María Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (born February 22, 1971), better known as Lea Salonga (/ˈleɪə səˈlɒŋɡə/), is a Filipina singer and actress best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplying the singing voices of two Disney Princesses, and as a recording artist and television performer, especially in the Philippines.

At age 18, she originated in the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, first in the West End, and then repeated the role on Broadway, winning the Olivier, Tony and Theatre World Awards, among others. Salonga is the first Filipino artist to sign with an international record label (Atlantic Records in 1993). She is also the first Philippine-based artist to have received a major album release and distribution deal in the United States, and one of the best-selling Filipino artists of all time, having sold over 19 million copies of her albums worldwide.

She was the first Asian actress to play the roles of Éponine and Fantine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway. She also portrayed Éponine and Fantine, respectively, in the musical's 10th and 25th anniversary concerts in London. She provided the singing voice of two official Disney Princesses: Jasmine in Aladdin (1992), and Fa Mulan in Mulan (1998). She was named a Disney Legend in 2011 for her work with The Walt Disney Company. Salonga starred as Mei-li in the 2002 Broadway revival of Flower Drum Song. She has played numerous other stage, film and TV roles in the US, Manila and elsewhere. She has toured widely in the title role of Cinderella, among others, and as a concert artist. In 2015, she returned to Broadway in Allegiance.

Biography

On January 10, 2004, Salonga married Robert Charles Chien, a Chinese-Japanese managing director of an entertainment software company in Los Angeles, California, whom she met while doing Flower Drum Song. They have a daughter, Nicole Beverly, who was born in 2006, named after Salonga's late mother-in-law, Beverly. She is also an avid video game enthusiast, and has mentioned her love for the hobby in several of her print articles. She resides in the Philippines and the United States.

On October 15, 2010, Salonga was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

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