October is the time to celebrate Filipino American History Month. This doesn’t mean only recognizing Filipino Americans, but every Filipino whose hard work and talent made an impact.
When thinking of celebrities with cultural ties to the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao or Bruno Mars typically come to mind. After all, what Filipino hasn’t grown up with Manny Pacquiao parties? But there are more celebrities with Filipino heritage whose music, acting or other creative work has grabbed our attention and touched our hearts. So, here’s 10 well-regarded, talented and accomplished Filipino celebrities who sang our favorite songs or played our favorite characters on screen.
- Olivia Rodrigo
The 23-year-old Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and actress has been singing hits and topping Billboard charts since her 2021 debut album “SOUR” up to her 2026 album “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So In Love.” In 2021, Rodrigo began releasing music with her debut single “Drivers License,” which reached over 80 million streams in a week, breaking Spotify’s record of most single-day streams and most single-week streams.
Since her debut, Rodrigo has received 14 Grammy nominations, and she even won three Grammys just a year after her debut for Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance.
- Beabadoobee
Beabadoobee, or Beatrice Keisti Laus, is a 26-year-old indie/alternative rock singer-songwriter born in Iloilo City, Philippines and raised in Britain. Her music ranges from calm bedroom pop in her 2018 debut EP “Lice,” to grungy rock in her most recent 2026 album, “Pylon.”
Her third studio album “This Is How Tomorrow Moves” debuted in 2024 at number one in the U.K. In her fourth studio album, “Pylon,” she collaborated with George Daniel, Matty Healy, Chino Moreno, Hayley Williams and Brendan Yates. “Pylon” became her first top 10 album on the Billboard 200 and her second album to debut at number one in the U.K.
- Dante Basco
Most known for his roles as Prince Zuko in “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and Rufio in the 1991 film “Hook,” the 51-year-old actor’s recognizable voice has practically raised Filipino-Americans born in the 2000s.
Basco also voiced the character Jake Long in the 2005 cartoon “American Dragon: Jake Long.” His other work in films include “Blood and Bone” (2009), “But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999), “Take the Lead” (2006) and more.
- Sophia Laforteza
The leader of the pop girl group KATSEYE that’s been taking over the world, 23-year-old Filipina American singer Sophia Laforteza’s rise to stardom began when she entered “The Debut: Dream Academy,” a 2023 survival show that created KATSEYE.
Out of over 120,000 contestants from around the world, she placed first on the show and soon became the first Filipino artist to be signed under HYBE, the South Korean entertainment company that manages BTS, NewJeans, Le Sserafim and other famous K-Pop groups.
Led by Laforteza, KATSEYE has received Grammy nominations such as Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and reached Billboard charts with their hit songs “Gnarly” and “Gabriela.”
- H.E.R.
Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, known professionally as H.E.R., has an African American father and a Filipina mother. Surrounded by musicians on both sides of her family, she became a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and actress.
Her 2017 album “H.E.R.” received five Grammy Award nominations, and she won Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance for her collaboration with Daniel Caesar on the song “Best Part.” Her later albums continued to receive critical acclaim, including an Academy Award for Best Original song in 2021.
- Dave Bautista
The half-Greek half-Filipino 57-year-old actor and retired professional wrestler is most known for his role as Drax the Destroyer in the 2012-2023 Marvel franchise “Guardians of the Galaxy,” an alien beloved for his advanced strength and combat skill that contrasts with his silly, strange humor. His other films include the “Dune” franchise (2021-2024), “Spectre” (2015), “Blade Runner 2049” (2017), “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (2022) and more.
During WWE’s Ruthless Aggression Era from 2002 until 2019, Bautista was one of the most well-known and respected professional wrestlers. He’s a two-time WWE Champion and a four-time World Heavyweight Champion.
- Manny Jacinto
The 39-year-old actor had his breakout role on the 2016-2020 sitcom “The Good Place” as the hilariously hot, but not quite smart Jason Mendoza. This role as an endearing idiot with good looks broke the stereotypes of Asian men in Hollywood being nerdy, awkward and undesirable.
His other works include “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), the Star Wars series “The Acolyte” (2024), “Freakier Friday” (2025) with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, and most recently “Forbidden Island” (2026) where he voiced a Filipino mythological creature, a tiyanak.
- Lea Salonga
One of the most under-appreciated on this list, the 55-year-old actress and singer is regarded as the “Pride of the Philippines” for her appraised roles on television, film and Broadway. She is most well-known as the singing voice for the Disney princesses Mulan and Jasmine.
Salonga has performed in musical theatre since she was a child in Manila and came to Broadway in 1991 for the production of “Miss Saigon.” She became the first Asian actress to win a Tony Award in 1991. She also received Grammy nominations in 2004 and 2019. In 1990, the Philippine government acknowledged her contributions to the country with the Presidential Merit Award. Salonga went on to receive the Congressional Medal of Achievement and became Commander of the Order of Lakandula in 2007. This year, she became the first Filipino to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Jacob Batalon
The 30-year-old actor is beloved for his first major performance as Ned Leeds, Peter Parker’s best friend (and occasional guy-in-the-chair) in Marvel’s “Spider-Man” franchise.
Before his role as Spider-Man’s best friend, he made his acting debut in the 2016 film “North Woods.” He has acted in other films and television shows such as “Every Day” (2018), “Reginald the Vampire” (2022-2024) and “Novocaine” (2025).
- Shay Mitchell
An icon of the 2010s due to her role as Emily Fields in the 2010 mystery drama series “Pretty Little Liars,” Shay Mitchell was recognized for her performance with six Teen Choice Awards along with several People’s Choice Award nominations.
The 39-year-old actress also played Peach Salinger in the 2018 season of the psychological thriller series “You.” In 2019, she voiced the English dub of the main character, Alexandra Trese, in the animated Netflix series “Trese” that centers around fighting Filipino mythological creatures.
Although many may not realize it, Filipino actors and musicians have raised us in beloved childhood cartoons and films, astounded us as they’ve graced the silver screen in Hollywood television shows and movies, and have sung our favorite hits that we can’t get out of our heads. So during Filipino American History Month, take time to recognize and applaud the Filipino talent that can be found across the world.
