Singer and actress, born in El Centro, California, USA. She was originally paired in a singing act with her husband Salvatore Sonny Bono (193598) as Sonny and Cher, and was later married briefly to rock guitarist Greg Allman (1947 ). Sonny and Cher were best known for the rock anthem I Got You Babe (1965). Cher found greater success on her own, both as a singer and as a stage and film actress, winning an Academy Award for best actress in Moonstruck (1987) after a nomination for Silkwood (1983). Later films include Tea With Mussolini (1999).
| Cher | ||
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Cher singing "Song for the Lonely" at the 2002 American Music Awards. |
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere | |
| Also known as | Cherilyn | |
| Born | May 20, 1946 (age 60) | |
| Origin | El Centro, California, United States | |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Disco, Rock, Dance | |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Vocalist | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals | |
| Years active | 1964–present | |
| Label(s) |
Warner Bros.(2005-present) Atlantic Recording Corporation EMI Music Corporation of America Casablanca Records Columbia Geffen Isis Productions WEA |
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Associated acts |
Sonny & Cher | |
| Website | Cher.com | |
Cher (born Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere on May 20, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, director, author and all-around entertainer. Cher and also established herself as a solo recording artist, releasing 26 albums, numerous compilations and achieving 22 Billboard Top 40 hits, (including 12 Top 10 hits and 4 #1 hits) over her career.
According to the 2007 edition of the Guiness Book of World Records, Cher's Living Proof: The Farewell Tour is the top grossing tour ever, after earning nearly $400 million.
In a career that has now surpassed 40 years, Cher has established herself as a pop culture icon and is one of the most enduring entertainers of all time; Cher has become one of the great American icons of the 1900shaving sold over 100 million records solo and 80 million records as part of Sonny &
Early life
Cher was born in El Centro, California, on May 20, 1946 at 7:25 a.m. Her mother, Georgia Holt (née Pelham), an aspiring actress and occasional model, is of Cherokee, Armenian and English descent.
1960s
1962-1964: Beginning and rise to fame
Cher first met Sonny Bono in a Los Angeles coffee shop in November 1962 when she was 16. Sonny and Cher became fast friends, eventual lovers, and later married. Through Sonny, Cher (as she was called early on for short) started as a session singer, eventually singing back-up on several of Spector’s classic recordings, including The Righteous Brothers “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”, “Da Doo Ron Ron” by The Crystals and The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby”.
1965-1967: Career development
They re-emerged as Sonny and Cher, and released their first album Look at Us in the summer of 1965. Sonny and Cher charted a total of 11 Billboard Top 40 hits between 1965 and 1972 including 6 Top 10 hits.
While initially perceived as the slightly awkward and underestimated half of the popular singing duo, Cher often covered up for her stagefright and nervousness with quick-witted barbs toward her husband.
Later in 1965, Cher released her debut solo album titled All I Really Want To Do which reached #16 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
In 1966 Cher released her second solo album with the Atco Records label, "The Sonny Side of Cher".
1968-1969: Career stalled
Sonny and Cher's career had stalled by 1968, as album sales quickly dried up.
Sonny and Cher welcomed their first child, Chastity Bono, born on March 4, 1969. The duo made another unsuccessful foray into film later in 1969 with Bono writing and producing the film Chastity, intended as a dramatic debut for Cher as an actress.
1970s
1970-1974: Musical and television stardom
In 1970, Sonny and Cher starred in their first television special, The Sonny and Cher Nitty Gritty Hour.
Sonny and Cher caught the eye of CBS head of programming Fred Silverman while guest-hosting on The Merv Griffin Show, and Silverman offered the duo their own variety show. The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour debuted in 1971 as a summer replacement series.
Some of the many guests who appeared on the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour included Chuck Berry, Carol Burnett, George Burns, Glen Campbell, Dick Clark, Tony Curtis, Bobby Darin, Phyllis Diller, Merv Griffin, The Jackson Five, Jerry Lee Lewis, Liberace, Steve Martin, Ronald Reagan, Burt Reynolds, Neil Sedaka, Dinah Shore, The Supremes, Sally Struthers, The Righteous Brothers and Racquel Welch among others.
Cher, at 25, continued to establish herself as a solo recording artist, enlisting the help of hit producer Snuff Garrett and charted her first solo #1 hit with the song "Gypsys, Tramps &
By the third season of the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour in 1974, the marriage of Sonny and Cher began to fall apart; Bono launched his own show, The Sonny Comedy Revue in the fall of 1974 while Cher also announced plans to host and star in a new variety TV series of her own.
A lot of press was generated throughout 1975 about Cher's exposed bellybutton and daring ensembles created by famed designer Bob Mackie. The Cher show ran for two half seasons, before a pregnant Cher pulled the plug herself, deciding instead to reunite with her ex-husband for a revamped version of The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.
On June 30, 1975, three days after her divorce from Sonny was final, Cher married rock musician Gregg Allman, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band.
On February 2, 1976 The Sonny and Cher Show debuted to Top 10 ratings and high expectations. Some of the guests who appeared on The Sonny and Cher Show included Frankie Avalon, Muhammed Ali, Raymond Burr, Ruth Buzzi, Charo, Barbara Eden, Farrah Fawcett, Terri Garr, Bob Hope, Don Knotts, Jerry Lewis, Tony Orlando, The Osmonds, Debbie Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers, Tina Turner, Twiggy, and Betty White, among others. Cher continued to release numerous solo albums during this period, though none matched the critical or commercial success of her earlier 70s recordings. A highlight of her television work included a song and dance number based on the classic musical West Side Story in which Cher portrayed each of the main characters.
Sonny and Cher appeared together one last time on The Mike Douglas Show in the spring of 1979 (until their infamous 1987 Letterman appearance) and performed a medley of their hit "United We Stand" with the song "Without You".
Later in 1979, Cher would capitalize on the disco sensation, signing with Casablanca Records, and scoring yet another Top 10 hit with the single "Take Me Home" (#8, 1979). Sales of the album Take Me Home may have been boosted by the image of a scantily-clad Cher in a Viking outfit on the album’s cover. For her second Casablanca release, Prisoner (1979), Cher appeared on the album's cover virtually naked and wrapped in chains, igniting a firestorm of controversy with women's rights groups for her perceived "sex slave" image.
1980s
1980-1987: Film stardom and musical breakout
In 1980, Cher, at age 34, formed the rock band Black Rose with her then-partner, guitarist Les Dudek, and released the album Black Rose by year's end. In 1982, Cher released I Paralyze, and despite appearances on American Bandstand and The Tonight Show, critics panned the album and sales were disappointing.
With album sales and hit singles again at a standstill, Cher decided to expand her career into serious film acting.
In 1982, at 36, Cher landed her first major role in an off-Broadway production of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. For her role as a mother of a severely disfigured boy, Cher won the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 1985, Cher was honored with Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year Award. Dukakis also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Cher's mother in the film.
On May 22, 1986, Cher made her infamous first appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. They patched up their differences for a 1987 show that had Cher and Sonny Bono reuniting to sing "I Got You, Babe".
This was not the first time an incident like this occurred, however, on one occasion, Cher was on the receiving end. In 2001, Cher was interviewed by British talk show host and television presenter Clive Anderson (most famous for having The Bee Gees get up and walk out on a live interview for calling them a "bunch of tossers" whilst they were on his show).
1987-1989: Return to musical success
In 1987, at the age 41, Cher revived her recording career after a five-year hiatus under the suggestion and coordination of rock producer and A&R man John Kalodner. Under a new recording contract with Geffen Records, Cher released the first of three highly successful rock albums, under the executive production of Kalodner and featuring writing contributions from the likes of Diane Warren, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child, Michael Bolton.
Cher would experience her most successful comeback yet in 1989. The album was originally released with cover artwork featuring Cher sitting in front of a heart made of stone, creating the illusion of a skull.
The album sparked five hit singles, "If I Could Turn Back Time", "Just Like Jesse James", "Heart of Stone", and "After All" including "You Wouldn't Know Love" which was certified gold in the UK and received minor success in Ireland.
Heart of Stone became her most successful album at the time with over eleven million copies worldwide and it was certified 3x Platinum by RIAA in U.S.
As well, she launched the Heart of Stone Tour which played throughout 1989 and 1990 in various parts of the world.
1990s
1990-1992: Artistic development and commercial hits
In 1991, Cher completed her Geffen recording contract by releasing the album Love Hurts. The European cover of the album was different from the American release, it featured Cher laying on a white backgroung wearing a red wig.
Cher starred in the film Mermaids (1990) with Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, and a then 9-year-old Christina Ricci making her film debut.
1992-1996: Commercial ups and down and controversies
In 1992, at age 46, Cher took some time off, following what was widely reported as a case of Epstein-Barr Virus or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The album is arguably Cher at her best, singing 'unconventional' and streching her vocals to sing in an unusually high voice.
1997: Sonny Bono dies
Cher was in London, England in January of 1998 when a call from her daughter Chastity brought the shocking news of Sonny Bono's death in a skiing accident. Photographed in tears as she fled through Heathrow Airport back to Los Angeles, California, the media had seemingly appointed Cher his widow, though they had been apart for 24 years and he was long remarried, and then married again with a fourth wife and a new career as a popular congressman.
Despite charges of opportunism, Cher continued to openly mourn, also paying tribute to Bono in the sentimental CBS special Sonny and Me: Cher Remembers (1998), calling her grief "something I never plan to get over."
Sonny and Cher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television in 1999. Cher appeared at the event with Mary Bono, who accepted the award on behalf of her late husband.
1998-1999: Definitive worldwide popularity
At the end of 1998, at age 52, a newly energized Cher released her much-hyped album Believe, widely reported to be targeted towards her immense gay following. The album marked an extreme departure for Cher, as the record was a sparkling collection of up-tempo dance tracks, conjured up by a large and mixed team of lesser-known, mostly European producers. This achievement made Cher the oldest woman (at age 52) to have a #1 hit in the rock era, and also gave her the distinction of having the longest span of #1 hits (33 years) and the largest gap between #1's (24 years). Cher won her first Grammy Award in February 1999 for Best Dance Recording for the song "Believe".
Further complementing her latest comeback, Cher published her first memoir in late 1998 titled The First Time.
In January 1999, Cher performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" to positive reviews in front of millions around the world for Super Bowl XXXIII. Cher performed on the highly-rated television special Divas Live 1999 and appeared onstage in a memorable performance alongside contemporaries Tina Turner and Elton John. Later in 1999, Cher co-starred in the critically-acclaimed Franco Zeffirelli film Tea With Mussolini (1999) with Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright and Lily Tomlin before embarking on the successful worldwide Do You Believe? In May 2000, Cher was presented with the Lifelong Contribution to the Music Industry Award at the World Music Awards. This album was written mostly by Cher after she attended a songwriting retreat in France in 1994 with the exception of two songs; This also marked the first time that Cher wrote a majority of the material for an album.
That year she won the Dance/Club Play Artist of the Year and was also presented with a special Artist Achievement Award at the Billboard Music Awards by Steven Tyler of the rock band Aerosmith.
In May of 2002, Cher again performed on the VH1 television special VH1 Divas Las Vegas and in June, announced plans for the Living Proof: The Farewell Tour which she claimed would be the final live concert tour of her career, though she vowed to continue recording and releasing music. It netted Cher her first Emmy Award as Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. Also in 2003, Cher recorded a duet with Rod Stewart, "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" for his album As Time Goes By...
Cher performed after New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas in 2004. According to the 2007 edition of the Guiness Book of World Records, Cher's Living Proof: The Farewell Tour is the top grossing tour ever, after earning nearly $400 million.
Current projects
Since finishing that tour, Cher mainly kept a low profile.
Las Vegas Bound
In May of 2006, it was announced that Cher will replace Celine Dion in an exclusive stage production and residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas once Dion's present contract expires.
Personal life
Sonny and Cher first met in 1962.
Following their break-up, Cher was involved in a number of very public relationships with high profile men including record executive David Geffen and Gene Simmons, bass guitarist from the rock band KISS.
In the early 1980s, Cher dated guitarist Les Dudek, whom she had worked with on the Black Rose project.
Personal wealth
It is believed that Cher has become one of the wealthiest entertainers in the industry. It was reported in April of 2006 that Cher had purchased a condominium in the Sierra Towers in West Hollywood, California, for $4.5 million, and, in May of 2006, that she had sold her Florida mansion for $8.8 million.
In August of 2006, it was announced that Cher, in conjunction with Sotheby's and Julien's Auctions were planning to auction about 800 of her personal possessions from her Italian Renaissance-themed Malibu estate, including numerous antiques, art collectibles, paintings, career memorabilia, furniture (including her bed) as well as numerous pieces of jewellery, clothing and stage costumes and gowns, a 2003 H2 Hummer and her 2005 Bentley. The event, which took place October 3-5 in Beverly Hills, California, raised $3.5 million of which Cher had said a large sum would benefit the Cher Charitable Foundation.
As a gay icon
Cher has long been considered an icon in popular gay culture. In 2000, Cher made a cameo on the show, while Jack believed her to be a drag queen and said he could "do" a better Cher.
Cher's status may have been assisted by her support of her openly lesbian daughter Chastity Bono. Although not supporting Chastity immediately after she came out, Cher has since become one of her daughter's (and the gay community's) greatest advocates and supporters.
In 1998, Cher was honored with a GLAAD Media Award (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and in November 1999, The Advocate named Cher one of the '25 Coolest Women'.
Her longevity is the inspiration for the famous quote by gay impressionist Jimmy James: "After a nuclear holocaust, all that will be left are cockroaches and Cher".
Political interests
Unlike her late ex-husband Sonny Bono, Cher has, until quite recently, always been a staunch Democrat.
In 1996, Cher appeared on C-SPAN as part of a national AIDS awareness event.
On October 27, 2003, Cher anonymously called C-SPAN during a phone-in.
On May 18, 2006, Cher was a guest on The Ed Schultz Show to discuss her work in support of U.S. troops fighting abroad, as well as returning veterans.
Also, during the interview with Schultz, Cher said she is an independent.
Currently, Cher is involved with Operation Helmet and appeared with Dr. Bob Meaders (founder of Operation Helmet) on C-Span again on June 14, 2006.
Humanitarian work
Cher has been involved with many humanitarian groups and charity efforts over the years.
In 1993, Cher participated in a humanitarian effort to Armenia, (where her father was born) bringing much needed food and medical supplies and touring the war-torn region.
In August of 2005, it was reported that Cher had voluntarily sent payments to help a 16-year-old Northport, Alabama, boy with muscular dystrophy who required home healthcare.
She is also the namesake of the Cher Charitable Foundation which donates funds to various charities and causes close to her heart.
Cher is a major contributor to Operation-Helmet.org, a charity that provides helmet upgrade kits to troops at no cost to them.
Cher convention
Cher has a very large and devoted fanbase that has transcended generations. Such devotion is evidenced through the biennial Cher Convention which began in Chicago in 2000 as a tribute by fans when her song "Believe" reached #1.
Cher expo
Cher Fans from around the world get together for a presentation of Cher Memorbilia and a Variety Show in the honor of CHER. Cher fans will be given a chance to bring their love for Cher and their hearts together to raise money for Operation Rebound, a division of the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
Tattoos
Cher became famous for her many tattoos long before they were fashionable among women in Hollywood.
Media reports in recent years have indicated that Cher has since committed to having all of her tattoos removed and the process has apparently been underway.
Influence
In her early career, Cher was a fashion trendsetter, popularizing long straight hair, bellbottoms and an exposed midriff.
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Golden Globe | Best TV Actress - Musical/Comedy | TV |
| 1984 | Golden Globe | Best Supporting Actress | Movie |
| 1985 | Cannes Film Festival | Best Actress | Movie |
| 1985 | Hasty Pudding Theatricals, USA | Woman of the Year | |
| 1987 | Oscar | Best Actress | Movie |
| 1987 | Kansas City Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | Movie |
| 1987 | Golden Globe | Best Actress - Comedy or Musical | Movie |
| 1991 | ECHO | Best International Singer | Music |
| 1998 | Vanguard Award | Woman of the Year | |
| 1999 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Television | TV |
| 1999 | Grammy | Best Dance Recording | Music |
| 2000 | Lucy Award | Lucy Award Honoree | |
| 2000 | Online Television Academy Awards | Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special | |
| 2000 | World Music Award | Lifelong Contribution to the Music Industry Award | Music |
| 2000 | ECHO | Best International Singer | Music |
| 2000 | Bambi | Best International Female Artist | Music |
| 2000 | Blockbuster Award | Women of the Year | |
| 2002 | Billboard Music Award | Artist Achievement Award | Music |
| 2002 | Billboard Music Award | Dance/Club Artist of the Year | Music |
| 2003 | Emmy | Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special | TV |
| 2004 | Women's World Award | Women's World Award Honoree | |
| 2005 | MTV Australia Video Music Awards | Lifelong Contribution to the Music Industry Award | Music |
Tours and concerts
Tours
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Wondrous World Tour | Not Available |
| 1971 | All I Ever Need Is You Tour | Not Available |
| 1978 | Allman and Woman Tour | Not Available |
| 1989 | Heart of Stone Tour | DVD, VHS |
| 1991 | Love Hurts Tour | Not Available |
| 1999 | Do You Believe? Tour | DVD, VHS |
| 2002 | Living Proof: The Farewell Tour | DVD, VHS, CD |
Concerts
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Live in Monte Carlo | Not Available |
| 1983 | A Celebration at Caesar's Palace | Not Available |
Discography
See Cher discography
Filmography
| Cher filmography and television work | |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1964–present |
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Preceded by: Marlee Matlin for Children of a Lesser God |
Academy Award for Best Actress 1987 for Moonstruck |
Succeeded by: Jodie Foster for The Accused |
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