Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946, later adopted by Gilbert LaPierre. The California Birth Index, 1905-1995 gives "Cheryl LaBelle" as the name on her birth certificate. Cher also gave "LaBelle" as her birth name on the birth certificates for both of her children. In 1964, she was known professionally as "Cherilyn", and makes a reference to it as her "real name" in her book The First Time. In 1979 she legally changed her name to just "Cher", with no surname or middle name. ) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, author and entertainer. Among her many career accomplishments in music, television and film, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards among others.
Cher first rose to prominence in 1965 as one half of the pop/rock duo Sonny & Cher. She also established herself as a solo recording artist, releasing 25 albums, contributing to numerous compilations, and tallying 34 Billboard Top 40 entries over her career, both solo and with Sonny. These include eighteen Top 10 singles and five number one singles (four solo). Cher has had 16 top ten hits in the UK between 1965 and 2003, four of which reached number one (two solo, one with Sonny, one as part of a charity single).
She became a television star in the 1970s and a film actress in the 1980s. In 1987, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the romantic comedy Moonstruck.
In a career surpassing 40 years, Cher has been described as an enduring pop icon and one of the most popular female artists in music history. Since her debut in 1964, Cher has sold as a solo artist over 100 million records worldwide and an estimated 70 million singles and with duo Sonny and Cher over 75 million records becoming one of the biggest-selling artists of all time.
