US-american actress, voice actress, singer, and songwriter
Has a single on soundtrack of The Other Sister , "Follow If You Lead".
Met her now ex-husband Taye Diggs when both were starring in the original Broadway production of Rent. They later co-starred in The Wild Party (Off-Broadway) and Wicked (Broadway).
In the 5th grade, she played Dorothy in her schools production of "The Wizard of Oz."
Name is pronounced "Ih-DEE-nah men-ZELL."
Graduate of Syosset High School, Syosset, New York.
BFA in Drama - New York University, Tisch School of the Arts
Cracked a rib as a result of a fall through a trap door during a matine show in "Wicked" on 8 January 2005, and could not perform the next day, what was to be her last performance. Her standby Shoshana Bean covered for her, but Idina made a special out-of-costume appearance and did her final song to a standing ovation before being bid farewell at the curtain call (along with Joey McIntyre who was also leaving that day).
She was named after her great-grandmother, Ida. The name "Idina" or "Edina" is an Old English name that means "from Edinburgh, Scotland". The name "Adina" is Hebrew for "slender" or "delicate".
Won Broadways 2004 Tony Award as Best Actress for her role as Elphaba in "Wicked." She had previously been nominated as Best Actress in 1996 for her portrayal of Maureen in "Rent."
Parents are Stuart and Helene Mentzel
Sings a duet, entitled "I Will Be There", with the late Ray Charles on the album "Genius and Friends" which was released September 20th, 2005.
Her last name was originally spelled "Mentzel" but she decided to take the T out because everyone pronounced it incorrectly.
Her Rent character, Maureen, is based on Musetta from La Boheme. Two references are made to this. Rogers attempts to write a song resemble "Musettas Waltz," which Mark directly points out. Musetta Waltz was also the basis for "The Tango Maureen."
Oldest nephew is named Avery. He was born in 2000.
Sister, Cara, is three years younger.
Returned to work four months after giving birth to her son Walker in order to begin filming "Glee" .
Gave birth to her first child at age 38, a son Walker Nathaniel Diggs on September 3, 2009. Childs father is her husband, Taye Diggs.
(March 2005) Filming the movie Rent .
(January 2004) Currently starring as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West on Broadway in "Wicked"!
(January 2007) Currently working on her third album (Warner Bros.)
(December 2005) Planning her new album after signing with Warner Records earlier in the year. She is currently writing and recording songs for the album.
On the 30th, final performance as Elphaba in the London production of "Wicked"
(March 2010) According to her website Idinamenzel.com she has announced 2010 tour dates. Also has shot episodes for "Glee" .
(August 2005) Performing summer concerts in and around the New England area.
(June 2004) Won Tony award for Best Leading Actress in A Musical for portraying Elphaba in Wicked.
(June 2006) Will play her Tony Award-winning role of Elphaba in a London production of "Wicked."
(January 2005) Still starring in "Wicked"; her run there ending on January 9 (to be taken over by Shoshana Bean ), and will then be filming "Rent", the new movie set to release at the end of 2005.
(January 2006) Getting ready to begin filming Disneys Enchanted , where she will play Patrick Dempsey s girlfriend (the "other woman" role). The movie will also star Amy Adams , Susan Sarandon and James Marsden.
(April 2008) Touring in the U.S to promote her new album, "I Stand."
(November 2003) Currently starring in "Wicked" at the Gershwin Theater in New York City.
(July 2007) Completed album and is preparing for the launch later this year.
(September 2005) In rehearsals for "See What I Wanna See", a musical by Michael John LaChiusa , with performances starting October 11th, 2005 and running through November 20th, 2005.
(October 2005) Starring in Michael John LaChiusa s "See What I Wanna See", a new musical Off-Broadway in New York City. The show runs through November 20th.
(June 2007) On 5th releases her single version of Defying Gravity to America and UK. This is a preview of her upcoming album.
(July 2004) Filming Ask the Dust , with Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek , in South Africa.
Performing at Vassar Powerhouse Theater in a new musical, "Nero." Idina plays the part of Poppea. The show runs July 11 - 13, 2008.
(March 2009) Continuing her U.S. tour on the East coast.
Has a son, Walker Nathaniel Diggs (b. September 3, 2009), with her husband Taye Diggs.
She is of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent.
When Idina Menzel performed the Best Song nominee, "Let it Go", at the 86th Academy Awards, she was introduced by John Travolta , who (while reading his lines off a teleprompter) badly mangled the pronunciation of her name; he called her "the wickedly talented, one and only, Adele Dazeem". This was widely mocked in the press and spurred the creation of several Twitter accounts under that (incorrect) name that quickly gained thousands of followers.
In March, 2014, Menzel became the first Tony award winner to have a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with the hit from Frozen , "Let It Go".
Performed concert version of the musical, "Chess", along with Josh Groban , at the Royal Albert Hall.
In 2011, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Arts and Letters from Long Island University, at which time she addressed the graduates of the C.W. Post Campus of the University. The ceremony took place only 5 miles from the town where she was born and grew up.
Upon being announced as the winner of the 2004 Tony Award for Wicked, she went and kissed and hugged her co-star and fellow nominee Kristin Chenoweth, only to then turn back afterward to kiss her husband Taye Diggs.
The two songs that she is best known for, Defying Gravity and Let It Go, are both about a woman refusing to accept societys limitations and fully embracing the extent of her inner powers.
(September 2017) Married her boyfriend of 2 years Aaron Lohr following a year-long engagement.
Things happen for a reason, and in their own time.
I feel like I was born to do this. . . I started working professionally as,soon as I could, doing weddings and things like that in high school,while everyone else was having keg parties. I just felt destined to do,it and really committed and driven; it was something that just felt,right all my life.
If you follow your path and focus on love, things will work out.
