Rachel Leah Bloom (born April 3, 1987) is an American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, songwriter, and mental health activist. She is best known for creating, writing and playing the lead role of Rebecca Bunch in The CW comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy and a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She also created the Hugo Award-nominated music video "Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury".
Bloom was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Manhattan Beach, the daughter of Shelli (née Rosenberg) and Alan Bloom. Her mother is a musician while her father is a healthcare lawyer. Her family is Jewish.
Bloom attended Manhattan Beach public schools including Mira Costa High School, where she was involved in the school's drama program. In 2009, Bloom graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama. While at NYU, Bloom was the head writer and director of the school's premier sketch comedy group, Hammerkatz. Post-college, Bloom performed at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and Los Angeles. She was once roommates with comedian Ilana Glazer after college in Brooklyn.