broadway revival of Chess opposite Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher, until June 21, 2026. When she went on her first audition, for the role of Cosette in Les Misérables, she gave her name as Lea Michele and has used it professionally ever since.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Lea Michele timeline

  1. She found prominence playing Rachel Berry on the Fox series Glee (2009–2015), receiving nominations for an Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
  2. In 2012, she was signed to Columbia Records and released her debut single in 2013, "Cannonball".
  3. Michele has also published two books, Brunette Ambition (2014) and You First: Journal Your Way to Your Best Life (2015).

The world when Lea Michele was born

Lea Michele was born in 1986. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1986

  • #1 song"That's What Friends Are For" – Dionne Warwick & Friends
  • Top moviePlatoon
  • Top TV showThe Cosby Show
  • Best-selling bookIt – Stephen King

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMaradona's "Hand of God" goal at the World Cup
  • Top headlineSpace Shuttle Challenger disaster
  • Technology milestoneChernobyl nuclear disaster in Soviet Ukraine
  • Defining fadTop Gun aviator sunglasses
  • Notable inventionDisposable camera
  • World population4.94 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championNew York Mets (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population240.1M

1986 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Lea Michele's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19862026
Gas$0.93$3.45/gal
Average home$80,300$435,000
Average income$29,458$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$3.71$11.95
Postage stamp$0.22$0.73
Population240.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.