The Insider.com

Known to devoted Gleeks as singing diva Rachel Berry on the hit FOX series Glee, she actually got her start on Broadway at age eight when she snagged the replacement role for Young Cosette in Les Misérables. Here are five things you probably don't know about Lea Michele.

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1. Born Lea Michele Sarfati on August 29, 1986 in the Bronx, NY. Her Italian-American mother worked as a nurse and her father -- who is of Spanish-Jewish ancestry -- is a delicatessen owner.

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

3. 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 told People magazine the crash didn't stop her as she left the car in the street and ran to the audition on foot.

4. Went partially nude for her role in the Broadway production Spring Awakening. "When my dad would come, I would not expose myself that night," she told Allure.

5. Has two cats -- Claude and Sheila -- named after the characters in the musical Hair.