One-name-wonder Cher is known worldwide for her partnership with Sonny Bono (which spawned the million-selling "I Got You Babe" and a hit TV show), movies (she won a Best Actress Oscar for Moonstruck), her solo singing career (a recent single, "Believe" went to #1 all over the world), her Bob Mackie-designed Oscar gowns, her infomercials, and RUMORS of extensive plastic surgery.
Cherilyn Sarkisian was born on May 20, 1946. Her father abandoned the family when she was a baby, and her mother went through several relationships before marrying Gilbert La Piere in 1961, whose name Cher adopted. Cher dropped out of high school as a teenager -- surprising no one who happened to look over her shoulder in class and saw her practicing her autograph in her notebook. She was discovered by Sonny Bono, an aspiring songwriter then working as a promoter for legendary producer Phil Spector, when she started working as a go-go dancer. The relationship was platonic at first; at 26, Bono was ten years her senior.
As Caesar and Cleo the duo recorded a few singles that went nowhere. But onstage -- mostly in run-down clubs and bowling alleys -- the pair found that they had a gift for banter. Sonny's goofy jokes and Cher's quick put-downs would later serve them well when they made the transition to nightclubs and television.
In 1965 they became Sonny & Cher and rode the folk-rock wave to stardom when their single "I Got You Babe" became a gigantic hit. They were proto-hippies now: Cher with her trend-setting long straight locks (now dubbed "Cher hair"), and Sonny, pre-mustache, with his overgrown moptop.
The hits continued. Cher went solo as well, charting hits with Bob Dylan's "All I Really Want to Do" in 1965 and the Sonny-penned "Bang, Bang," in 1966. But by the end of the '60s, with the Woodstock generation coming of age, the Sonny & Cher formula looked tired and unhip. They tried movies, making the Hard Day's Night rip-off Good Times, which flopped. And they were bankrupted by their next cinematic effort, Chastity, which Sonny financed. Forced to make a living, the two hit the road, appearing at nightclubs around the country, polishing their act, and taking it easy for the first time after the birth of their daughter, Chastity, in 1969.
The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour premiered in 1971 and was a huge success. But when the marriage broke up, so did the show. Both attempted solo TV careers, with little success. In 1976 they reunited for one season, but the magic had clearly gone. Happily for Cher, her solo career blossomed, even when her personal life seemed in shambles. She had number one hit singles with "Gypsies, Tramps And Thieves," "Half-Breed," and "Dark Lady." But by the end of the decade even the hits dried up, and Cher could only attract press for her high-profile romances, such as her nine-day marriage to Gregg Allman (which produced a son, Elijah Blue, in 1977) or with Kiss' long-tongued guitarist Gene Simmons, among others.
In the '80s, Cher concentrated on acting, and luckily for her, there were some maverick directors in Hollywood that were willing to take a chance on someone with her notoriety. In Mike Nichol's Silkwood she played the lesbian friend of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep), a role which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1984. After a well-received turn in 1985's Mask, Cher hit her acting peak in 1987's Moonstruck. As Loretta Castorini, a thirtysomething widow who leaves her mama's boy fiance for his younger brother, Cher won an Oscar for Best Actress.
But in the early '90s Cher's star dimmed as she squandered her energies in a slew of infomercials for hair and skin care products which made her the butt of jokes within the entertainment industry. She also suffered from chronic-fatigue syndrome, making it impossible for her to work. Her comeback vehicle, Faithless, was a critical and commercial disaster. It seemed that Cher might disappear forever.
Ironically, it was her family that brought her back into the spotlight. Her daughter Chastity came out as a lesbian and published a memoir which catapulted her into prominence as a spokesperson for gay and lesbian rights. And Sonny, a successful restaurateur and the former Republican mayor of Palm Springs, was elected to Congress as part of the conservative revolution of 1994.
Then, in early 1998, Bono died in a skiing accident. Cher, said to be devastated by the death of her former soulmate, gave a moving eulogy ("I know he's somewhere, loving this," she said), full of the warmth and humor that has always shaped her work. She later produced a TV special commemorating her late partner, and in 1998 published her autobiography, The First Time.
As the millenium approaches, Cher's star appears to be on the rise yet again. She's back onscreen in Tea with Mussolini, was a featured "Diva" on VH-1, and though she doesn't look forward to aging ("I hate my 50s," she told PEOPLE in 1998. "They suck."), her stature as a pop culture icon has never been more secure.
Thank You www.People.com for the bio! If you want more, please visit and do a search for CHER!
Main
Galleries
CherArt
Music
Lyrics
Movies
Links
Webrings
Awards
