Idina Menzel

Idina Menzel is an American actress, singer, and songwriter who has become one of the most iconic voices in modern musical theater and animated film. Born Idina Kim Mentzel on May 30, 1971, in Syosset, New York, she grew up on Long Island in a Jewish family. She attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama in 1993. She later simplified the spelling of her surname to Menzel for her stage career.

Menzel’s Broadway career launched when she originated the role of Maureen Johnson in the groundbreaking rock musical Rent in 1996. The show became a cultural touchstone and ran for over 12 years on Broadway. In 2003, she achieved an even greater milestone by originating the role of Elphaba, the misunderstood green-skinned witch, in Wicked. Her powerhouse performance of ‘Defying Gravity’ became legendary, and she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Wicked went on to become one of the highest-grossing musicals of all time.

Menzel reached an entirely new level of global fame when she voiced Elsa in Disney’s Frozen (2013) and performed the film’s signature song ‘Let It Go,’ which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and became a worldwide phenomenon. The song reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been streamed billions of times. She reprised the role in Frozen II (2019), performing the hit ‘Into the Unknown.’ Her unique, powerful soprano voice has made her one of the most recognizable vocalists in entertainment.

With a net worth of approximately $16 million, Menzel’s wealth comes from her Broadway career, the Frozen franchise, concert tours, album sales, and voice acting work. She continues to perform live concerts, release music, and take on new acting roles. Her influence on a generation of musical theater performers and young singers through her Disney roles has cemented her legacy as one of the defining voices of her era.