Biography for
Lea Salonga More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

22 February 1971, Manila, Philippines

Birth Name

Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga

Nickname

Lei
Tata
Manang
Pride of the Philippines

Height

5' 2" (1.57 m)

Mini Biography

Lea Salonga began her singing career at the age of ten, when she recorded her first album, Small Voice. She also hosted her own musical TV show, "Love, Lea". She starred in "Miss Saigon" and was then offered the role of the singing voice of Jasmine in the Disney film Aladdin (1992). She has continued to record albums. Lea has performed for Queen Elizabeth II, George Bush, and Bill Clinton.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Matt Dicker

Spouse

Robert Charles Chien

(10 January 2004 - present) 1 child

Trade Mark

She has a small, deep dimple near the right corner of her mouth. It appears when she smiles.

Trivia

Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. [1991]

Brother, Gerard Salonga, arranges all Lea's music. He is a multi-talented musician and symphony orchestra conductor. He is presently head of the music and audio department at Carmel House Studios (www.gc4.com) and conductor of the Global Studio Orchestra.

Has an adopted sister, Shiela.

Bought herself a white Lexus IS300 E-Shift Sedan with ivory interior on her birthday in 2002.

For the longest time, her dream role was Eva Perón in the musical Evita.

Briefly attended Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines (mid-1988 - early 1989) in a pre-med course. She initially thought she wanted to be a dermatologist. Took two courses [one in Philosophy and the other in European History] at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus in Manhattan during Spring semester, 2000.

The first Filipina ever to win the prestigious Tony Award for her role as Kim in the Broadway Musical "Miss Saigon"

Was the first full-blooded Filipina to have won the Olivier (1990), and the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Theatre World Awards (1991) for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in "Miss Saigon".

Made her concert debut at the prestigious Carnegie Hall on November 7, 2005.

Uses the name "Manang" as her Internet chat code name. Manang means elder/eldest sister in Ilonggo (her mother's dialect).

Gave birth to her first child with husband Robert, daughter Nicole Beverly, on May 16th, 2006 in Manila. The baby weighed in at 6 lbs, 10 oz.

Personal Quotes

I have no inner monologue.

If you ain't got nothing nice to say, just shut the f*** up.

Love your enemies... it's not always an easy tenet to live by... and I have more often than not been inclined to wish my enemies ill than well.

And if you really believe in your heart of hearts that you have the talent, go for it. But you've got to make sure you really have the talent. I was watching that TV show, American Idol, and they were showing these auditions. The contestants think in their heart that they're talented, and the judges would say, 'You are appalling. You cannot sing.' And I painfully had to agree. But they really believe that they have something. You need a very objective person to say you've got talent.

I just refuse to date actors. I've done that, and I don't want to do that anymore. It's just the stress of traveling and being away from each other so much.

I'm probably one of the least ambitious people to ever walk the earth. Because I know the price that you have to pay. I know what that feels like at home in the Phillipines. I know what it's like to go shopping and have people stare at you. To not be able to go places because your safety is threatened. I quite enjoy the anonymity I have here--being recognized for my work but still be able to walk down the street and go shopping and be undisturbed and have my privacy respected. And that's not always the case at home. I appreciate the level of celebrity I've achieved at home, but I'm someone who doesn't do well with it.