On film, she portrayed Lisa in the Filipino comedy Tropang Bulilit (1981), and her performances as Sandy and Agnes in the romantic dramas Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal (1992) and Sana Maulit Muli (1995), respectively, were widely acclaimed.

Her television acting credits include Lien Hughes on As the World Turns, Aunt Myrna on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Elodie Honrada on Pretty Little Liars.

As a teenager, Salonga continued to act in films, appearing in Like Father, Like Son (1985), Ninja Kids (1986), Captain Barbell (1986), and Pik Pak Boom (1988).

In early 1986, 14-year-old Salonga was noted to be attending KBL campaign sorties alongside other celebrities for the reelection of president Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 snap election.

[16][17] She finished her primary and secondary education as salutatorian and valedictorian, respectively, at Operation Brotherhood (OB) Montessori Center before continuing on a pre-medical track at Ateneo de Manila University.

[22][23] During an episode of "Stars in the House" streamed on March 28, 2020, Salonga told Seth Rudetsky and his husband, producer James Wesley, she found out that she was officially cast when she read the Sunday supplement of the Daily Mail.

On December 21, 1990, Salonga performed with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Ateneo College Glee Club, and guest singer Robert Seña in a homecoming concert in Manila entitled A Miss Called Lea, which was later broadcast on television.

[13] In the U.S. in 1995, Salonga played the role of Geri Riordan, an 18-year-old adopted Vietnamese American child in the Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie Redwood Curtain, which starred John Lithgow and Jeff Daniels.

[55] In November 2001, while performing in the Los Angeles production of Flower Drum Song at the Mark Taper Forum, Salonga met Robert "Rob" Charles Chien, an American entrepreneur of Chinese and Japanese heritage.

[59][60][61] After her final stint in Miss Saigon for its closing on Broadway in 2001, Salonga recreated the role of Lien Hughes, initially played by Ming-Na Wen, in the soap opera As the World Turns.

In 2002, Salonga returned to Broadway to play the leading role of Wu Mei-Li, a Chinese immigrant in a reinterpretation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song opposite Jose Llana.

[68] In September 2002, she appeared on Working in the Theatre for a second time, along with John Cullum, Edie Falco, Stanley Tucci, Marissa Jaret Winokur, and Charlayne Woodard.

[11] In 2006, at the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, Salonga concluded the closing ceremony with the song "Triumph of the One" before an audience of 50,000 people at Khalifa International Stadium.

[115] From July to August 2010, Salonga played the role of Grizabella in the Manila run of the Asia-Pacific tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

[127] In February in the Philippines, Salonga provided the theme song for TV5's reality singing competition Kanta Pilipinas, and, together with Tyne Daly and Norm Lewis, she starred as Mother in a concert performance of Ragtime at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.

[128] Salonga headlined a concert series, "4 Stars One World of Broadway Musicals", in Tokyo Osaka in June, performing with Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, and Yu Shirota.

[139] In The New York Times, Charles Isherwood wrote of her performance: "Her voice retains its plush beauty, and her culminating first act solo, 'Higher' ... is perhaps the show's musical highlight.

"[140] Salonga guest-starred on the April 2016 season finale of the American television series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,[141] playing Filipino-heritage character Josh's visiting aunt, a former Star Search contestant, in town for a wedding, at which she sings the episode's climactic Disney princess parody song, "One Indescribable Instant.

[134][143] A review in ABS-CBN News said that she "delivers a finely tuned performance, utilizing her prodigious stage presence to provide the cold and dark shadings to erstwhile peppy scenes with her subtle stares and held back emotions.

Following the completion of this tour, she performed the song "The Prayer" at the 2022 National Memorial Day Concert on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., which was broadcast on PBS.

[168] On December 15, 16, and 17, 2022, Salonga performed with The Tabernacle Choir as the featured guest artist in a series of Christmas concerts at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

[175] She returned to London's West End to star alongside Bernadette Peters in the tribute revue Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, which ran at the Gielgud Theatre from September 21, 2023 to January 6, 2024.

alongside Michael Urie, Frankie Grande, Douglas Sills, Cheyenne Jackson, Jonathan Freeman, Brad Oscar, Robin de Jesús, Lea DeLaria, Seth Rudetsky, and Kate McKinnon.

[199] Additionally, Salonga promoted the campaign's program Dial-A-Friend, a telephone hotline that provides confidential counseling regarding mental health, relationships, and contraception.

On October 12, 2009, during a benefit concert held at the Philippine Center's Kalayaan Hall for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy, Salonga referenced the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., and stated, "I believe that every single human being has the fundamental right to marry whoever they want.

[208] On April 21, 2021, she appeared with actress Lucy Liu, politician Hillary Clinton, and others in the #AAPI Women Strong: Organizing Beyond A Hashtag forum to share their experiences and spread awareness of anti-Asian hate.

[209] One of the most prolific actresses since her career's inception in 1978, Salonga has appeared in numerous international theatre productions, television shows, films, and video games.

"[216][217] Salonga has been cited as an influence for several singers and actors, especially those of Asian descent, including Ali Ewoldt,[218] Kimiko Glenn,[219] Rachelle Ann Go,[220] Vanessa Hudgens,[221] Arielle Jacobs,[222] Vina Morales,[223] Bella Poarch,[224] Nicole Scherzinger,[225] Phillipa Soo,[219] and Lola Tung.

In September 2024, Salonga was featured as a wax figure in the Madame Tussauds Singapore museum's Music Zone in recognition of "her remarkable talent and contributions to the world of entertainment.

[25] In 2007, President Gloria Arroyo honored Salonga with the rank of Commander of the Order of Lakandula in recognition of using her talents to benefit Philippine society and foster cultural exchange.