Rachel Zegler

Born on May 3, 2001 in Hackensack, New Jersey, Rachel Anne Zegler grew up in nearby Clifton as the daughter of Gina, a Colombian‑descent mother, and Craig Zegler, who is of Polish heritage. She was named after the iconic TV character Rachel Green, and from an early age she was drawn to the stage after seeing Beauty and the Beast on Broadway at four. By twelve she was already performing in community theatre, playing Shprintze in Fiddler on the Roof, and she pursued voice and acting lessons with determination. At Immaculate Conception High School she shone in numerous lead roles—Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2016), Ariel in The Little Mermaid (2017), Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (2018) and Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical (2019)—earning multiple Metropolitan High School Theater Award nominations and graduating as salutatorian in 2019.

Zegler’s breakthrough arrived when she answered Steven Spielberg’s open casting call for West Side Story at sixteen, submitting videos of “Tonight” and “I Feel Pretty.” Selected from over 30,000 applicants, she made her film debut as María in the 2021 Spielberg adaptation, a performance that garnered the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and a Critics’ Choice nomination, making her the youngest winner in that category at age 20. Since then she has expanded her portfolio with roles such as Anthea in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), and the titular Snow White in the live‑action Disney project slated for 2025. Her stage credentials grew with a Broadway debut as Juliet in a musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet (2024‑2025) and a West End turn as Eva Perón in Evita (2025). Beyond acting, Zegler is noted for her activism—advocating against colorism, supporting Palestinian cease‑fire efforts, and speaking openly about anxiety—while maintaining a presence in popular culture through Forbes 30 Under 30 (2022) and a widely followed social media platform.