Lea Salonga will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Lea Salonga will be honored with star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Lea Salonga is making history again as the first Filipino to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Nominated by the Manila International Filmfest, she reacted with surprise upon hearing the news of her latest honor. On her Instagram account, she posted: “Just now woke up to this bit of amazing news!!! To the Manila International Filmfest, many thanks for nominating me to be part of the class of 2025-26!.”

Salonga, 54, who just finished a Broadway stint in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, will receive her sidewalk star as part of the class of 2026 honorees. The date for the ceremony has yet to be announced.

Salonga is best known for her Tony Award-winning role in Miss Saigon. In addition to Tony, she has won the Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Theater World Awards, Time100 Impact Award from Time Magazine, and the Gold Legend Award from Gold House.

The Filipino singer made history as the first Asian to win a Tony and Olivier for her role in Miss Saigon, opening the door for a string of Filipino artists in the musical, including Jon Jon Briones, Rachelle Ann Go, Joanna Ampil, Carla Guevara-Laforteza, Eva Noblezada, Abigail Adriano, Seann Miley Moore, and Kiara Dario.  

Salonga also was the first Asian performer to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway, and returned to the show as Fantine in the 2006 revival. She was also deemed as a Disney Legend for being the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin and Fa Mulan from Mulan and Mulan II.

A new generation of fans can hear Salonga's singing voice in Netflix's genre-bending animated movie "KPop Demon Hunters."

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