[COLUMN] Disney Legend awardee Lea Salonga heads February celebrities-birthday celebrants

INTERNATIONALLY known Filipino Broadway star and singer Lea Salonga will celebrate her 50th birthday on Friday, February 22 and heads a bevy of prominent personalities celebrating their birthday in February, the month of love.

Lea Salonga, born on February 22, 1971, is best known for starring in the lead role of Kim in the musical “Miss Saigon,” for which she won an Olivier, a Tony, a Drama Desk, an Outer Critic and a Theatre World award.

In 1993, she was the first Filipino artist signed to an international record label (Atlantic Records), and is also cited as the first Philippine-based artist to have received a major album release and distribution deal in the United States (the second being Charice Pempengco with her 2010 album Charice). Salonga is one of the best-selling Filipino artists of all time, having sold over 5 million copies of her albums worldwide.

She is the first Asian actress to play the roles of Eponine and Fantine in the musical “Les Miserables” on Broadway, roles which she portrayed in the musical’s 10th and 25th anniversary shows in London, respectively. She has also provided the singing voice of two official Disney princesses: Jasmine (Aladdin, 1992) and Fa Mulan (Mulan, 1998; Mulan II, 2004).

Salonga was named a Disney Legend in 2011 for her work with The Walt Disney Company.

Lea is the daughter of Feliciano Genuino Salonga and Ligaya Alcantara Imutan. She spent the first six years of her childhood in Angeles City (Pampanga) before moving to Manila.

She has a brother, Gerard Salonga, who is an orchestra conductor and musical arranger.

Other prominent personalities celebrating their birthdays in February are:

February 1: Famous Filipino hairstylist Fanny Ferrano;
February 2: Kaiser Permanente Hospital South San Francisco nurse Alma Bernabe Roxas;
February 3: ABS-CBN Chief Operating Officer of Star Creatives Malou Santos;
February 5: Concert King Martin Nievera;
February 6: LuzViMin of the Bay Area president Ora Seyler, entertainment producer-actress Daisy Romualdez;
February 7: Kapuso Channel 7 actor Luis Alandy; former Miss R.P.-USA Willard Torres of Hayward;
February 8: Filipino doctor John Gabordo of Gilroy;
February 10: Successful Antioch care home mananger Anthony Perez, ballroom dancer Jose (Joe) de Guzman, former medical assistant Ricky Umali;
February 11: Brightlight Productions production consultant and film/TV director, actor and writer Johnny Manahan; Kapuso-Channel 7 actress Lovi Poe, actress/TV host/singer Jackie Lou Blanco;
February 13: Daly City real estate broker Lita Celimen; the late Mr. Total Entertainer Rico J. Puno;
February 14: Queen of All Media and TV host Kris Aquino, Kapuso-Channel 7 actress Heart Evangelista, Star Cinema actor-dancer John Prats, actress Roxanne Guinoo-Yap;
February 15: PBA basketball star James Yap;
February 17: Movie actress/TV host/model/recording artist Anne Curtis;
February 18: Hollywood stage actress and commercial model Glenda Kennedy, ABS-CBN newscaster/TV host/reporter Bernadette Sembrano-Aguinaldo;
February 19: Actress Assunta De Rossi, Daly City Filipina community leader Joy Cabrera;
February 20: Kapamilya Channel 2 actress and dancer Cristine Reyes;
February 21: Filipino American business executive Sean Rennock;
February 23: Real estate agent Ramon (Monching) Bunag;
February 24: Former TV5 entertainment head Wilma Galvante;
February 25: The late fashion czar Jose (Pitoy) Moreno;
February 26: Equestrienne champion/TV host/model/actress Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski;
February 27: World renowned recording artist Josh Groban, well-liked dentist and singing tenor the late Dr. Narciso (Tito) Yusi, Alameda religious/civic leader and Roco Medical Clinic administrator Bernadette Munoz Roco, Navy pilot Michael Back;
February 29: San Francisco community leader Antonio Villegas.

To all celebrants, Happy Birthday! And to all my readers, advanced Happy Valentine’s Day!