Broadway singer and actress Lea Salonga adds another accolade to her arsenal. She was recently named Time Magazine Impact Awardee for inspiring children of color worldwide.
This year Time Magazine recognized “visionaries who have gone above and beyond to make an impact and move their respective industries forward.”
Salonga was called a “role model for children of color” in a September 25 feature written by Time Magazine’s Sanya Mansoor. Among her accomplishments in theater and film included breaking down racial barriers.
“In her four-decade award-winning career as an actress and singer, Salonga has emerged as not only a Disney and Broadway icon, but a role model for children of color,” Mansoor wrote.
She continued, “Salonga prides herself on promoting representation in Hollywood and on Broadway and showing underrepresented groups that their stories matter.”
According to PageOne, Salonga was the first Asian to play Eponine in the famous musical “Les Miserables.” Aside from the singing voices of Princess Jasmine and Mulan, Salonga is also widely recognized as a Tony Award recipient. She won the prestigious Tony Award for her performance as Kim in “Miss Saigon” in 1989 – the first Filipino and Asian to do so in a lead role.
Time Magazine noted that Salonga’s perseverance in her career proved that a child from Southeast Asia could reach great heights. Salonga continues to break barriers in Hollywood and most recently played the role of Elodie Honrada in the Pretty Little Liars spinoff series, Original Sin.
Manila Standard reports that other TIME100 Impact awardees include British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding and rapper Will.i.am. They will be honored at an evening celebration at the National Gallery Singapore following the inaugural TIME100 Leadership Forum on October 2.
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