Age: 75
Birthday: 20th May
Cher is an American singer, actress and television personality. Commonly referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry. Cher is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment, as well as adopting a variety of styles and appearances throughout her six-decade-long career.
Contralto - the lowest female singing voice.
Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher after their song "I Got You Babe" peaked at number one on the US and UK charts. She began her solo career simultaneously, releasing in 1966 the transatlantic top three single "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)". She became a television personality in the 1970s with her shows The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, watched by over 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, and Cher. She emerged as a fashion trendsetter by wearing elaborate outfits on her television shows.
While working on television, Cher established herself as a solo artist with tnumber-one singles "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed", and "Dark Lady", becoming the female artist with the most number-one singles in United States history at the time. After her divorce from Sonny Bono in 1975, she launched a comeback with the disco album Take Me Home (1979) and earned $300,000 a week for her 1979–1982 concert residency in Las Vegas.
In 1982, Cher made her Broadway debut in the play Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean and starred in its film adaptation. She subsequently garnered critical acclaim for her performances in films such as Silkwood (1983), Mask (1985), and Moonstruck (1987), the latter of which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. She then revived her music career by recording the rock-inflected albums Cher (1987), Heart of Stone (1989), and Love Hurts (1991), all of which yielded successful singles such as "I Found Someone", "If I Could Turn Back Time", and "Love and Understanding".
Cher reached a new commercial peak in 1998 with the dance-pop album Believe, and became the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist in the UK. It features pioneering use of Auto-Tune to distort her vocals, known as the "Cher effect". Her 2002–2005 Living Proof: The Farewell Tour became one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time, earning $250 million. In 2018, Cher returned to film for her first on-screen role since 2010's Burlesque, starring in the musical romantic comedy film Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS: 2 WINS: 1
1988 - WINNER: Best Leading Actress: Moonstruck
1984 - Best Supporting Actress: Silkwood
BAFTA AWARD NOMINATIONS: 2
1988 - Best Leading Actress: Moonstruck
1984 - Best Supporting Actress: Silkwood
How do you rate Cher's movies?
WATCH CHER THIS WEEK
ON TV:
Cher at the BBC
Saturday 29th May, BBC2, 9:00pm
Some of Cher's most inconic TV performances appear here.
FILM: Moonstruck (1987)
Saturday 29th May, BBC2, 10:00pm
Cher won the Oscar for her role in this romantic comedy.
ON NETFLIX:
FILM: Burlesque (2010)
Teaming up with Christina Aguilera for this little bit of camp nonsense.
ON AMAZON PRIME...
FILM: Tea with Mussolini (1999)
Cher holds her ground alongside some acting royalty in this period drama.
What's your favourite Cher movie / performance?
Make sure you are booked in for this week's DRAMA CLASSES
