Bio

Photo of Renee Nicole Gray smiling with victory rolls in a vintage white fur stole

I’m Renée Nicole Gray, a fashion historian, designer, writer, playwright, and artist. I’m the creator of Streisand Style Files and the designer/owner behind Leap Day Renée, my line of original wearable art. I hold a Bachelor of Liberal Arts with concentrations in art history and graphic design from UMass Lowell. I’m also a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, The Association of Dress Historians, Actors Equity Association, and the Textile Society of America.

Entering Barbra Streisand’s Village Vanguard concert on Sept. 26, 2009. Photo by Chad Batka for The New York Times.

I moved from Maine to NYC at eighteen years old to pursue a career in performing arts. After training in acting and musical theatre at HB Studio and LIU Brooklyn I began to work in numerous films, TV productions and as a commercial actor. Some of my favorite experiences on set were for the pilot episode of Mad Men, getting to be a background player on SNL, and working on Girls and A Star is Born. I also appeared in numerous theatrical productions, with lead roles in shows at the NY Fringe Festival and Midtown International Theatre Festival. In 2010 I won a Lady Gaga lookalike contest which unexpectedly led to nearly a decade of performing globally in my tribute show The Lady Gaga Experience.

Renee Nicole Gray performing Born This Way as a Lady Gaga impersonator in Chengdu China for the 2012 Summer Love Lan Kwai Fong concert.
Onstage in Chengdu China for Lan Kwai Fong’s Summer Love Concert

During this incredible journey I portrayed Lady Gaga in productions for MTV, E! Network, in The Fashion Planet on Dutch/German TV, and performed at private events for ABC, Polaroid, Bravo, Lan Kwai Fong (China), The Tower Of David (Israel), Resort Worlds Casino, Nordstrom, Citi Field, and at hundreds of private celebrations nationwide. I also headlined at Pride events across the country and opened for Rachel Platten at Long Island Pride. While tribute work opened amazing doors, I ultimately felt called to pursue my own voice, art, and creative path.

In 2019, I transitioned from gig life to focus on design, writing, fashion history, and original art. I launched my boutique Leap Day Renée, selling my wearable art online and at NYC pop-ups. In 2020, I returned to college to study graphic design and art history, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

After a long hiatus, I returned to playwriting. I was among 25 playwrights selected for NYC’s Faces of America Monologue Anthology and Festival, where my work was published and performed, and was published in Fresh Words International Literary Magazine’s “Shh! Breathe Slow Volume 3” anthology.