Reneé J. Rapp is an American actress and singer. After she won the 2018 Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress, she took over the role of Regina George in the Broadway musical ''

Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler a ...

''. She then went on to play Leighton in the HBO Max comedy series ''

The Sex Lives of College Girls ''The Sex Lives of College Girls'' is an American teen comedy-drama streaming television series created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble that premiered on HBO Max on November 18, 2021. In December 2021, the series was renewed for a second seas ...

''. In November 2022, her EP ''Everything to Everyone'' was released. In February 2023, a deluxe version of her EP ''Everything to Everyone'' was released, featuring two new songs.

Early life and education

Rapp attended high school at Hopewell High School in Huntersville,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, for three years, performing in the theater program and playing on the varsity women's golf team before transferring to

Northwest School of the Arts Northwest School of the Arts is a grade 6 through 12 art magnet school in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school enrolls around 1100 students. Students audition for acceptance and choose a major. Majors available include performing arts (theatre, ...

. Corey Mitchell, Rapp's theater teacher, said Rapp "has a special distinction...There is a difference when that vocal ability is coupled with sincere emotions that can move an audience and that literally can excite an audience". In 2018, Rapp won the Best Actress award at the Blumey Awards, Charlotte's premiere musical theater awards, for her portrayal of Sandra in her school's production of ''

Big Fish ''Big Fish'' is a 2003 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Tim Burton, and based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Car ...

''. Rapp then attended the tenth annual Jimmy Awards in New York City, where she ultimately won “Best Performance by an Actress", beating forty other competitors for the award. This win earned her a $10,000 scholarship. Actress

Laura Benanti Laura Ilene Benanti (née Vidnovic; born July 13, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Over the course of her Broadway career, she has received five Tony Award nominations. She played Louise in the 2008 Broadway revival of '' Gypsy'', winni ...

, who presented the award to Rapp, said, "I will never be as confident as that 18-year-old". Additionally, the ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...

'' coverage of the Jimmy Awards claimed that Rapp "set the stage ablaze" with her winning performance, "prompting the stars of ''Mean Girls'' to collectively start sleeping with one eye open".

Career

Following her Jimmy Award win, Rapp was cast as Wendla in Theatre Charlotte's 2018 production of ''Spring Awakening''. On July 27, 2018, Rapp performed at the 2018 Supergirl Pro Surf and Music Festival. On September 23, 2018, she took part in The Educational Theatre Foundation's fourth annual Broadway Back to School event held at

Feinstein's/54 Below 54 Below is a cabaret and restaurant in the basement of Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Owned by Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel, 54 Below has hosted shows by such performers as Patt ...

. In December 2018, she read for the role of Monteen in

Roundabout Theatre Company The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabet ...

's reading of ''Parade''. On January 12, 2019, Rapp performed at BroadwayCon's 2019 Star to Be event, singing "They Just Keep Moving the Line" from NBC's ''Smash''. She was next seen on March 4, 2019, performing at Feinstein's/54 Below's ''54 Sings The High School Musical Trilogy,'' followed by their ''FOR THE GIRLS'' event on March 28. On May 28, 2019, it was announced that Rapp would be taking over the role of Regina George in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

-nominated

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical, ''Mean Girls'', first for a limited run from June 7–26, then permanently starting September 10, 2019. On June 3, Rapp performed at The Green Room 42, singing songs from the show after an introduction by

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...

. The production closed on March 12, 2020, in accordance with Broadway's shutdown; it was later announced on January 7, 2021, that the show would not reopen. On October 14, 2020, Rapp was cast as Leighton, one of the four leads in

Mindy Kaling Vera Mindy Chokalingam (born June 24, 1979),Additional archive on June 25, 2015. known professionally as Mindy Kaling (), is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer. She first gained recognition starring as Kelly Kapoor in the N ...

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

series ''

''. On November 14, 2022, Rapp announced her first tour; "Everything to Everyone: The First Shows." There were four tour dates across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Due to high ticket demand, there was a new date added in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

as well as extra shows in Los Angeles and Manhattan, and an upgraded venue in Atlanta. Rapp's sold-out US tour ran from December 6–18, 2022, with a total of 8 shows. On December 9, 2022, it was announced that Rapp would reprise her role as Regina George in a film adaptation, '' Mean Girls: The Musical''. On January 12, Rapp announced her first international performance of her EP 'Everything to Everyone’. On January 19, she performed a three time venue upgraded sold out show at the O2 Forum Kentish Town.

Personal life

Rapp stated in an interview that she takes "her inspiration from classic pop and R&B music, and mixes it all with her current favorites,

Jazmine Sullivan Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B and soul singer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, her debut album, ''Fearless'' was released in 2008. The record topped ''Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certifie ...

and

Yebba Abigail Elizabeth Smith, (born January 16, 1995) known professionally as Yebba, is an American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas. She first became known for her backing vocal performance on Chance the Rapper's SNL performance of ...

". Reneé said that one of her favourite artist and inspirations is Jennifer Hudson (aka J.Hud) and they sang together one of J.Hud songs on the 27th of January, 2022. They sang "In love With Another Man" on J.Hud YouTube show. She played golf in middle school and high school. Rapp identifies as bisexual.

Stage

Filmography

Television

Film

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rapp, Renee 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Charlotte, North Carolina Actresses from North Carolina American musical theatre actresses Living people Singers from North Carolina LGBT people from North Carolina American bisexual actors American LGBT singers Bisexual actresses Bisexual women