Born as María Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga on 22nd February 1971, in Manila The Philippines, Lea Salonga is a legendary actress and singer, best known to the world for giving the voice to Disney Princesses, most notably Cinderella, Jasmine and Mulan as well. She has also released ten studio albums, including “Small Voice” (1981), “Lea Salonga” (1993), “By Heart” (1999), and “Inspired” (2007), among others. Lea has been an active member of the entertainment industry since 1978.
Have you ever wondered how rich Lea Salonga is, as of late 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Lea`s net worth is as high as $18 million, earned through her successful career in the entertainment industry. Lea has also achieved several notable acting credits on screen, including in “Redwood Curtain” (1995), among others.
Lea Salonga Net Worth $18 Million
Lea is a daughter of Feliciano Genuino Salonga and Maria Ligaya Acantara, and grew up in Manila. Discovered at a young age, Lea was thrown into showbiz when only seven, making her debut in the musical “The King and I” (1978) with Repertory Philippines, and just two years later, she was chosen for the role of Annie in the stage production of the same title. Lea received positive critiques, which only helped her to develop her career. During the 1980s, Lea was rather busy, acting on stage, screen and also recording two albums. Some of her most notable stage appearances include Rhodora in “The Bad Seed”, then Luisa in “The Fantasticks”, only to be selected to portray Kim in the stage production of “Miss Saigon”, resulting in her first appearance in the West End, receiving the Laurence Oliver Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Encouraged further, she continued playing Kim on Broadway from 1991 until 1993, and then again from 1999 until 2001. She received several prestigious awards, including the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, then Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress – Musical and Theatre World Award.
Throughout her career Lea has continued to feature on stage, and during the ‘90s made appearances in “Les Miserables” in 1993 and 1996, then in “My Fair Lady” (1994), and “They`re Playing Our Song” (1999-2000), among others. With the beginning of the new millennium, Lea stayed focused on stage, and played such characters as Catherine in “Proof” (2002), “Lizzie Fields in “Baby” (2004), then Cinderella in 2008, and Kei Kimura in “Allegiance” (2015-2016). Most recently she appeared in “Fun Home” as Helen Bechdel. Her net worth continued to grow too.
When it comes to her musical career, Lea’s first album came out in 1981, entitled “Small Voice”, and it was eventually achieved platinum status, which only increased Lea`s net worth. Seven years later, she released her second album, called “Lea”, which achieved triple platinum status, making Lea extremely popular in The Philippines. She continued to dominate the music scene during the ‘90s, with albums “Lea Salonga” (1993), which achieved eight times platinum status, then “I`d Like to Teach the World to Sing” (1997), “Lea… In Love” (1998) with six times platinum certification, and “By Heart” (1999), which achieved four times platinum status. Since then, she has released four albums, including the Christmas album “Lea Salonga: the Christmas Album” (2000), “Songs from The Screen” (2001), and “Lea Salonga: Your Songs (2009), sales of which have certainly added a considerable amount to her net worth. Lea is also recognized for her live performances, and so far has sung for such notable people as Bill Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II and George Bush, among others.
To speak further of her singing career, Lea has released cast recordings albums, which comprise songs sang in animated films by the Disney Princesses. These have also improved her wealth.
Regarding her personal life, Lea has been married to Robert Charles Chien since 2004; the couple has one child together.
Since 2010, Lea has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
