Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (born February 22, 1971) is a Filipino actress and singer. Known as the "Pride of the Philippines", she has headlined Broadway and West End productions, appeared on international television and film, and released albums of her work.

Salonga began performing in Philippine musical theatre as a child, making her professional debut at age seven. She achieved international recognition in 1989 when she originated the role of Kim in the West End production of Miss Saigon, later reprising the role on Broadway in 1991. She earned critical success for her performances in Les Misérables (1993, 2007) and Flower Drum Song (2002–2003). On film, she was praised for her performances in Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal (1992) and Sana Maulit Muli (1995), and she provided the singing voices for Princess Jasmine in Aladdin (1992) and Fa Mulan in Mulan (1998) and Mulan II (2004). She has also appeared on television in That's Entertainment, As the World Turns, and Pretty Little Liars, and served as a coach on The Voice of the Philippines as well as its spin-off series The Voice Kids and The Voice Teens.

As a recording artist, Salonga began her career at age ten with the Gold-certified album Small Voice (1981). She then later signed with Atlantic Records and released the album Lea Salonga (1993), which achieved Platinum status, followed by I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (1997) and By Heart (1999). She has released two holiday albums, The Christmas Album (2000) and Sounding Joy (2024). Salonga has performed concerts at notable international venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the London Palladium, the Nippon Budokan, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Sydney Opera House.

Salonga's major accolades include a Laurence Olivier Award (1990), Tony Award (1991), and two Grammy Award nominations (2004, 2019). In her home country, she has received 15 Aliw Awards (1980–2024) and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, along with receiving a FAMAS Award (2005), and a star on the Eastwood City Walk of Fame (2006). Salonga has also been recognized by the Philippine government for her cultural contributions, receiving the Presidential Merit Award in 1990 and the Congressional Medal of Achievement in 2007, and being appointed Commander of the Order of Lakandula in the same year. She is the first Asian actress to win a Tony Award, and in 2026, Salonga will become the first Filipino to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga was born on February 22, 1971, in Manila, Philippines, to Maria Ligaya Alcantara Imutan (b. 1937) and Feliciano Genuino Salonga Jr. (1929–2016), a rear admiral in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary and chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. Genealogical research presented on Finding Your Roots revealed that she is of Filipino and German descent, with maternal ancestry traced to the Prussian region. Her great great grandfather was named Pedro Malhabor who hailed from Prussia, in present day Germany. She has a younger brother, Gerard (b. 1973), a musical conductor, composer, and arranger. At age six, she and her family relocated from Angeles City to Quezon City, later settling in San Juan.

At age seven, she made her professional stage debut in Repertory Philippines' production of The King and I (1978) and later played the title role in Annie in 1980 and 1984. She appeared in numerous other stage productions with the company, including The Sound of Music (1980) and The Fantasticks (1988). In the 1980s, Salonga frequently sang for the Marcos family during state dinners at the Malacañang Palace in Manila. Salonga's recording and screen careers developed simultaneously. In 1981, she released her debut album, Small Voice, which achieved Gold certification in the Philippines, and made her film debut in Tropang Bulilit. She earned a Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) award nomination for Best Child Actress and won three consecutive Aliw Awards for Best Child Performer from 1980 to 1982.

Between 1983 and 1985, Salonga hosted the television program Love, Lea. She and her brother, Gerard, won second prize at the 1985 Metro Manila Popular Music Festival with Tess Concepcion's "Musika, Lata, Sipol at La La La" (Music, Tin Can, Whistle and La La La), and that same year, she opened for Menudo during their Manila concerts, later performing with them again and contributing to their album In Action (1987). As a teenager, Salonga appeared in films such as Like Father, Like Son (1985), Captain Barbell (1986), and Ninja Kids (1986) and appeared regularly on German Moreno's teen variety show That's Entertainment. She completed her primary and secondary education at Operation Brotherhood (OB) Montessori Center, then passed the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) and continuing on a pre-medical track at Ateneo de Manila University. In 1988, Salonga released her second album, Lea, starred in the film Pik Pak Boom, and opened for Stevie Wonder in Manila. That same year, Salonga auditioned in Manila for the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, singing "On My Own" from Les Misérables, a choice she later credited as the turning point of her international career, and "The Greatest Love of All." After final auditions and three days of intensive work sessions in London that December, she was offered the role.

On September 20, 1989, Miss Saigon premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane to critical acclaim, following a gala performance the previous evening before Diana, Princess of Wales. For her performance, Salonga won the 1990 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She also starred alongside Herbert Bautista in the anthology horror film Dear Diary (1989). In June 1990, she received the Presidential Merit Award from President Corazon Aquino for her contributions to the arts, and in December of the same year, she headlined A Miss Called Lea, a televised homecoming concert in Manila with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and Ateneo de Manila College Glee Club.