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Levi/Levy (Hebrew: לֵּוִי‎; Standard Levy Tiberian Lēwî ; "joining") was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi (the levites).^[1] Certain religious and political functions were reserved for the Levites, and the early sources of the Torah—the Jahwist and Elohist—appear to treat the term Levi as just being a word meaning priest; scholars therefore suspect that "levi" was originally a general term for a priest, and had no connection to ancestry, and that it was only later, for example in the priestly source and Blessing of Moses, that the existence of a tribe named Levi became assumed, in order to explain the origin of the priestly caste.^[1][2]

Origins[link]

The Torah suggests that the name of Levi refers to Leah's hope for Jacob to join with her, implying a derivation from yillaweh, meaning he will join, but Biblical scholars have proposed quite different origins of the name.^[2] Scholars suspect that it simply means priest, either as a loan word from the Minaean lawi'u, meaning priest, or by referring to those people who were joined to the ark of the covenant.^[2] Another possibility is that the Levites originated as migrants, and that the name Levites indicates their joining with either the Israelites in general, or the earlier Israelite priesthood in particular.^[2]

The family of Levi[link]

In the Book of Genesis, Levi is described as having fathered three sons—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.^[3] A similar genealogy is given in the Book of Exodus, where it is added that among Kohath's sons was one—Amram—who married a woman named Jochebed, who was closely related to his father, and they were the biological parents of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam;^[4] though some Greek and Latin manuscripts of the Torah state that Jochebed was Amram's father's cousin, the masoretic text states that she was his father's sister,^[5] and the Septuagint mentions that she was one of his father's sisters. The masoretic text's version of Levi's genealogy thus implies (but doesn't state) that Levi also had a daughter (Jochebed), and the Septuagint implies further daughters. The names of Levi's sons, and possible daughter, are interpreted in classical rabbinical literature as being reflections on their future destiny.^[6] In some apocryphal texts such as the Testament of Levi, and the Book of Jubilees, Levi's wife, his children's mother, is named as Milkah, a daughter of Aram.^[7][8]

Scholars attribute the genealogy to the Book of Generations, a document originating from a similar religiopolitical group and date to the priestly source.^[9] According to some Biblical scholars, the Torah's genealogy for Levi's descendants, is actually an aetiological myth reflecting the fact that there were four different groups among the levites - the Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites, and Aaronids;^[1] Aaron—the eponymous ancestor of the Aaronids—couldn't be portrayed as a brother to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, as the narrative about the birth of Moses (brother of Aaron), which textual scholars attribute to the earlier Elohist source, mentions only that both his parents were Levites (without identifying their names).^[10] Some Biblical scholars suspect that the Elohist account offers both matrilinial and patrilinial descent from Levites in order to magnify the religious credentials of Moses.^[1]

The masoretic text/Septuagint family tree of Levi's immediate descendants is as follows:

In post-Torah tradition[link]

In accordance with his role as founder of the Levites, Levi is referred to as being particularly pious. The Blessing of Moses, which textual scholars attribute to period just before the deuteronomist,^[9] speaks about Levi via an allegorical comparison to Moses himself,^[11] which hagaddah take to support the characterisation of Levi (and his progeny) as being by far the greatest of his brothers in respect to piety.^[2][2] The apocryphal Prayer of Asenath, which textual scholars believe dates from some time after the first century AD (scholarship in regards to the dating is currently quite contentious, with dates ranging from near the first century, to the fourth or fifth centuries),^[2] describes Levi as a prophet and saint, able to forecast the future, understand heavenly writings (astrology? weather trends?), and someone who admonishes the people to be forgiving, as well as in awe of God.^[2] The Book of Malachi argues that the Levites were chosen by Yahweh to be the priests, because Levi was always accurate, having never lied, specified only the true religious regulations, was reverent, revered Yahweh, was in awe of the Tetragrammaton, upheld peace, was a model of good morality, and turned many people from sin.^[12]

In the Testament of Levi, Levi is described as having had two visions. The first vision covered eschatological issues, portraying the seven heavens, the Jewish Messiah, and Judgement Day. The second vision portrays seven angels bringing Levi seven insignia signifying priesthood, prophecy, and judgement; in the vision, after the angels anoint Levi, and initiate him as a priest, they tell him of the future of his descendants, mentioning Moses, the Aaronid priesthood, and a time when there would be priest-kings; this latter point was of particular interest to the Maccabean period of John Hyrcanus, who was both a high priest, and warrior-king, though according to textual scholars this is to be expected, since the Testament of Levi was written during Maccabean rule, between 153BC and 107BC, and closer to the latter date.^[13] The Book of Jubilees similarly has Isaac telling Levi of the future of his descendants, again predicting priesthood, prophets, and political power,^[14] and additionally describes Jacob as entrusting Levi with the secrets of the ancients, so that they would be known only to the Levites;^[15] however, like the Testament of Levi, the Book of Jubilees is regarded as a Maccabean document by scholars.^[2]

Levi and the "Blessing of Jacob"[link]

Levi and Simeon destroy the city of Shechem in revenge for the rape of Dinah, seizing the wealth of the city, and killing the men;^[16] the narrative also mentions that the brothers had earlier misled the denizens of Shechem, by consenting to Dinah's rapist marrying her, and when Jacob hears about the destruction of Shechem by Simeon and Levi, he castigates them for it.^[17] In the Blessing of Jacob, Jacob is described as imposing a curse on the Levites, by which they would be scattered, in punishment for Levi's actions in Shechem;^[18] textual scholars date the Blessing of Jacob to a period between just one and two centuries prior to the Babylonian captivity,^[2][19] and some Biblical scholars regard this curse, and Dinah herself as an aetiological postdiction to explain the fates of the tribe of Simeon and the Levites, the simpler explanation of the Levites' scattered nature being that the priesthood was originally open to any tribe, but gradually became seen as a distinct tribe itself (the Levites).^[1][2]

See also[link]

• Levite
• Testament of Levi
• Levi (disambiguation)
• Miscegenation

References[link]

External links[link]

• “The Tribe: The Cohen-Levi Family Heritage” (cohen-levi.org)

Katharine McPhee
Katharine McPhee performs in 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Katharine Hope McPhee
Born	(1984-03-25) March 25, 1984 (age 28)
Origin	Los Angeles
Genres	Pop, R&B
Occupations	Singer, actress, songwriter
Years active	2006–present
Labels	19, RCA, Verve Forecast,[1] Columbia[2]
Associated acts	Andrea Bocelli, David Foster
Website	www.katharinemcphee.com

Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American pop singer, songwriter and actress. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.

Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records on January 30, 2007 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200; it has sold 381,000 copies to date.^[3] The album's first single, "Over It", was a Pop Top 30 hit and was certified gold in 2008.^[4]

Her second album, Unbroken, was released on Verve Forecast Records on January 5, 2010 and debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200. The album featured the single "Had It All", which peaked at number 22 on the Billboard AC chart. It has sold 45,000 copies to date.^[5] Her third album, the holiday-themed Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You, was released on October 12, 2010. The album debuted at number eleven on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart while the single "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard AC chart. The album has sold 23,000 copies to date.^[5]

McPhee has also established an acting career, co-starring in The House Bunny and "Shark Night 3D", and currently in a starring role in the NBC series Smash.

Early life[link]

McPhee was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Daniel McPhee, is a television producer. Her mother Patricia Burch McPhee (stage name Peisha Arten), is a vocal coach and accomplished cabaret singer. The family moved to Sherman Oaks in L.A. when Katharine was 12 years old. Katharine's mother recognized her daughter's musical talent and decided to train her. McPhee has an older sister, Adriana. McPhee is of Irish, Scottish, and German descent.^[6] McPhee attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, where she performed in school plays and musicals. She graduated in 2002. She attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters, majoring in musical theater. She left college on the advice of her manager and returned to Los Angeles to try out for television pilots. McPhee was cast (during the time she had dropped out of college and was auditioning in Los Angeles) in a mall-based MTV soap opera pilot, You Are Here, playing the older sister of a more popular younger sister. MTV never aired the pilot and did not pick up the series.^[7] In March 2005, McPhee starred as Annie Oakley in a Los Angeles-based production of the musical Annie Get Your Gun.^[8] McPhee was nominated for an L.A. Stage Ovation Award in the category of "Lead Actress in a Musical".^[9] McPhee had a small role as Paramount Girl in the 2007 musical film Crazy, based on the life of Hank Garland.^[10] McPhee filmed the role in early 2005, before she auditioned for American Idol.

McPhee has struggled with eating disorders in the past. She told People that at age 13 she began starving herself and exercising compulsively and at age 17 became bulimic.^[11] McPhee gained weight in college due to her binging. After seven years of illness, McPhee finally entered a three-month rehabilitation program for her eating disorder after successfully passing her American Idol audition; her rehab stint ended just before the Idol semifinals started in February 2006.^[12] During her run on American Idol, she lost 30 lb (14 kg) due to eating better as part of her treatment. Now, as she told Teen Vogue in May 2007, "I eat whatever I crave—I'm just really careful about portions." McPhee and her sister appeared on the debut of The Dr. Keith Ablow Show on September 18, 2006, to discuss her struggles with bulimia and her childhood fear of her father.^[13] Also on the show, McPhee stated that she was misdiagnosed with a learning disability during her middle school years but was finally correctly diagnosed with a vision problem that caused her to have trouble reading in class. McPhee claimed she was known as the "pretty but stupid" girl in school because she had trouble reading.

[edit] American Idol

McPhee was persuaded by now-husband Nick Cokas and her parents to try out for the television series competition, American Idol. She auditioned in San Francisco and sang "God Bless the Child", originally performed by Billie Holiday. After the first round of Hollywood week, she sang "I'll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick which earned favorable comments from the judges. During the second round, she performed in a group, singing "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by the Four Tops, forgetting the words, but the judges decided to advance the entire group. During the third round, she sang "My Funny Valentine" a cappella and advanced to the top 40. She was mad when fellow group member Crystal Stark did not make the top 24. McPhee's run on American Idol led to the use of the term "McPheever". The inclusion of producer David Foster and singer Andrea Bocelli as guest mentors for Top 6 Week turned out to be a fortuitous introduction for McPhee, as she has worked on various music projects with both men post-Idol. In May 2006, McPhee visited her alma mater Notre Dame High School for her hometown celebration.^[14] Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa visited the school and proclaimed the day Katharine McPhee Day.

Performances and results (during voting weeks)[link]

Career[link]

[edit] 2006–2008: Katharine McPhee album and feature film debut

On June 6, 2006, Sony BMG announced that McPhee had signed to American Idol series creator Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited and Sony BMG's RCA Records.^[15] Also in June, McPhee performed at the J.C. Penney Jam: Concert for America's Kids^[16], soloing with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and performing a duet with Andrea Bocelli on "Somos Novios".

McPhee's Idol single, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny" was released on June 27, 2006 by RCA Records. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 and "My Destiny" peaked at number 60.^[17] 32 weeks after its release, Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny had climbed to number four on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales charts.^[18] It was the second highest best-selling single of 2006 after Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud". "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny" remained on the chart for more than 58 weeks.

In July, McPhee missed the first three weeks of the American Idol Tour due to laryngitis and bronchitis.^[19] She joined the tour beginning with the July 28 show in Washington, D.C., singing only two songs "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" instead of the usual 4 on doctor's orders to conserve her voice. At the August 1 concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, McPhee suffered a hairline fracture of her foot when she tripped backstage and was fitted with a walking boot cast.^[20] Once she recovered from the foot injury, she added "Think" to her concert set.

McPhee recorded a duet with Andrea Bocelli on "Can't Help Falling In Love" for his Under the Desert Sky album, which was released as a CD/DVD package on November 7, 2006.

McPhee signed a two-year endorsement deal in 2006 with Sexy Hair Concepts to become their first celebrity spokesperson for their hair-care product line.^[21] Also in 2006, McPhee founded a charity called McPhee Outreach. The purpose of the charity is to team up with other foundations or organizations and help in any way possible.^[22] The foundation teamed up with The Lollipop Theater Network to provide music outreach (called "Rhythm of Hope") to sick children in Southern California hospitals.^[23] McPhee Outreach teamed up with Global Compassion Services to build a preschool in the West African nation of Burkina Faso to help combat that nation's high illiteracy rate.^[22]

McPhee's self-titled debut album, Katharine McPhee was released on January 30, 2007 and sold 116,000 copies its first week, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart.^[24] The first single from the album was "Over It" peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Love Story" failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100.

In early 2007, McPhee guest-starred in the web series, lonelygirl15 as an unnamed character in the episode "Truth Or Dare".^[25] McPhee made a cameo appearance as herself on the ABC show Ugly Betty in the episode "I'm Coming Out".^[26] The episode was broadcast February 1, 2007. During the 2007 Christmas holiday season, McPhee released a Christmas single "O Come All Ye Faithful".

On January 11, 2008, it was reported by Billboard.com that McPhee had been released from her contract with RCA Records. A spokesperson for the label stated, "She is going to record her next album on her own."^[27]

McPhee signed a two-year endorsement deal with Neutrogena to become the new spokesperson for their anti-acne skin-care product line. In March 2008, she filmed her first commercial, which began airing on television in May 2008 and on Neutrogena's skinid.com website.^[28] McPhee appeared on Idol judge Randy Jackson's album Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1, which was released on March 11, 2008. McPhee recorded a duet of "Real Love" with fellow American Idol 5 contestant Elliott Yamin. On March 12, 2008, McPhee returned to the American Idol stage during the Top 12 results night of the seventh season of the competition. She performed the Beatles song "Something", with producer David Foster, on piano. After the performance, Foster indicated that he and McPhee were collaborating on her second studio album (though it ended up he was not part of the finished product). McPhee took part in the David Foster tribute concert Hit Man: David Foster & Friends, which was filmed by PBS, in May 2008.^[29] She soloed on "Somewhere" and performed a duet of "The Prayer" with Andrea Bocelli. A CD/DVD was released in November 2008. David Foster recorded "I Will Be There With You" for Japan Airlines (JAL), with McPhee on vocals. Starting in June 2008, it was used to promote the introduction of new aircraft to JAL's US flights.^[30]

McPhee made her studio acting debut in the comedy The House Bunny, co-starring as one of the few members of a misfit sorority. The movie, released in August 2008, starred Anna Faris as a Playboy Bunny who took the girls under her wing. It was directed by Fred Wolf for Columbia Pictures and produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions. McPhee released a cover of the song "I Know What Boys Like", featuring the other cast members of the movie The House Bunny. McPhee took part in the concert Chris Botti: Live In Boston, which was filmed by PBS, in September 2008.^[31] She sang "I've Got You Under My Skin" accompanied by Chris Botti on trumpet. The concert was shown several times on PBS starting in January 2009. The CD/DVD and Blu-ray were released March 31, 2009.

[edit] 2009-2010: Unbroken album and TV and movie projects

It was announced on January 27, 2009 that McPhee had signed a new record deal with Verve Forecast Records (part of the Verve Music Group under Universal Music Group).^[1]

McPhee guest starred on the CBS show CSI: NY in the episode "Prey" as a singer and stalker victim who murdered her stalker. The episode was broadcast April 8, 2009.^[32][33] In early 2009, McPhee was cast in a lead role in the independent romantic-comedy You May Not Kiss the Bride.^[34] The budget was set at $6 million. The movie filmed for 5 weeks in March and April 2009 in Oahu, Hawaii. McPhee played the role of Masha, alongside Dave Annable.^[35] The film debuted at the 14th Annual Sonoma International Film Festival that was held April 6–10, 2011^[36] The film has not been released theatrically yet. McPhee joined actresses Alyson Hannigan, Jaime King, Minka Kelly and Emily Deschanel in a video slumber party made available in October 2009 and featured on FunnyorDie.com and other Internet platforms in a comedic take to promote regular breast cancer screenings for the organization Stand Up To Cancer.^[37] A Christmas single "I'll Be Home for Christmas" was released November 17, 2009. In September 2009, McPhee took part in the United Negro College Fund's "An Evening of Stars" concert that was a tribute to singer/songwriter Lionel Richie. McPhee sang You Are. The concert was broadcast in syndication and on BET the weekend of January 23-24, 2010. A 2-disc DVD of the concert is available through a donation to the United Negro College Fund.

McPhee's second album Unbroken was released January 5, 2010 and debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 15,000 copies its first week.^[38] For her second effort, McPhee worked with producer John Alagia. The first single from the album, "Had It All" was released to McPhee's MySpace page on August 25, 2009. McPhee appeared on the Jan 19, 2010 episode of the NBC reality show The Biggest Loser (its ninth season) in the show's Pound for Pound Challenge segment (an initiative to challenge viewers to get healthy while helping to fight hunger in their own communities). McPhee was shown volunteering at a Los Angeles food bank and meeting with children at a Boys and Girls Club and talking about the importance of helping to fight hunger in America. On February 1, 2010, McPhee joined over 75 other musicians, including fellow American Idol alumni Jennifer Hudson and Jordin Sparks and American Idol judge Randy Jackson, for a remake of "We Are the World", retitled "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", which marked the 25th anniversary of the iconic song and for which proceeds will go to Haitian earthquake relief.^[39] On February 22, 2010, McPhee appeared in the production of 110 Stories, directed by Mark Freiburger at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. She co-starred alongside Ed Asner, Diane Venora, Gail O'Grady, John Hawkes, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and many others. The play was a benefit to help the victims of the recent Haiti earthquake. Proceeds went to the Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles.^[40]

During the week of February 8, 2010, in the pre-taped Hollywood Week portion of Season 9 of American Idol, contestant Didi Benami was shown singing "Terrified", a song on the Unbroken album and written by Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. As a result of the exposure on Idol, digital downloads of the song (the album version featuring Jason Reeves) rose nearly 10,000% from the week before, selling about 20,000 copies for the week, for a total of 22,000 sold at that point.^[41] On May 4, 2010, a new version of the Unbroken song "Terrified" featuring actor Zachary Levi premiered on Entertainment Weekly's website and was made available for purchase on iTunes. The accompanying music video premiered on May 7, 2010 on the music video website Vevo. On March 9, 2010, McPhee performed "Surrender" at the White House, in front of President Obama and the First Lady as part of International Women's Day. ^[42] McPhee guest starred on the NBC comedy Community in the episode "Basic Genealogy" as Chevy Chase's character's ex-stepdaughter and potential love interest for Joel McHale's character. The episode was broadcast March 11, 2010. ^[43]

In April 2010, McPhee made a TV pilot for a new comedy series for NBC called The Pink House. McPhee played Emily, a down-to-earth Midwestern girl new to Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles.^[44] The pilot was shot as a possible pickup for the Fall 2010 season and was produced by Conan O'Brien's production company, with O'Brien as executive producer.^[45] Shooting took place April 9, 2010.^[46] NBC did not pick up the pilot.^[47] In the summer of 2010, McPhee partnered with Feeding America and ConAgra Foods Foundation to help launch the Hunger-Free Summer Initiative, which aimed to help children at risk of hunger during the summer months.^[48] Throughout the month of July, McPhee traveled around the country to various Feeding America food banks to raise awareness. In September 2010, McPhee filmed a cameo role in upstate New York for the feature film Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding which stars Jane Fonda and will be in theaters June 8, 2012.^[49]

Also in 2010, McPhee was cast in a co-starring role in director David Ellis' shark thriller indie film Shark Night 3D, which filmed in Shreveport, Louisiana for about eight weeks from early September to the end of October 2010. The movie is about a group of college friends who spend a weekend at a lake house, only to find dangerous sharks lurking beneath the surface. The film stars Sara Paxton. The budget is $28 million, and it was released September 2, 2011.^{[50][51][52][53]} McPhee released a Christmas album titled Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You on October 12, 2010. The album debuted at number eleven on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart and sold 1,000 copies in its first week.^[54] One of the Christmas album's songs "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was released to radio in November 2010 and peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. Country singer Chelsea Field's song "Love's Never Leavin'", a song that McPhee co-wrote with singer-songwriter Richard Marx and producer Trey Bruce, was made available for purchase on iTunes on November 9, 2010, with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the Tammany Humane Society in Covington, LA.^[55] On December 15, 2010, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital released a video on their website for their Thanks and Giving Campaign that featured McPhee interacting with sick children at the hospital with her song "Lifetime" playing over the soundtrack.^[56]

[edit] 2011-2012: Smash series and new record deal

In February 2011, it was announced that McPhee had landed a starring role in the NBC TV pilot Smash,^[57] also starring Debra Messing, Megan Hilty, Jack Davenport, Anjelica Huston, Christian Borle, and Brian d'Arcy James.^[58] In May 2011, NBC picked up Smash as a series.^[59][60] The series, set as a musical drama, follows a group of characters who come together to put on a Broadway musical inspired by Marilyn Monroe. Steven Spielberg is one of the executive producers. The idea was originally developed at Showtime by NBC Entertainment president Robert Greenblatt.^[57][61]

On June 9, 2011, it was announced that McPhee had signed a new record deal with Columbia Records (a label under Sony Music Entertainment), in conjunction with Columbia teaming with NBC to distribute the music for Smash.^[2] In July 2011, Forbes reported that McPhee was number ten on their list of the 10 Top-Earning American Idols (she was tied with David Archuleta and David Cook), earning $1 million (pre-tax estimates before subtracting manager and agent fees) for music and acting endeavors for the period May 2010 to May 2011.^[62]

In December 2011, McPhee became a spokesperson for the Malaria No More organization to help raise awareness about the campaign to eradicate malaria.^[63] McPhee recorded a voiceover for the Fox animated series Family Guy, for the episode "You Can't Do That On Television, Peter", playing the voice of Mother Maggie. The episode was broadcast April 1, 2012

NBC debuted Smash in mid-season of the 2011–12 television season^[64] on February 6, 2012, to generally favorable reviews, scoring a 79 out of 100 on Metacritic.^[65] In March 2012, McPhee traveled to two countries in Africa, Ghana and Burkina Faso, on behalf of Malaria No More to raise awareness and to help distribute mosquito nets.^[66] On March 26, 2012, Smash was renewed for a second season.^[67]

Personal life[link]

On February 2, 2008, the then 23-year-old McPhee married 42-year-old Nick Cokas at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church.^[68]

Discography[link]

• 2007: Katharine McPhee
• 2010: Unbroken
• 2010: Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Awards[link]

• Fox Reality Awards 2006, Favorite Hottie
• VH1 2006 Big Awards, Big It Girl
• Young Hollywood Awards 2007, Exciting New Vocalist^[69]

Nominations[link]

• Ovation Awards 2005, "Lead Actress in a Musical", for Annie Get Your Gun stage production
• Teen Choice Award 2006 and 2007, Choice Breakout Female Artist

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Katharine McPhee

• Official website
• Katharine McPhee at American Idol
• Katharine McPhee at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview: Katharine McPhee, February 1, 2007
• Katharine McPhee Goes From Classics To Pop, CBS News

Zachary Levi
Levi in 2011.
Born	Zachary Levi Pugh (1980-09-29) September 29, 1980 (age 31) Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, singer, director
Years active	2002–present
Website
TheNerdMachine.com

Zachary Levi Pugh (born September 29, 1980), better known by his stage name Zachary Levi (pronounced /ˈzækəri ˈliːvaɪ/), is an American actor, director, and singer known for the roles of Kipp Steadman in Less than Perfect, Chuck Bartowski in Chuck, and Flynn Rider in Tangled.

Early life[link]

Zachary Levi Pugh was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Darrell and Susy Pugh.^[1] He is the middle child between two sisters, Sarah and Shekinah. He is of Welsh ancestry.^[2] As a child, his family moved all over the country before making their final move to their new home in Ventura, California, where Levi attended Buena High School for four years.^[3] He began acting in theatre at the age of six, performing lead roles in regional productions such as Grease, The Outsiders, Oliver, The Wizard of Oz and Big River at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center.

Career[link]

Levi promoting the television show Chuck at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con

Levi first appeared in the FX television movie Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie. He played Kipp Steadman on the ABC sitcom Less Than Perfect. He also portrayed a potential boyfriend of Charisma Carpenter's character, Jane, in the ABC Family television movie See Jane Date. Levi was slated to be a lead in an ABC pilot called Three for the 2004/2005 television season. It was written by Andrew Reich & Ted Cohen, and would have costarred James Van Der Beek, Jama Williamson, and Jacob Pitts, but the show was not picked up.^[4] Levi financed Kendall Payne's album Grown after she was dropped by her label, Capitol Records.^[5]

He landed the starring role in Chuck in 2007. Levi and his Chuck co-star, Yvonne Strahovski, were both nominated for Best Action Actor and Actress Choice TV Series for the Teen Choice Awards 2010 where they both won and presented.^[6] In the summer of 2008, Levi was named one of Entertainment Weekly's Top Thirty People Under Thirty.^[7] He later starred in the film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel in the lead role as the Chipmunks' cousin Toby Seville.^[8] He stars alongside Mandy Moore in the 2010 Disney-animated feature film Tangled, which is based on the popular fairy tale Rapunzel. He voices Flynn Rider, a bandit who finds refuge in Rapunzel's tower. Levi provided narration in the 2011 film Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story, a documentary about the game of Monopoly.^[9] Levi hosted the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards.^[10]

BuddyTV ranked him #97 on its list of "TV's Sexiest Men of 2011".^[11]

In 2012, it was announced that Levi landed the male lead in the TV pilot Let it Go, which would have aired on Fox, however, it was not picked up.^[12]

Music[link]

In April 2010, Katharine McPhee released a preview of a music video to cinemas for her single "Terrified". Levi duets with her on the song (which was re-recorded; the original album version features Jason Reeves) and appears in the music video singing with McPhee. On May 3, 2010, the song was previewed on Entertainment Weekly's website and was made available for purchase on iTunes.^[13] The full video premiered on May, 7th, 2010 on the music video website Vevo.^[14]