Rachel Anne Zegler, born May 3, 2001, in Hackensack, New Jersey, is an American actress and singer of Colombian and Polish descent. She gained widespread recognition with her film debut as María in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation of *West Side Story*, a role she won after responding to an open casting call among over 30,000 applicants. For this performance, Zegler received critical acclaim and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in 2022, becoming the youngest winner in that category and the first actress of Colombian descent to do so. Raised in Clifton, New Jersey, Zegler was active in musical theater from a young age, performing lead roles in school productions such as *Beauty and the Beast*, *The Little Mermaid*, and *Les Misérables*. She graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in 2019. Following her breakout success, Zegler expanded her career into major Hollywood projects. In 2023, she portrayed Anthea in the superhero film *Shazam! Fury of the Gods* and starred as Lucy Gray Baird in *The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes*, a prequel to the popular *Hunger Games* franchise. She also voiced the lead in Netflix’s animated musical *Spellbound* and made her Broadway debut in 2024 as Juliet in *Romeo and Juliet*. In 2025, she starred as the titular character in Disney’s live-action remake of *Snow White* and debuted in London's West End as Evita. Zegler’s rising profile has earned her multiple accolades, including being named one of AP Entertainment’s Breakthrough Entertainers of 2021 and appearing on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2022. Despite facing some controversy related to her casting as Snow White and comments on the original story, she remains a prominent young talent in film and theater.
#musical #revival #performance
Experience the visually stunning and thrilling revival of 'Evita' directed by Jamie Lloyd, with a standout vocal performance by Rachel Zegler. However, some critics note a lack of emotional depth in the storytelling.