Jenna Ushkowitz

Jenna Ushkowitz
At the San Diego Comic-Con International, July 2011
Born	Jenna Noelle Ushkowitz (1986-04-28) April 28, 1986 Seoul, South Korea
Alma mater	Marymount Manhattan College
Occupation	Actress, singer, dancer
Years active	1989–present

Jenna Noelle Ushkowitz (born April 28, 1986)^[1] is an American actress and singer. She is known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for her role as Tina Cohen-Chang on Glee. She has also written a memoir titled Choosing Glee.

Early life

Ushkowitz was born in Seoul, South Korea; she was adopted at the age of three months and raised in East Meadow, New York.^[2][3][4] Ushkowitz was raised Catholic^[5] (her surname originates from her adoptive paternal grandfather, who was of Russian Jewish descent).^[6] She attended Parkway Elementary School and Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, a Catholic school in Hicksville, Long Island known for its strong theater department. During high school, Ushkowitz appeared in several musicals, including the first-ever high school production of Les Misérables. Her other roles included Penny in Honk!, Inez in The Baker's Wife, Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods, and Romaine Patterson in The Laramie Project. Ushkowitz graduated from high school in 2004 and moved on to attend Marymount Manhattan College, where she once again took the role of Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods.^[7] She graduated from Marymount Manhattan in 2007 with a B.A. in Theatre Arts, with a concentration in Performance and a minor in Musical Theater.

Career

Ushkowitz at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego

Ushkowitz has had a career in show business since the age of three. As a child, she appeared on Sesame Street and other children's television shows. Her first role in a Broadway musical was in the 1996 revival of The King and I.^[7] Ushkowitz sang the American National Anthem at a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden when she was thirteen.^[7] Ushkowitz understudied the roles of Anna, Martha, Thea and Ilse in the Broadway musical Spring Awakening^[8] beginning in 2008.^[9]

In 2009, Ushkowitz landed the role of Tina Cohen-Chang on Fox's musical high school show Glee.^[10] In casting Glee, series creator Ryan Murphy sought out actors who could identify with the rush of starring in theatrical roles. Instead of using traditional network casting calls, he spent three months on Broadway, where he found Ushkowitz.^[11] The Glee casting associate in New York had previously cast Ushkowitz in Spring Awakening.^[12] Ushkowitz was initially given little information about Tina's back story, and believed that her stutter was real. She was pleased when the truth was revealed, however, explaining: "It would have been fun to keep it because that just gives her one more quirk, but this opens up a whole new set of doors for Tina."^[13] Ushkowitz's solos have included the songs "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper, "I Follow Rivers" by Lykke Li, "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion, "Gangnam Style" by PSY, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar, and "Hung Up" by Madonna.

Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal hailed the "True Colors" cover as showcasing Ushkowitz's "strong crystalline voice".^[14] Gerrick D. Kennedy, writing for the Los Angeles Times, wrote that the "poignant" rendition was one of his "feel-good, tearjerker moments".^[15] The version charted at number 47 on the Australian Singles Chart, 38 on the Canadian Hot 100, 15 on the Irish Singles Chart, 35 on the UK Singles Chart, and 66 on the United States' Billboard Hot 100.^[16] The series' version of "ABC" was singled out for demonstrating "what a lovely singer Tina is" by Billboard‍‍ '​‍s Rae Votta, and BuddyTV editor John Kubicek said he enjoyed it "mostly because Tina deserves more singing time".^[17][18] It entered the Hot 100 at number 88 and the Canadian Hot 100 at 93.^[19][20] Rolling Stone journalist Erica Futterman wrote of "Because You Loved Me": "The richness of her voice removes some of the Lite FM softness embedded in the tune and it really is great to see Tina get a song that suits her vocal abilities".^[21] Ushkowitz has performed live concert shows in the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland with her castmates from Glee.

Ushkowitz, Chris Colfer and Heather Morris during a performance of "Single Ladies" on the tour Glee Live! In Concert! in 2011

In 2011, Ushkowitz appeared briefly in Lady Gaga's music video for "Marry the Night" playing Gaga's friend, Bo.^[22] It was announced in July 2012 that Ushkowitz would be writing her first book, titled Choosing Glee.^[23][24][25] According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ushkowitz's book will be an autobiography of sorts, documenting her childhood on Long Island, where she was raised after being adopted as a baby, her Broadway debut in The King and I in 1996, her stint in "Spring Awakening" with Glee costar Lea Michele, and her time on Glee. It also focuses on her "motivational approach toward life" and was released on May 14, 2013. During Glee's fith season, Ushkowitz's character graduated and was accepted into Brown University, meaning her role on the series was diminished; she appeared in only one out of the last seven episodes. Later on that year, Ushkowitz was cast as Jeanie in the Hollywood Bowl production of Hair on August 1, 2 and 3, 2014.^[26] It was confirmed during that time that she would have a recurring role in the last season of Glee.

Personal life

Ushkowitz dated fellow actor Michael Trevino for 3 years, but they broke up in 2014.^[27]

Musicals

Filmography

Awards

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jenna Ushkowitz.

• Jenna Ushkowitz at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Site of the Broadway production of Spring Awakening.