Cher (b. 1946)

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Biography

Cher is an American singer and actress. Dubbed the "Goddess of Pop", she is known for her androgynous contralto voice, bold fashion and visual presentation, and multifaceted career. Her screen roles often reflect her public image as a strong-willed, outspoken woman. An influential figure in popular culture, Cher has sustained a career spanning more than six decades through continual reinvention.

In Their Own Words (5)

You don't have to be smart to act — look at the outgoing president of the United States.

Remark (December 1988), reported in Brewer's Cinema (1995) , 1995

Try to be in as many relationships as you can.

A tip to happiness, as quoted in an interview with Gene Simmons, on extra TV (2008) , 2008

Follow this you bitches.

Monologue - The Farewell Tour (2005) , 2005

Don’t buy into the idea that women aren’t strong enough to do anything they want on their own.

‘"Cher Genius", You magazine, the Mail on Sunday (UK) newspaper (28 November 2010) , 2010

I love having boyfriends. A girl can wait for the right man to come along – but in the meantime that doesn’t mean she can’t have a wonderful time with all the wrong ones.

"Cher Genius", an interview in You magazine, the Mail on Sunday (UK) newspaper (28 November 2010), interviewed by Elaine Lipworth in Las Vegas. , 2010

Timeline

The story of Cher, told in moments.

1946 Birth

Born Cheryl Sarkisian in El Centro, California. Armenian and Cherokee heritage. Her mother is a model and actress who will marry eight times. Cher drops out of school at 16 and moves to Los Angeles.

Your mother married eight times. Did that make you fearless or cautious about love? What made you drop out of school at 16 and head to LA?

1965 Event

"I Got You Babe" with Sonny Bono. She's 19. It hits number one in the US and UK. They look strange together, sound perfect together, and become the couple America watches on television for the next decade.

You looked strange together, sounded perfect together. Was Sonny your partner or your manager? Were you in love at 19 or just along for the ride?

1971 Event

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour debuts on CBS. 30 million viewers a week. She's the funny one. Sharp, deadpan, taller than him. "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" goes to number one. Then "Half-Breed." Then "Dark Lady." Three consecutive chart-toppers.

30 million viewers a week. Was the funny one act or reality? Three consecutive number-one hits. Did that feel like dominance?

1987 Event

Wins Best Actress at the Academy Awards for Moonstruck. She arrives in a see-through Bob Mackie gown. She's been told she'd never be taken seriously as an actress. Silkwood, Mask, The Witches of Eastwick, and now an Oscar. She's 41.

They said you d never be taken seriously as an actress. Did the Oscar shut them up? That Bob Mackie gown at the Oscars. Statement or stunt?

1998 Event

"Believe" pioneers Auto-Tune as a vocal effect. The "Cher effect." She's 52. It becomes the UK's best-selling single by a female artist and hits number one in 23 countries. Dance music producers steal the trick within months.

You invented the Cher effect at 52. Did you know producers would steal it? Was Believe a comeback or just proof you never left?

2002 Life

Launches the Living Proof: The Farewell Tour. It grosses $250 million, then the highest-grossing tour by a female artist. She'll do several more "farewell" tours. The goodbye never quite arrives.

How many farewell tours is too many? 250 million dollars grossed. Was the goodbye ever real?

2024 Legacy

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at 78. The only performer to hold an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy, and a Rock Hall induction. Number-one singles across seven consecutive decades, from the 1960s through the 2020s. Nobody else has done that.

Number-one singles across seven decades. Does that record surprise even you? Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Rock Hall. Which one means the most?