Biography
Idina Menzel got her start on the stage, rising to fame in the Broadway productions of the musicals Rent and Wicked, the latter of which she starred in as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. In 2003, Menzel married Rent co-star
Taye Diggs, who had already begun a successful crossover to film and television acting. Menzel followed suit, but started out in more low-profile roles, as she remained active on the stage as well. She essayed bit parts in such features as the sleeper hit
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and
Just a Kiss (2002), and appeared in guest roles on such series as
Grounded for Life,
Rescue Me, and Diggs' short-lived drama
Kevin Hill. Menzel graduated to supporting billing as the sister of the lead in
The Tollbooth (2004) -- a comedy drama about a young painter struggling desperately to find herself despite the objections of her parents -- as well as reprising her Rent role in the 2005 film adaptation of that musical. In 2007, she was cast in another supporting role, this time in the highly promoted (primarily) live-action Disney fairy tale
Enchanted. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide