Idina Menzel

Idina Menzel (/ɪˈdiːnə mɛnˈzɛl/; born Idina Kim Mentzel; May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence when she originated the role of Maureen Johnson in the Broadway musical Rent, a role which she reprised for the 2005 feature film adaptation of the musical. She received a Tony Award nomination in 1996 for her performance in Rent. In 2004, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for originating the role of Elphaba in the Broadway musical Wicked. Menzel made her return to Broadway in the 2014 original musical If/Then, which earned her a nomination for the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She was then honored with the Breakthrough Artist award at the 2014 Billboard Women in Music awards ceremony.