Powerful voice and perfect tone are some of the things that made Lea Salonga famous all over the world. She is both a successful actress and a successful singer who has many songs and movies to her name. Leay has played numerous awards and has been an actress since she was seven years old when she had a role in The King and I. Here’s everything you need to know about her.
Biography of Lea Salonga
The actress was born María Lea Carmen ImutanSalonga on February 22, 1971 in Manila, Philippines. She was raised alongside Gerard Salonga, her brother, by their parents, Feliciano Genuino Salonga and María Ligaya Alcantara.
The Filipino singer and actress began her musical career in 1981 with her debut album, Little Voice which went gold in the Philippines. Thanks to her great success, she was able to get her own TV show, “Love, Lea . “
In 1988 she released her second album, Lea and another in 1993 Lea Salonga I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (1997) was her next before releasing 7 more albums which were all successful.
Her first popular stage role came in 1980 when she played Annie in the eponymous play, “Annie.” The following year she starred in ‘The Bad Seed’ and then ‘The Paper Moon’, before starring in a number of others, including the Broadway film ‘Miss Saigon’ which got her the Tony Award for Best Musical Actress, the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical Actress and the Theater World Award.
Beyond the stage, Lea has also enjoyed a lot of credit as a film actress, acting in nearly 40 films. Among her popular works are ‘Tropang Bulilit’, her premiere in 1981, ‘Captain Barbell’ (1986), ‘Aladdin’ (1992) for which she performed vocals for Princess Jasmine’s songs. In 1995 and 2010, she played Éponine and Fantine in “Les Miserables” on Broadway, making her the first Asian to play such a role.
BroadwayWorld.com Award for Best Actress in a Musical for “Allegiance ,” Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for “Miss Saigon ,” and Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the same work, making her the first Asian woman to receive this award.
Her Husband – Robert Charles Dog
Lea Salonga has been married since 2004 to RobertCharles Chien. The singer met the man who later became her husband and immediately bonded between them thanks to the singular passion they share for music. They were introduced by a mutual friend, Christine, who was also Robert’s cousin.
On their first official date, they found themselves singing in the car together and soon began a romance that came to a happy ending. In 2002 Chien proposed to Lea and she accepted. A year and a half after their engagement, the couple tied the knot in 2004 at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles.
A Chinese-Japanese, Robert Charles Chien works with a California entertainment software company as managing director. The couple now share a daughter, Nicole Beverly Chien, who was born two years after her parents married.
Everything You Need To Know About Lea Salonga – Other Facts
- His brother, Gerard Salonga is also into music. He is a bandleader who also participated in Lea’s debut album, Little Voice
- Salonga’s father was a naval rear admiral who owned a shipping company. Because of this, she grew up in different places including Angeles City and Manila.
- Through her and her husband’s lineage, their daughter is of Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian, Filipino and American descent.
- With a global market that has seen her sell over 19 million copies of her albums, the singer is one of the best-selling artists of all time in the Philippines. Additionally, she is the first Filipina singer to secure a distribution and album release deal in the United States.
- A very hardworking and talented person who has worked as a singer and actress among others, Lea Salonga has an estimated net worth of $18 million.
- Named among the 50 most beautiful people by People magazine in 1991, she is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 54 kg.