Rachel Berry
| Rachel Berry | |
|---|---|
| Glee character | |
 Lea Michele as Rachel Berry in Glee | |
First appearance | "Pilot" (2009) |
Last appearance | "Dreams Come True" (2015) |
| Created by | Ryan Murphy Brad Falchuk Ian Brennan |
| Portrayed by | Lea Michele |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation |
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| Family |
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| Spouses | Jesse St. James |
Significant others |
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| Religion | Jewish |
Rachel Barbra Berry is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists on the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and appears in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Rachel was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Rachel is a main vocalist in the glee club of the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, where the show is set. She faces alienation and bullying from her peers due to her Broadway ambitions and overbearing personality, but is ultimately kind-hearted and willing to help others, even if her help is sometimes unnecessary. In the show's first season, Rachel develops romantic feelings for Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff), a member of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, as well as quarterback and glee club co-captain Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), to whom she eventually becomes engaged.
Michele based Rachel on herself when she was younger, and also drew inspiration for the character from films including Election, and television portrayals such as the Gossip Girl character Blair Waldorf. "Rachel will never be popular because her looks aren't considered beautiful," said Michele, "and when I was in high school it was the same for me. I didn't get a nose job, and every single girl around me did. Therefore, I was out. What's so great about Glee is that it shows you how that kind of stuff hurts, but it doesn't matter: You can still be who you want to be."
Rachel is a "strong, driven girl" but somewhat neurotic, and Glee follows Rachel's journey to become more of a team player as well as fulfil her own aspirations. Michele was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2010, and for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2010 and 2011 for her performance in the role. Rachel received mostly positive reviews from critics: Maureen Ryan of The Chicago Tribune praised Michele for making the character "more than a humorless stereotype", though The Wall Street Journal‘s Raymund Flandez has described Rachel as "insufferable". Several songs performed by Michele as Rachel were released as singles, available for digital download, and featured on the show's soundtrack albums. Rachel is the most frequently seen character on the series, with “Dynamic Duets”, "The Role You Were Born To Play" and "Shooting Star" (all in season 4) being the only episodes where she does not appear.