50 interesting facts about Lea Michele: She loves 'Game of Thrones', got her lucky break on broadway

Actress Lea Michele landed the role of Rachel Berry, an ambitious teenager who dreams of stardom, on the TV show Glee. Here are 50 interesting facts about this talented and beautiful actress and singer.

1. Lea Michele Sarfati was born on August 29, 1986 in the Bronx, NY.

2. Her Italian-American mother worked as a nurse and her father -- who is of Spanish-Jewish ancestry -- is a delicatessen owner.

3. She is an only child.

4. Even though she was born in New York, Lea was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey where she eventually attended and graduated from Tenafly High School.

5. Lea got her start on Broadway at age eight when she snagged the replacement role for Young Cosette in Les Misérables.

6. She sang a song from Phantom of the Opera, the only musical she knew at the time, at her audition.

7. When she was in high school she had a part time job in a Bat Mitzvah dress shop cleaning and vacuuming.

8. Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill was the first CD she ever bought. "I love Alanis Morissette. She's so amazing. All of her songs are lyrically so beautiful and vocally she's so strong."

9. The first concert she's went to was Madonna's.

10. She was home-schooled for one year while she lived in Toronto, where she was performing in the original cast of Ragtime and again when the show was brought to Broadway.

11. She was accepted to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, but opted to continue working on stage.

12. She sang Paper Moon in her audition for Ragtime.

13. She played the Little Girl, the quiet daughter of a Jewish immigrant. The cast included such well-known Broadway talents as Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

14. Lea Michele landed another break in 2004 with a role in a revival of Fiddler on the Roof starring Alfred Molina. Accepted to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts that same year, Michele decided to forgo college to pursue her career.

15. Despite her success on the stage, Michele did not fit in easily at her high school. "I am an unconventional beauty. I grew up in a high school where if you didn't have a nose job and money and if you weren't thin, you weren't cool, popular, beautiful," she told USA Today.

16. Growing up, Lea Michele looked to Barbra Streisand as a beauty icon. "I remember...thinking, 'Finally, someone who has a Jewish nose, who didn't get a nose job,'" she told the New York Daily News.

17. After first moving to Hollywood, her main goal was to land a guest-starring role on the medical hit Grey's Anatomy.

18. Lea Michele went partially nude for her role on Broadway's Spring Awakening. "When my dad would come, I would not expose myself that night. For. Sure," she told Allure.

19. Almost Famous and Funny Girl are her top two movies.

20. Lea got into a car accident on the way to her Glee audition when she collided with a car while turning into the FOX studio lot. She apparently ran out of the car and into the studio for her audition. Smart move!

21. Her fave shops are Betsey Johnson, Intermix, and Barney's.

22. A devout animal lover, Lea Michele is a vegan. "I'm part of a traditional Italian family, so when I became a vegan, my mother learned how to make a version of lasagna I could still enjoy," she told InStyle.

23. She loves baking and loves to make yummy treats for her friends and family.

24. Michele is a huge fan of the hit HBO show, Game of Thrones.

25. In an interview with Glamour magazine, she said that during a visit to the White House during which she met President Barack Obama, she decided to take an unusual memento -- some official White House-sealed toilet paper!

26. She has always been a soprano. She was already hitting high B when she was in Ragtime.

27. Lea Michele's favorite book is Girl with the Pearl Earring.

28. She has two cats named Claude and Sheila

29. In early 2009, Lea won the role of "Rachel Berry" on the FOX television smash hit, Glee (2009), and since the show's premiere on May 19, 2009, Lea has since received worldwide critical and public acclaim for her performance on the show.

30. She received the 2009 Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical and later won a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well.

31. Along with her award wins, Lea has also received Golden Globe, Emmy, and Teen Choice Award nominations.

32. Glee creator Ryan Murphy wrote the part of Rachel Berry with her in mind.

33. In 2009, during the first season of Glee, Michele rented an apartment with co-star Dianna Agron in downtown Los Angeles. They decided to get their own apartments when Agron discovered she was allergic to the cats they had rescued.

34. Was in a relationship with actor Theo Stockman since November 2009 but broke up in September 2011.

35. In April 2010, Lea appeared in a PSA for PETA speaking out against fur, and later that same year in September, she was honored by PETA for her work for animals.

36. Lea has 14 tattoos!

37. Cory Monteith was the one who gave her a Twitter account and her twitter name @msleamichele. He actually put Rachel Berry as her password but Lea changed it.

38. At the Teen Choice Awards 2013, Lea dedicated her Award to Cory Monteith. Cory died of an overdose in July 2013.

39. Following his death, Michele co-wrote a song with Australian singer-songwriter Sia Furler about Monteith titled "If You Say So" which is featured on her debut album, Louder.

40. She was in an on- and off-screen relationship with her Glee co-star Cory Monteith until his death on July 13, 2013.

41. Natalie Imbruglia, who made the song "Torn" famous, stated that she loved Lea's cover of the song and thinks she'll be successful in which ever career she chooses.

42. She is writing a book titled Brunette Ambition.

43. Lea Michele's net worth is $5.5 million.

44. Her personalised workout is a free app on iTunes called Nike Training Club where she goes through her workout and does it with you.

45. She currently owns a two-bedroom cottage home in Los Angeles, which she purchased for $1.4 million in 2012.[1] Prior to buying her Hollywood home, Michele lived in an apartment in New York City's West Village.

46. Michele is a liberal Democrat and supported Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential Race. Obama included Michele on his wish list of celebrity endorsers for his 2012 campaign.

47. Michele has stated that Penelope Cruz is one of her style icons.

48. Lea likes to watch angry news bloopers on YouTube.

49. As of June 2014, she is in a relationship with Matthew Paetz, a model and dating/lifestyle coach.

50. The couple met in April 2014, while shooting the music video for Michele's second solo single "On My Way".