Rachel Zegler

Rachel Anne Zegler, professionally known as Rachel Zegler, is an American actress and singer of Colombian and Polish descent. She was named after the character Rachel Green from the television show Friends. Zegler rose to prominence for her portrayal of María in Steven Spielberg's 2021 musical adaptation of West Side Story. Selected from over 30,000 applicants, the breakout role catapulted her into the spotlight.

Zegler received multiple honors for her performance, starting with Best Actress from the National Board of Review. In January 2022, she earned her most notable accolade—the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. At just 20 years old, she became the youngest recipient of the award and the first actress of Colombian descent to win in the category. 

She has since continued to expand her career, portraying Anthea in the superhero action film Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), Lucy Gray Baird in the teen dystopian drama The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), and the title character in the musical fantasy Snow White (2025). 

Rachel Zegler’s early life laid a strong foundation for her career in the entertainment industry.

• Rachel Anne Zegler was born on May 3, 2001, in Hackensack, New Jersey.
• She was named after the fictional character Rachel Green from the TV series Friends.
• Zegler grew up in Clifton, New Jersey.
• During her childhood, Zegler experienced racial discrimination on social media because of her mixed ethnicity.
• She saw her first Broadway show, Beauty and the Beast, at the age of four, which sparked a lifelong love for theater.
• Her first acting role came at age 12, when she played Shprintze in a production of Fiddler on the Roof.
• Determined to pursue a career in acting, she received support from her parents and began taking voice and acting lessons.
• Zegler attended Immaculate Conception High School, where she launched her performing career by starring in several school musicals.
• She played Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2016), Ariel in The Little Mermaid (2017), Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street (2018), and Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical (2019).
• For each of these performances, she earned nominations for the Metropolitan High School Theater Award for Best Leading Actress.
• Her other notable roles included Serena in Legally Blonde, Cosette in Les Misérables, and Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie.
• Zegler first gained wider recognition through her YouTube channel, which she launched in the summer of 2015.
• There, she shared a mix of lifestyle content and numerous covers of popular songs.
• She also built a strong presence on Twitter, where her rendition of “Shallow” from the 2018 film A Star Is Born garnered over 11 million views.
• In early 2018, at the age of 16, Zegler responded to an open casting call posted on Twitter for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film adaptation of the musical West Side Story.
• Just a year earlier, she had portrayed Maria Vasquez in a stage production of West Side Story at the Bergen Performing Arts Center.
• For her audition, she submitted videos of herself singing “Tonight” and “I Feel Pretty.”
• Chosen from a pool of over 30,000 applicants, Zegler ultimately landed the role, marking her feature film debut.
• Zegler graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in 2019.
• Zegler considers Barbra Streisand as one of her biggest influences.
• In 2021, Streisand sent her a copy of her album Release Me 2 and the book Streisand: From A to Z, accompanied by a note that read, "For R., from B.”

Rachel Zegler comes from a close-knit family.

• Rachael was born to Gina and Craig Zegler.
• Her mother is of Colombian descent, and her maternal grandmother immigrated to the United States from Barranquilla in the 1960s.
• Her father is of Polish descent.
• She has an older sister named Jacqueline.
• In February 2021, Zegler confirmed she was in a relationship with actor Josh Andrés Rivera.
• The couple met while working on West Side Story and later reunited onscreen in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.