While casting Idina Menzel to play Lea Michele 's mom on Glee may have been one of the biggest no-brainer decisions in recent television history, Menzel wasn't always so keen on the idea.

Idina Menzel (left) and Lea Michele in a 2011 episode of "Glee." Just before Menzel got the call for “Glee,” she and now-former husband Taye Diggs became first-time parents to a son, Walker.

Idina Menzel's diverse career traverses stage, film, television and music. She was in the original Broadway cast of Rent and also starred in the 2005 film adaptation.

Idina Menzel Says Playing Lea Michele’s Mom on ‘Glee’ Was Rough on Her Ego Menzel reflected on playing "someone’s mother when you probably should be their older sister" in an interview ...

It’s a pairing with the potential to cause cardiac arrest in musical theater fans nationwide: Idina Menzel as the birth mother of Rachel, the singing high school diva played by Lea Michele in Glee.

US actress-singer Idina Menzel discussed her recurring role on the hit TV show Glee, in which she played the mother of Lea Michele’s character from 2010-2013, despite only being 15 years older ...

GLEE: Rachel (Lea Michele, R) and her mother Shelby (guest star Idina Menzel, L) perform together in the "I Am Unicorn" episode of GLEE airing Tuesday, Sept. 27 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Obviously, Menzel never became a pop star. After the success of Wicked, she later appeared in Glee and the Disney films Enchanted and Frozen.

Looking to find out more about Idina Menzel (Actor, Additional Contributions, Conceived by)? We have a full Biography, Photos, Theatre Credits, TV and Movies listings, Videos and more!

I knew going into the show that Miss Menzel had a one-of-a-kind voice that has propelled her to stardom, whether on the Broadway stage in "Wicked" and "Rent" or on the fabulous hit-TV show, "Glee." ...