1. Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress and singer.
114 Facts About Idina Menzel
1. 2.
Idina Menzel began transitioning into film and television in the early 2000s.
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Idina Menzel played recurring character Shelby Corcoran on the musical television series Glee from 2010 to 2013.
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Since 2013, Idina Menzel has voiced Elsa in Disney's Frozen franchise; "Let It Go", a song she recorded for the first film, peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Idina Menzel has since played supporting roles in the films Uncut Gems, Cinderella, and You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.
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Idina Kim Menzel was born on May 30,1971, in Manhattan.
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Idina Menzel grew up in New Jersey until about age three; her family moved to Syosset, New York, on Long Island.
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Idina Menzel's parents are Stuart Mentzel, a pajama salesman, and Helene Goldberg, a therapist.
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Idina Menzel attended J Irving Baylis Elementary School in Plainview, New York, as well as H B Thompson Middle School in Syosset, and Syosset High School.
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Idina Menzel was friends with actor Adam Pascal before they worked together in Rent.
11.
In 2017, Irish songwriter Jimmy Walsh who was based in New York City said that in 1992, Idina Menzel had recorded a demo for him of the song "In Your Eyes", which went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest 1993 for Irish singer Niamh Kavanagh.
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In 1995, Idina Menzel auditioned for Rent, which became her first professional theatre job and her Broadway debut.
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Idina Menzel earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for her performance as Kate in the Manhattan Theatre Club's 2000 Off-Broadway production of Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party.
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In 2003, Idina Menzel starred alongside Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway in Wicked, a musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman based upon Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
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Idina Menzel's character earned her a devoted fanbase, particularly among young girls who empathized with her misunderstood character, as well as a gay following.
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Idina Menzel can be heard on the show's Original Broadway Cast recording.
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Idina Menzel did make a special appearance, in a red tracksuit, at that performance, performed her last song, and received a five-minute standing ovation.
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Idina Menzel reprised her Tony Award-winning role as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked when it opened at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre on September 27,2006.
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Idina Menzel starred alongside Helen Dallimore as Glinda and Adam Garcia as Fiyero.
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Idina Menzel finished her West End run on December 30,2006.
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Idina Menzel played the role of Florence in the 21st-anniversary concert of the musical Chess at London's Royal Albert Hall, from May 12 to 13,2008, alongside Kerry Ellis, Adam Pascal, and Josh Groban.
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Idina Menzel was joined by Glee costar Lea Michele as Claudia Octavia, Jeffrey Carleson as Nero, and Michael Arden as Octavia's brother, Brittanicus.
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Idina Menzel reprised the role of Elizabeth on the first seven stops of the show's national tour from October 2015 to January 2016.
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Idina Menzel departed the show on the last day of the Costa Mesa, California engagement, on January 24,2016.
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Idina Menzel's replacement was Jackie Burns starting January 27,2016, in Dallas, Texas.
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Later, in 2018, Idina Menzel was cast as Jodi in Roundabout Theatre Company's World Premiere production of Joshua Harmon's new play Skintight.
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In late 2019, Idina Menzel revealed on Twitter that she was working on "a mystery project" with Justin Tranter, Caroline Pennell and Eve Ensler.
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Idina Menzel plays the main role of Jesse in Redwood, a musical that premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California on February 25,2024.
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Idina Menzel initially struggled to crossover into a solo music career beyond stage musicals, claiming the industry did not take her seriously as a pop or rock singer due to her Broadway origins.
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Idina Menzel performed at the 1998 Lilith Fair summer concert festival and continues to write and perform original music.
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Idina Menzel has toured extensively and frequently performs in various venues throughout New York City.
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Idina Menzel produced and released her debut album, Still I Can't Be Still, for Hollywood Records in 1998.
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Idina Menzel contributed to the soundtrack of Desperate Housewives in 2005.
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Idina Menzel appears on Ray Charles's album Genius and Friends, which was released in 2005, on the track "I Will Be There".
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Also, in 2007, Idina Menzel's powerful singing voice led her to be asked to accompany the baritone British X Factor runner-up, Rhydian Roberts, on his debut album, duetting on the song "What If".
36.
The album debuted at number 58 on the Billboard 200, making it the first solo album by Idina Menzel to make the charts.
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Idina Menzel was joined by special guests, superstar Josh Groban and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane.
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On November 11,2008, Idina Menzel released "Hope," written by Paul Hampton, benefiting Stand Up to Cancer.
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On July 19,2010, Idina Menzel performed "Defying Gravity" and "What I Did For Love" in front of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House.
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Idina Menzel's performances included collaborations with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the North Carolina Symphony, and featured symphonic arrangements by New York composer and producer Rob Mounsey.
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In October 2011, Idina Menzel returned to London to perform a one-night-only concert in the United Kingdom at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Marvin Hamlisch conducting.
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Idina Menzel's concert stop in Toronto was filmed at The Royal Conservatory of Music on November 17 and 18,2011, for her second PBS special.
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Idina Menzel was accompanied by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony with Marvin Hamlisch conducting and special guest Taye Diggs, Menzel's then-husband.
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Idina Menzel toured Australia in June 2013 with shows in South Australia, Melbourne, Brisbane, and two at the Sydney Opera House.
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On June 17,2014, during a concert at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, Idina Menzel confirmed that she was working on a Christmas album that would contain original material to be released later that same year.
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On November 26,2014, Idina Menzel announced through her Facebook page that she would be touring during the summer of 2015, making it her first global tour and first time playing shows in Europe and Asia.
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Idina Menzel was honored with the Breakthrough Artist award at the 2014 Billboard Women in Music awards ceremony.
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Idina Menzel sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" a cappella at Super Bowl XLIX on February 1,2015.
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Idina Menzel's rendition earned mixed reviews from critics, who praised the quality of her voice but questioned some of her stylistic choices, namely tempo and volume.
50.
On March 12,2018, it was announced that Idina Menzel would join Josh Groban for his Bridges Tour.
51.
Idina Menzel only performed with Groban on the first leg of North America in various cities, including Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, and a sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
52.
Four years later, on August 22,2023, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Idina Menzel was no longer being represented by Braun, having left his management that January.
53.
On October 18,2019, Idina Menzel released her second holiday album entitled Christmas: A Season of Love from School Boy and Decca Records on October 18,2019.
54.
In support of it, Idina Menzel embarked on a three-city concert tour in the east coast including a sold-out return to New York's Carnegie Hall.
55.
Idina Menzel starred in her first major film venture in 2005 when she reprised the role of Maureen Johnson in the film adaptation of Rent, directed by Chris Columbus.
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Idina Menzel was one of six original Broadway cast members who returned for the film, including then-husband Taye Diggs.
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However, Idina Menzel was the musical's only main female cast member not replaced by a younger actress, despite all actors being several years older than their characters by the time the film was released.
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Idina Menzel felt the film's chemistry benefited from retaining most of the show's original cast.
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However, Kim Newman of Empire cautioned audiences to remember Idina Menzel's name, writing, "the film comes to life when she barges in and finds it hard to keep it together after she's gone".
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The San Francisco Chronicle's Ruthe Stein said Idina Menzel enlivens the material by sharing more chemistry with Farrell during their brief scenes together than Hayek does throughout the entire film.
61.
In 2007, Idina Menzel appeared in the musical fantasy film Enchanted as Nancy Tremaine, the fiancee of Patrick Dempsey's character Robert and Giselle's romantic rival.
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Idina Menzel was offered the role without auditioning, and was flattered that Disney would cast her solely based on her acting.
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Idina Menzel explained that singing would have been out of character for Nancy, who is a New York native unlike the film's more fantastical characters.
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Idina Menzel opted to portray Nancy with vulnerability as opposed to "a typical mean girlfriend that everyone's going to hate".
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From 2010 to 2013, Idina Menzel had a recurring role on the musical comedy television series Glee as Shelby Corcoran: the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, and the biological mother of series lead Rachel Berry.
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Idina Menzel appeared in 12 episodes across the series, and covered songs such as "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables and "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga.
67.
Loosely based on the titular villain in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen", Idina Menzel's character was re-written into a misunderstood anti-heroine for Disney's adaptation, inspired by songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez's creation of her anthem "Let It Go", which they wrote specifically for Idina Menzel due to its demanding vocal range.
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Idina Menzel has since reprised her role as Elsa in most tie-in media, including the Disney Infinity and Kingdom Hearts video games, the short films Frozen Fever and Olaf's Frozen Adventure, the film Ralph Breaks the Internet, and the sequel Frozen II.
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Idina Menzel sang "Let it Go" at the 86th Academy Awards in March 2014, where the song eventually won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
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At the 87th Academy Awards the following year, Idina Menzel presented Best Original Song with Travolta and jokingly introduced him as "Glom Gazingo", who finally pronounced her name correctly upon joining her on stage.
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Idina Menzel considers Travolta mispronouncing her name to be "one of the best things that happened for my career".
72.
Idina Menzel starred as CC Bloom, a role originated by one of her idols Bette Midler, in Lifetime's 2017 remake of the 1988 film Beaches.
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The remake was conceived around Idina Menzel's singing career in a similar manner to how the original incorporated Midler's, whose songs she covered for the film's soundtrack.
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Club, Linda Holmes of NPR, and MaryAnn Sleasman of TV Guide each found Idina Menzel's acting adequate but lacking the conviction and humor Midler brought to the role, resulting in a less compelling version of the same character.
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The role was considered a stark departure for Idina Menzel, who longed to be involved in a project that differed from the family-friendly material she had become synonymous with.
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Directors Josh and Benny Safdie cast her based on her performance as a similar character in Skintight, and Idina Menzel drew upon personal experience for the role, having grown up around confident women like Dinah in New York.
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Idina Menzel described Dinah as "the voice for how the audience feels as they're going through this roller-coaster ride" and avoided devolving her into merely a stereotype.
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In 2021, Idina Menzel co-starred alongside Camila Cabello, Billy Porter, and James Corden in Kay Cannon's jukebox musical adaptation of the Cinderella fairy tale, playing Cinderella's unkind stepmother Vivian.
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Michael Calleri of the Niagara Gazette said Idina Menzel delivers the film's best performance.
80.
In 2022, Idina Menzel reprised her role as Nancy in the Enchanted sequel Disenchanted.
81.
In 2023, Idina Menzel played Bree Friedman in the coming-of-age comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, reuniting with Sandler.
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Idina Menzel had previously played Sandler's wife in Uncut Gems, while Sandler's real-life wife and children co-star in You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.
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Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India said Idina Menzel "comes across as extremely authentic and hits all the right notes".
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Idina Menzel starred in American Murderer directed by Matthew Gentile.
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In 2024, alongside Chenoweth, Idina Menzel made a cameo appearance during the "One Short Day" sequence in the film adaptation of Wicked.
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Idina Menzel possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range that spans approximately three octaves.
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Idina Menzel just reaches into your soul when she's singing these big, giant songs.
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Idina Menzel is known for her signature high belting style; the Kennedy Center website cites Idina Menzel as a prime example of a "Broadway Belter" who uses the technique to her advantage.
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Velasco cited her rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XLIX as an example of Idina Menzel sacrificing excitement and inspiration for technique, yet delivering an adequate performance nonetheless.
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Idina Menzel addressed such criticisms during a 2014 concert, explaining that she wishes to sing loud, proud and "from the heart" like her idols Merman and Aretha Franklin.
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Idina Menzel said she had long aspired to have a career as successful as Streisand to whose Jewish upbringing Idina Menzel has been compared, with fans deeming her "the next big Jewish icon in music".
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Idina Menzel was particularly inspired by Streisand's performance in the film A Star is Born, and cites singers Franklin, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Chaka Khan and Sarah Vaughan among her vocal idols.
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Idina Menzel often opts to perform barefoot in concert, which has become a trademark of her live performances.
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Idina Menzel enjoys conversing with audience members in-between musical performances.
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Idina Menzel comes out on stage, dressed like she doesn't care, acting a little dizzy, but knowing all along she's gonna hit the right notes.
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Idina Menzel has become closely associated with songs about self-empowerment, specifically her Signature Songs "Defying Gravity" and "Let it Go".
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Vulture's Jackson McHenry attributed the popularity and endurance of "Defying Gravity" to Idina Menzel, believing few singers can service the song as successfully as she has.
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Marty Hughley of The Oregonian shared a similar sentiment, writing in 2012 that although Broadway does not guarantee global superstardom as often as it used to, Idina Menzel is "a notable exception to the rule of Broadway's declining clout".
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When Idina Menzel returned to Broadway in 2014 shortly after the success of Frozen, Suzy Evans of Billboard observed that audience reception was more akin to that of a "rock star" than a musical theatre performer.
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Idina Menzel has been described as "Broadway royalty", due to a combination of her successful stage career and playing royalty in several Disney projects.
101.
Idina Menzel cited power and vulnerability as common traits among characters she has played.
102.
Idina Menzel is revered as a role model for young women, particularly due to her role as Elsa which has contributed her a large following among predominantly female Frozen fans.
103.
Idina Menzel has a prominent gay following, dating back to the 1990s when she starred in Rent.
104.
Michael Heaton, a critic for The Plain Dealer, noted that some parents have expressed concerns about the "blue humor" Idina Menzel uses in her typical concerts in an attempt to appeal to both her adult gay and young fans.
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Idina Menzel is among the wealthiest Broadway performers, due in part to her television, film and music careers.
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Idina Menzel received an honorary doctorate from University of Pennsylvania in 2023.
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Idina Menzel began dating actor Aaron Lohr, and in August 2015, they bought a home together in Encino, Los Angeles.
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On September 23,2016, Idina Menzel announced that she and Lohr were engaged.
109.
Idina Menzel was an honorary chair of the Imperial Court of New York's Annual Charity Coronation Ball, Night of A Thousand Gowns, on March 21,2009, sharing the title with Elton John, Patti LuPone, John Cameron Mitchell, Joan Rivers, and Robin Strasser.
110.
On May 17,2009, Idina Menzel performed at a special benefit concert in Atlanta, Georgia, to raise money for the Pace Academy Diversity Program in coordination with the Ron Clark Academy.
111.
In 2010, Idina Menzel founded the A BroaderWay Foundation with then-husband Taye Diggs as a means of supporting young people in the arts.
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Idina Menzel has long-championed LGBT rights by partnering with organizations like The Trevor Project, the Give A Damn Campaign and the NOH8 Campaign, posing for one of their trademark duct-taped silence photos.
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Also in 2022, Idina Menzel co-wrote a children's book with her sister, Cara Mentzel, called Loud Mouse with illustrations by Jaclyn Sinquett.
114.
In promotion of the book, Idina Menzel released "The Loud Mouse Song", which she co-wrote with Laura Veltz, on September 23,2022.