Rachel Zegler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rachel Zegler
Zegler in 2025
Born	Rachel Anne Zegler (2001-05-03) May 3, 2001 (age 24) Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	2016–present
Signature

Rachel Anne Zegler ( ZEG-lər; born May 3, 2001) is a talented American actress and singer. She became widely known for her amazing performance as María in Steven Spielberg's movie musical West Side Story (2021). For this role, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Since then, Rachel has starred in several exciting films. She played Anthea in the superhero movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and Lucy Gray Baird in the teen adventure drama The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023). She also took on the famous role of Snow White in the musical fantasy film Snow White (2025).

Rachel also made her debut on the famous Broadway stage, playing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (2024). She then performed in London's West End as Eva Perón in the musical Evita (2025), where she won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Early Life and Education

Rachel Anne Zegler was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, on May 3, 2001. Her parents are Gina and Craig Zegler. She has an older sister. Rachel's mother was born in the United States to parents who came from Colombia. Her father has some Polish family history.

Rachel grew up in Clifton, New Jersey. She became a big fan of theater after seeing her first Broadway show, Beauty and the Beast, when she was only four years old. Her first acting role was at age 12, when she played Shprintze in a play called Fiddler on the Roof. After this, she decided she wanted to be an actress and began taking singing and acting lessons.

Rachel attended Immaculate Conception High School. There, she starred in many 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 these roles, she received nominations for the Metropolitan High School Theater Award. She also played Serena in Legally Blonde, Cosette in Les Misérables, and Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She graduated on June 2, 2019, as the second-highest-ranking student in her class. Rachel also had a popular YouTube channel where she shared her singing from July 2015 to August 2023.

Career Highlights and Film Roles

West Side Story and Early Success

Rachel Zegler in 2019

In January 2018, director Steven Spielberg announced an open casting call on Twitter. He was looking for actors for a new movie version of West Side Story. Rachel, who was 16 at the time, sent in videos of herself singing songs from the musical. She had already played the role of Maria in a local theater production in 2017.

Rachel was chosen for the role from more than 30,000 people who auditioned. This was her very first movie role! The film was released in December 2021 and was loved by critics and audiences. For her performance, Rachel was nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award. She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. She was the first actress of Colombian background to win this award and, at 20 years old, the youngest ever.

Exciting Film and Stage Roles

Rachel starred as Anthea in the superhero movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). She also played the main character, Lucy Gray Baird, in the 2023 film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. This movie was based on a book that came before the original Hunger Games series. Critics praised Rachel's performance in the film. It was a big success, earning $349 million around the world.

In 2023, Rachel decided not to be in the film Paddington in Peru. She played Laura in the movie Y2K, which was shown at the South by Southwest Festival in 2024 and released in December of that year.

Rachel made her Broadway debut playing Juliet in a musical version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This show ran from September 26, 2024, to February 16, 2025. She also lent her voice to the main character, Princess Ellian, in the animated musical film Spellbound, which premiered on Netflix.

She then played the famous Snow White in the live-action movie Snow White (2025). This film was a new version of the classic 1937 animated Disney film. The movie received mixed reviews from critics, but many praised Rachel's performance. It became the most-watched film when it was released on Disney+.

Rachel also made her West End debut in London, playing Eva Perón in the musical Evita in the summer of 2025. She received great reviews for her performance and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Rachel performed two concerts at the London Palladium in October 2025, with special guests like Ramin Karimloo and Andrew Lloyd Webber. In March 2026, she played Cathy Hiatt for one week in a concert production of The Last Five Years alongside Ben Platt at the London Palladium. They also recorded a live album of their performance. Platt and Zegler performed these roles again at the Hollywood Bowl and at Radio City Music Hall in April 2026.

Rachel is also set to star with Marisa Tomei in a comedy-drama film called She Gets It from Me.

Personal Life and Interests

Rachel Zegler and actor Josh Andrés Rivera confirmed they were dating in February 2021. They met while working on the movie West Side Story. They also appeared together in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. They later separated by the end of 2024. By July 2025, Rachel began dating her Evita co-star, Nathan Louis-Fernand.

Rachel looks up to Barbra Streisand as one of her biggest inspirations. In 2021, Streisand even sent Rachel a copy of her album and a book, along with a special note.

Acting Credits

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2021	West Side Story	María
2023	Shazam! Fury of the Gods	Anthea / Anne
	The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes	Lucy Gray Baird
2024	Y2K	Laura
	Spellbound	Princess Ellian	Voice role
2025	Snow White	Snow White
TBA	She Gets It From Me	Nicky Jannis	Filming

Theatre Performances

Podcast Roles

Music and Discography

Singles Released

Other Charted Songs

Other Music Appearances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Rachel Zegler para niños