Idina Menzel

**Idina Kim Menzel** (born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Noted for her work in musicals on Broadway, she has been nicknamed the "Queen of Broadway" due to her robust stage presence, impressive mezzo-soprano, and status as one of the most influential stage actors of her era. Her multifaceted success includes accolades from both the Tony Award and Daytime Emmy Award. Menzel gained prominence as a stage actress in 1996 for her Tony-nominated role in the musical *Rent*. In 2003, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for originating the role of Elphaba in *Wicked* Her film and television career began in the early 2000s, including reprising her role in *Rent* for its 2005 film adaptation and voicing Elsa in Disney's *Frozen* franchise. Her recording of "Let It Go" for the first *Frozen* film peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, solidifying her status as a crossover musical artist. Having released seven studio albums, her 2014 album *Holiday Wishes* reached number six on the Billboard 200, her highest-charting album to date. Menzel was born in Manhattan, New York, and attended the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. At 15, following her parents' divorce, she started working as a wedding and bar/bat mitzvah singer, continuing even while studying at New York University. She later changed the spelling of her surname to "Menzel" to reflect the Americanized pronunciation adopted by her family.