Cher Biography

NAME: Cher

OCCUPATION: Film Actress, Singer

BIRTH DATE: May 20, 1946 (Age: 65)

PLACE OF BIRTH: El Centro, California

ALTERNATE NAME(S): Cherilyn Sarkisian

Singer. Actress. Born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California. Cher rose to stardom as part of a singing act with her husband Salvatore "Sonny" Bono. Known as Sonny and Cher, the duo scored a hit in 1965 with "I Got You Babe." They also had their own television series, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, from 1971 to 1974.

In the 1980s, Cher pursued an acting career. She appeared on Broadway in Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean in 1982. She reprised the role of Sissy in the film adaptation of the play. She continued to earn the respect of movie critics and fans alike by turning in a number of strong performances in such films as Silkwood (1983), Mask (1985), and Moonstruck (1987). Cher received her first Oscar nomination for her performance in Silkwood and won her first Oscar for Moonstuck in the Best Actress category.

An Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Award-winning American pop culture institution, Cher's one-of-a-kind persona made her an inspiration for the working-class woman and a gay icon frequently imitated on the drag runway. From her beginnings in pop music and ultimate title of one of its top-selling female artists of all time, exotic-looking Cher was known for outrageous costumes and her aching, powerful contralto. But her eventual acting success in films like "Silkwood" (1983), "Mask" (1985), "Moonstruck" (1987) and "Mermaids" (1990) revealed a strong connection to the emotional lives of unstable, overwhelmed, reluctant adults. Her four decade-long career was more of a rollercoaster than most in that league, but the comeback queen always emerged on top with her peculiar ability to parlay the conflicted inner life of a shy loner into a headdress-wearing diva strutting and singing for crowds of thousands.

In a musical departure from her steady, moderate success with pop rock ballads, Cher's 1998 album Believe embraced dance tracks and digital vocal effects with astonishing results. Acting remained on the back burner and Cher kept her musical momentum going with 2002's Living Proof and "The Farewell Tour," a multi-media extravaganza covering the incomparable entertainer's career in show business. After three years on the road, the show was redubbed the "Never Can Say Goodbye Tour" and earned an Emmy for a televised Las Vegas concert. At age 60, retirement proved to be nowhere on the horizon for the timeless icon, and in 2008.