Real Name/Full Name | Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga |
Nick Name/Celebrated Name: | Lea Salonga |
Birth Place: | Manila, Phillippines |
Date Of Birth/Birthday: | 22 February 1971 |
Age/How Old: | 53 years old |
Height/How Tall: | In Centimetres –157 cm In Feet and Inches – 5′ 1″ |
Weight: | In Kilograms – 52 Kg In Pounds – 115 lbs |
Eye Color: | Brown |
Hair Color: | Medium Brown |
Parents Name: | Father – Feliciano Genuino Salonga Mother – Ligaya Alcantara Imutan |
Siblings: | Gerard, Shiela and Jeff Salonga |
School: | Operation Brotherhood Montessori Centre |
College: | Fordham University, Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines System |
Religion: | Catholic Faith |
Nationality: | Filipina |
Zodiac Sign: | Pisces |
Gender: | Female |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Marital Status: | Married |
Boyfriend: | N/A |
Husband/Spouse Name: | Robert Charles Chien |
Kids/Children Name: | Nicole Beverly Chien |
Profession: | Singer and actress |
Net Worth: | $20 Million |
Last Updated: | October 2024 |
Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga, OL, is a Filipina singer and actress who is best known for her work in musical theater, as well as providing the singing voices of two Disney Princesses (Jasmine and Mulan). She is also a recording artist and television star.
She made her Broadway debut in the musical Miss Saigon at the age of 18, receiving the Olivier and Theatre World Awards and becoming the first Asian woman to receive a Tony Award. Salonga is the first Filipino artist to sign a record deal with a major international label (Atlantic Records in 1993).
Well, how well do you know about Lea Salonga? If not much, we have compiled all you need to know about Lea Salonga’s net worth in 2024, her age, height, weight, boyfriend, husband, kids, biography and complete details about her life. Well, if you’re all set, here is what we know about Lea Salonga to date.
Biography and Early Life
Feliciano Genuino Salonga, a naval rear admiral and shipping business director (1929–2016), and his wife, Mara Ligaya Alcantara, née Imutan, raised Salonga in Ermita, Manila. Before moving to Manila, she spent the first six years of her childhood in Angeles City. Gerard Salonga, her brother, is a conductor.
Age, Height, Weight & Body Measurement
So, how old is Lea Salonga in 2024 and what is her height and weight? Well, Lea Salonga’s age is 53 years old as of today’s date 3rd October 2024 having been born on 22 February 1971. Though, she is 5′ 1″ in feet and inches and 157 cm in Centimetres tall, she weighs about 115 lbs in Pound and 52kg in Kilograms. Her eye color is Brown and hair color is Medium Brown.
Education
In 1988, she graduated from the O. B. Montessori Centre in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, with a secondary education. She also took part in an extension program at the University of the Philippines College of Music, which sought to educate musically gifted children in music and stage activity.
When she auditioned for Miss Saigon, she was a college freshmen studying biology at the Ateneo de Manila University with plans to pursue a career in medicine. She then took two classes at Fordham University’s Lincoln Centre campus in between jobs in New York.
Personal Life: Dating, Boyfriends, Husband, Kids
Salonga married Robert Charles Chien, an American managing director of an entertainment tech corporation in Los Angeles, California, who she met while playing in Flower Drum Song, on January 10, 2004. They have a daughter together. Salonga is also a computer game aficionado. She now splits her time between the Philippines and the United States.
Is Lea Salonga Lesbian?
Salonga has been married to Robert Charles for several years now and they have a daughter named Nicole Beverly Chien. This is enough to prove that she is straight as far as her sexual Orientation is concerned.
Professional Career
At the age of seven, she made her professional debut with Repertory Philippines in the musical The King and I. She starred in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, The Rose T, The Goodbye Girl (1982), Paper Moon (1983), and The Fantasticks after playing the title role in Annie in 1980.
Her first album, Small Voice, was released in 1981 and was certified gold in the Philippines. In 1985, she and her brother performed as interpreters for Tess Concepcion’s song “Musika, Lata, Sipol at La La La,” which was entered in the eighth Metro Manila Popular Music Festival.
Salonga was chosen to play Kim in the London premiere of the musical Miss Saigon in 1989. The creators scoured several countries in search of a good enough East Asian actress/singer after being unable to locate one in the United Kingdom. Salonga picked Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s “On My Own” from Les Misérables for her audition and was later invited to perform “Sun and Moon,” impressing the audition panel.
Salonga has credited “On My Own” as the launch of her international career on occasion. Monique Wilson, a childhood friend and fellow Repertory Philippines actor, competed for the role. Salonga was cast in the lead role, and Wilson was cast in the supporting role.
Salonga portrayed Éponine in the Broadway production of Les Misérables in 1993. She and Brad Kane performed “A Whole New World” from Aladdin at the 65th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, where the album won an Oscar after previously winning a Golden Globe. In the same year, Atlantic Records released her self-titled international debut album. Salonga made her stage debut in the Philippines and Singapore in 1994, playing Sandy in Grease, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and the Witch in Into the Woods.
Awards
Here are some of the awards won by Lea Salonga:
- In 2011, she won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Ensemble Performance.
- In 1991, she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical.
- In 1990, Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
- In 1991, she won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.
- Salonga was named Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization on October 15, 2010. (FAO).
Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Lea Salonga in 2024
Lea Salonga started her acting career when she was still very young and since she knew that is what she was called to do, she ensured she gave it her best. Although she has not revealed what her annual salary is, it is clear that she has an estimated net worth of $20 Million as of 2024. Bearing in mind that she is still actively involved in the film and music industry, there are chances that her net worth can rise even higher.
Lea Salonga is an outstanding actress and musician whose career achievements speak for itself. She also does some great work by using her means and reach to help and inspire other people.