CHER 1946–

(Sonny and Cher)

PERSONAL

Full name, Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre; born May 20, 1946, in El Centro, CA; daughter of John Sarkisian (a truck driver) and Georgia Holt (a model and actress; original name, Jackie Jean Crouch); adopted daughter of Gilbert LaPiere (a banker); half–sister of Georganne LaPiere (an actress); married Sonny Bono (a singer, restaurateur, and politician), October 27, 1964 (some sources say 1969; divorced, May 1975 [some sources say February 20, 1974]); married Gregg Allman (a musician), June 1975 (divorced); children: (first marriage) Chastity Bono (an activist); (second marriage) Elijah Blue Allman (a musician). Education: Studied drama with Jeff Corey.

Addresses:

Agent—International Creative Management, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Office—Bill Sammeth Organization, P.O. Box 960, Beverly Hills, CA 90213–0960; Reprise Records, 3000 Wilshire Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505–4694. Manager—Lindsay Scott Management, 8899 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 600, Los Angeles, CA 90048. Publicist—Warner Bros. Records, 75 Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10019.

Career:

Actress, producer, director, and singer. Backup singer for the musical groups the Crystals and the Ronettes; performer and recording artist with Sonny Bono as Caesar and Cleo, then as Sonny and Cher, beginning in 1964; member of the rock band Black Rose, c. 1979–80; nightclub performer in Las Vegas, NV, and Atlantic City, NJ. Head of Isis Productions, an independent film company; founder of Sanctuary, a catalog sales company, 1994; creator of an Internet catalog at Cher.com, 1999. Also appeared in commercials and infomercials.

Awards, Honors:

Grammy Award nomination, best female pop vocal, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 1971, for "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves"; Emmy Award nominations, outstanding single variety or musical program, 1972, and outstanding variety musical series, 1972, 1973, and 1974, and Golden Globe Award, best actress in a television comedy or musical, 1974, all for The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding comedy, variety or music series, 1975, for Cher; Golden Globe Award nomination, best actress in a supporting role, 1983, for Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean; Golden Globe Award, best actress in a supporting role in a motion picture, Academy Award nomination, best supporting actress, 1983, Film Award nomination, best supporting actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1985, for Silk-wood; Palm d'Or, best actress, Cannes International Film Festival, 1985, Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role, 1986, for Mask; Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Harvard University, 1985; Academy Award, best actress, Golden Globe Award, best actress in a motion picture comedy or musical, 1987, David di Donatello Award, best foreign actress, Silver Ribbon Award, best actress, Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists, 1988, and Film Award nomination, best actress, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1989, all for Moonstruck; Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, miniseries, or motion picture, Golden Satellite Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role, 1997, for If These Walls Could Talk; Vanguard Award, GLAAD Media Awards, 1998; Star on the Walk of Fame (with Sonny Bono), 1998; Fashion Award, 18th Annual American Fashion Awards, 1999; Legend Award, World Music Awards, 1999; platinum and gold record awards, Recording Industry Association of America; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding individual performance, 2000, for Cher: Live in Concert from Las Vegas; Lucy Award (with others), Women in Film Lucy Awards, 2000; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding variety, music or comedy special, 2003, for Cher: The Farewell Tour.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Herself, Wild on the Beach (also known as Beach House Party), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1965.

Herself, Good Times (also known as Sonny & Cher in Good Times), Columbia, 1967.

Title role, Chastity, American International Pictures, 1969.

Sissy, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Cinecom International, 1982.

Dolly Pelliker, Silkwood, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1983.

Florence "Rusty" Dennis, Mask (also known as Peter Bogdanovich's "Mask"), Universal, 1985.

Kathleen Riley, Suspect, TriStar, 1987.

Alexandra Medford, The Witches of Eastwick, Warner Bros., 1987.

Loretta Castorini, Moonstruck, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists, 1987.

Rachel Flax, Mermaids, Orion, 1990.

Herself, The Player, Fine Line, 1992.

Herself, Ready to Wear (also known as Pret–a–Porter), Miramax, 1994.

Margaret O'Donnell, Faithful, New Line Cinema, 1996.

Elsa Morganthal Strauss–Armistan, Tea with Mussolini (also known as Un te con Mussolini), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1999.

Mayor of the Sunset Strip, Samuel Goldwyn, 2002.

Television Appearances; Series:

(With Sonny Bono as Sonny and Cher) Host, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, CBS, 1971–74.

Host, Cher, CBS, 1975–76.

(With Sonny Bono as Sonny and Cher) Host, The Sonny and Cher Show, CBS, 1976–77.

Parabens, 1993.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Club Rhino, 1990.

Dr. Beth Thompson, "1996," If These Walls Could Talk, HBO, 1996.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Sonny & Cher: Nitty Gritty Hour, 1970.

Third wife, The First Nine Months Are the Hardest, NBC, 1971.

How to Handle a Woman, NBC, 1972.

The Flip Wilson Special, NBC, 1975.

Host, Cher … Special, ABC, 1978.

Host, Cher and Other Fantasies, NBC, 1979.

Night of 100 Stars, ABC, 1982.

Host, Cher—A Celebration at Caesar's Palace, Showtime, 1983.

The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 1985, 1988.

Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes All–Star 50th Anniversary, 1986.

(In archive footage) The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, 1986.

Superstars and Their Moms, ABC, 1987.

Pee–Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (also known as Christmas at Pee Wee's Playhouse and Pee–Wee Herman's Christmas Special), CBS, 1988.

Comic Relief III, HBO, 1989.

An Evening with Bette, Cher, Goldie, Meryl, Olivia, Lily, and Robin, ABC, 1990.

(Uncredited; in archive footage) Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol, 1990.

Cher … at the Mirage, CBS, 1991.

Host, Cher's Video Canteen, 1991.

Host, Coca–Cola Pop Music Backstage Pass to Summer, 1991.

Host, MTV's 10th Anniversary Special, MTV, 1991.

Dame Edna's Hollywood, NBC, 1991.

In a New Light, ABC, 1992.

The Grand Opening of Euro Disney, CBS, 1992.

Tina Turner: Going Home, The Disney Channel, 1993.

What Is This Thing Called Love? (also known as The Barbara Walters Special), ABC, 1993.

(In archive footage) Victor Borges Tivoli 150 aar, 1993.

(In archive footage) Rowan & Martin's Laugh–In: 25th Anniversary Reunion, 1993.

The Atlantic Records Story, 1994.

Comic Relief: Behind the Nose, BBC, 1995.

Happy Birthday Elizabeth—A Celebration of Life, ABC, 1997.

(Uncredited) Herself, An Audience with Elton John, ITV, 1997.

AFI's 100 Years … 100 Movies, CBS, 1998 and 1999.

Host, Sonny and Me: Cher Remembers, CBS, 1998.

(In archive footage) A Really Big Show: Ed Sullivan's 50th Anniversary, 1998.

The X–Files Movie Special, Fox, 1998.

(In archive footage; with Sonny Bono) Detroit Rock City, 1999.

Super Bowl XXXIII, ABC, 1999.

Cher: Live in Concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (also known as Cher: Live in Concert from Las Vegas), HBO, 1999.

VH1 Divas Live '99, VH1, 1999.

Hollywood Animal Crusaders (documentary), Animal Planet, 1999.

Interviewee, 100 Greatest Dance Songs, VH1, 2000.

Rock to Erase MS, VH1, 2001.

I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary Special, CBS, 2001.

The Royal Variety Performance 2001, ITV, 2001.

48 edicion de los premios Ondas, 2001.

National Lottery Christmas Cracker (also known as Dale's National Lottery Christmas Cracker), 2001.

Still Cher (documentary), BBC, 2002.

MTV Icon: Aerosmith (documentary), MTV, 2002.

Elvis Lives, NBC, 2002.

Judi Dench: A BAFTA Tribute, BBC, 2002.

American Bandstand's 50th Anniversary Celebration, ABC, 2002.

VH1 Divas Las Vegas, VH1, 2002.

Hollywood Salutes Nicolas Cage: An American Cinematheque Tribute, TNT, 2002.

Inside TV Land: Style and Fashion (documentary), TV Land, 2003.

50 Sexiest Video Moments, VH1, 2003.

Cher: The Farewell Tour, NBC, 2003.

101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

Cher: The E! True Hollywood Story (documentary), E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

Reel Comedy Stuck On You, Comedy Central, 2003.

The Eurovision Song Contest Semi Final, 2004.

ABBA: Our Last Video Ever (also known as The Last Video), 2004.

The Eurovision Song Contest, 2004.

(In archive footage) 101 Biggest Celebrity Oops, E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

Introducing Graham Norton, Comedy Central, 2004.

Dick Clark's New Year's Primetime Rockin' Eve 2005, ABC, 2004.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

(In archive footage) Retrosexual: The 80's (documentary), VH1, 2004.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

Copresenter, The 45th Annual Academy Awards, NBC, 1973.

The 16th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1974.

The 46th Annual Academy Awards, NBC, 1974.

The 55th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1983.

The 56th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1984.

Presenter, The 58th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1986.

MTV 1988 Video Music Awards, MTV, 1988.

The 60th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1988.

MTV 1989 Video Music Awards, MTV, 1989.

The 61st Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1989.

Presenter, MTV 1991 Video Music Awards, MTV, 1991.

The 1991 Billboard Music Awards, 1991.

The American Film Institute Salute to Jack Nicholson, CBS, 1994.

The 1998 Billboard Music Awards, 1998.

The 70th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1998.

Honoree, The 18th Annual American Fashion Awards, 1999.

Honoree, The 1999 World Music Awards, 1999.

The 26th Annual American Music Awards, 1999.

The BRIT Awards '99, 1999.

Presenter, The 52nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, ABC, 2000.

The 72nd Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 2000.

The 29th Annual American Music Awards, ABC, 2002.

The 2002 Billboard Music Awards, Fox, 2002.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Tom Snyder's Celebrity Spotlight, NBC, 1980.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Where the Action Is, 1965.

(As Sonny and Cher) Top of the Pops, BBC, 1965, 1966.

Herself, "The Puzzler Is Coming," Batman, ABC, 1966.

Herself, "The Duo Is Slumming," Batman, ABC, 1966.

(As Sonny and Cher) Beat–Club, 1966, 1967.

The Andy Williams Show, NBC, 1967.

Ramona, "The Hot Number Affair," The Man from U.N.C.L.E., NBC, 1967.

Rowan & Martin's Laugh–In, NBC, 1968, 1969.

The Dick Cavett Show, 1970.

"Love and the Sack," Love, American Style, ABC, 1971.

Voice of herself, "The Secret of Shark Island," The New Scooby–Doo Movies (animated), 1972.

The Carol Burnett Show, 1975.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985.

Omnibus, 1980.

Late Night with David Letterman, NBC, 1986, 1987.

Saturday Night Live, NBC, 1987, 1992.

Top of the Pops, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001.

Voice of herself, "Here's to Good Friends," Roseanne, ABC, 1988.

Herself, The Howard Stern Show, 1991.

Herself, Dame Edna's Hollywood, 1991.

Los domingos por Norma, 1992.

"El lejano Oeste," Un, dos, tres … responda otra vez, 1993.

"Cerrado por vacaciones," Un, dos, tres … responda otra vez, 1993.

Herself, Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, Channel 4, 1994.

Clive Anderson Talks Back, Channel 4, 1995.

(Two episodes) TFI Friday, Channel 4, 1996.

The RuPaul Show, VH1, 1996.

Herself, Live and Kicking, BBC, 1996, 1999.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1996, 1998.

Behind the Music, VH1, 1997.

The National Lottery Stars, 1999.

"Gypsies, Tramps and Weed," Will & Grace, NBC, 2000.

"Wetten, dass …? Aus Erfurt," Wetten, dass …?, 2001.

GMTV, ITV, 2001.

Parkinson, BBC, 2001.

So Graham Norton, Channel 4, 2001.

The Oprah Winfrey Show, syndicated, 2002.

"A.I.: Artificial Insemination," Will & Grace, NBC, 2002.

Access Hollywood, syndicated, 2002.

"Cyndi Lauper," Behind the Music, VH1, 2002.

NFL Monday Night Football, ABC, 2002.

Entertainment Tonight, syndicated, 2003.

Celebrities Uncensored, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

Tinseltown TV, International Channel, 2004.

Pulse, Fox, 2004.

Rove Live, Ten Network, 2004.

Larry King Live, CNN, 2004.

Appeared in Hullabaloo, NBC; Also appeared in episodes of Beavis and Butthead, MTV; The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, CBS; The Hollywood Palace, ABC; and The Merv Griffin Show, NBC, syndicated, and CBS.

Television Work; Movies:

Director of "1996" segment, If These Walls Could Talk, HBO, 1996.

Television Work; Specials:

Executive producer, Sonny & Me: Cher Remembers, CBS, 1998.

Executive producer, Cher: The Farewell Tour, NBC, 2003.

Other Television Work:

Executive producer, Oak Ridge, 1998.

Stage Appearances:

Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, 1982.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

All I Really Want to Do, Imperial, 1965.

Sonny Side of Cher, Imperial, 1966.

With Love, Imperial, 1966.

Cher, Imperial, 1967.

Backstage, Imperial, 1968.

Golden Greats, 1968.

3614 Jackson Highway, Atco, 1969.

Cher Sings the Hits, 1971.

Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, Universal Special Products, 1971.

Cher's Greatest Hits, 1972.

Cher Superpak, Vol. 1, 1972.

Cher Superpak, Vol. 2, 1972.

Cher, Kapp, 1972.

Foxy Lady, MCA, 1972.

Hits of Cher, United Artists, 1972.

Bittersweet White Light, MCA, 1973.

Dark Lady, MCA, 1974.

Half Breed, MCA, 1974.

Very Best, 1974.

The Very Best of Cher, Vol. 2, 1975.

Stars, Warner Bros., 1975.

Greatest Hits, MCA, 1975.

I'd Rather Believe in You, Warner Bros., 1977.

Cherished, Warner Bros., 1977.

Two the Hard Way, Allman & Woman, 1977.

Take Me Home, Casablanca, 1978.

This Is Cher, Sunset, 1978.

Prisoner, Casablanca, 1979.

Take Me Home, Universal Special Products, 1979.

Best of Cher, Vol. 1, 1981.

Best of Cher, Vol. 2, 1981.

I Paralyze, Varese Vintage, 1982.

Golden Greats, 1985.

The Best of Cher, EMI America, 1987.

Cher, Geffen, 1988.

Heart of Stone, Geffen, 1989.

Outrageous, Special Music, 1989.

The Ugly Duckling, Windham Hill, 1990.

Best of Cher, EMI America, 1991.

Love Hurts, Geffen, 1991.

Bang Bang and Other Hits, Capitol, 1992.

All I Really Want to Do/The Sonny Side of Cher, EMI Legends, 1992.

Greatest Hits: 1965–1992, Geffen Records, 1993.

Greatest Hits, Import, 1993.

Take Me Home/Prisoner, Alex, 1994.

It's a Man's World, Warner Bros., 1996.

Cher: The Casablanca Years, PolyGram, 1996.

The Long and Winding Road, Ariola Express, 1996.

You Better Sit Down Kids, Disky, 1996.

Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves: 25 Great Songs, Movie Play, 1997.

Believe, Warner Bros., 1998.

Original Hits, Disky, 1998.

Cher with Sonny, Entertainers, 1998.

Greatest Hits, 1999.

Bittersweet: Love Songs Collection, MCA Records, 1999.

Believe, Import, 1999.

If I Could Turn Back Time: Cher's Greatest Hits, Geffen, 1999.

Take Me Home, 1999.

Sunny, Magic, 1999.

Bang Bang: The Early Years, Capitol/EMI Records, 1999.

Black Rose, EMI, 1999.

All or Nothing, WEA International, 1999.

Greatest Hits, WEA/Universal, 1999.

Cher Favorites, Intercontinental, 1999.

Not.Com.mercial, 2000.

Story, EMI Plus, 2000.

20th Century Masters—The Millennium Collection: The Best of Cher, MCA Records, 2000.

Millennium Edition, Universal International, 2000.

Best of Cher, Columbia, 2000.

Maximum Cher, Griffin Music, 2000.

The Way of Love: The Cher Collection, MCA Records, 2000.

Behind the Door: 1964–1974, Raven Records, 2000.

Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, Fuel, 2000.

Holdin' Out for Love, Import, 2001.

Living Proof, WEA International, 2001.

Essential Collection, Hip–O Records, 2001.

Believe, WEA International, 2001.

Living Proof, WEA International, 2002.

Absolutely the Best, Vol. 1, Fuel 2000 Records, 2002.

Blue, Universal International, 2003.

The Very Best of Cher, Warner Bros. Records, 2003.

Live: The Farewell Tour, Warner Bros. Records, 2003.

The Very Best of Cher—Special Edition, Warner Bros. Records, 2003.

20th Century Masters—The Millennium Collection: The Best of Cher, Vol. 2, Hip–O Records, 2004.

The Very Best of Cher—Bonus Tracks, Warner Strategic Marketing, 2005.

All I Really Want to Do/The Sonny Side of Cher, Beat Goes On, 2005.

Albums; With Sonny Bono as Sonny and Cher:

Look at Us, Atco, 1965.

Baby Don't Go, Reprise, 1965.

Wondrous World, Atco, 1966.

In Case You're in Love, Atlantic, 1967.

Good Times, Atlantic, 1967.

The Best of Sonny and Cher, Atlantic, 1968.

Sonny & Cher Live, Kapp, 1969.

The Nitty Gritty Hour, View Video, 1970.

All I Ever Need Is You, Kapp, 1971.

Live in Las Vegas, MCA, 1974.

Mama Was a Rock 'n' Roll Singer, 1974.

Greatest Hits, MCA, 1975.

The Beat Goes On, Atco, 1975.

At Their Best, 1989.

I Got You Babe, Rhino Records, 1993.

The Beat Goes ON: The Best of Sonny & Cher, Rhino Records, 1993.

You Better Sit Down Kids, Great Hits, 1996.

All I Ever Need: The Kapp/MCA Anthology, MCA Records, 1996.

I Got You Babe & Other Hits, Flashback Records, 1997.

Sonny & Cher Greatest Hits, 1998.

The Singles+, BR Music, 2000.

The Essentials, Rhino Records, 2002.

Recorded Live, The Two of Us, Atlantic Singles, Rhino; singles with Sonny Bono include "Baby Don't Go," "The Beat Goes On," "I Got You Babe," and "You Better Sit Down Kids."

Albums; With Others:

(With Gregg Allman) Allman and Woman: Two the Hard Way, Warner Bros., 1976.

(With Black Rose) Black Rose, Casablanca, 1980.

(With others) For Our Children Too!, Wea/Atlantic/Rhino, 1996.

Also recorded the single (with Peter Cetera) "After All" (theme song from the film Chances Are), 1989.

Videos:

(With Sonny Bono as Sonny and Cher) Sonny and Cher: Nitty Gritty Hour, 1970.

Storyteller, Rabbit Ears: The Ugly Duckling, 1985.

Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues, 1988.

Cherfitness: A New Attitude, 1991.

Cherfitness: Body Confidence, 1992.

Oscar's Greatest Moments, 1992.

Cher: Extravaganza—Live at the Mirage, 1992.

(With Sonny Bono as Sonny and Cher) Flashbacks 2: Pop Parade, 1994.

Tina Turner: Celebrate Live (also known as Happy Birthday Tina!), 1999.

Cher: Live in Concert, 1999.

Reflections on "The X–Files," 2004.

The Very Best of Cher: The Video Hits Collection, 2004.

Also appeared in music videos, including (with Peter Cetera) "After All."

Video Director:

The Very Best of Cher: The Video Hits Collection, 2004.

Video Games:

Voice of Isadora, Nine, 1996.

WRITINGS

Nonfiction:

(With Robert Haas) Forever Fit: The Lifetime Plan for Health, Beauty, and Fitness, Bantam, 1991.

(With Andrew Ennis and Joan Nielsen) Cooking for Cher, Simon & Schuster, 1997.

The First Time (autobiography), Simon & Schuster, 1998.

Videos:

The Very Best of Cher: The Video Hits Collection, 2004.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Contemporary Musicians, Volume 35, Gale, 2002.

Goodall, Nigel, Cher in Her Own Words, Omnibus Press, 1992.

Jacobs, Linda, Cher: Simply Cher, EMC Corp., 1975.

Petrucelli, Rita, Cher: Singer and Actress, illustrated by Luciano Lazzarino, Rourke Enterprises, 1989.

Taraborrelli, J. Randy, Cher: A Biography, St. Martin's Press, 1986.

Periodicals:

Billboard, September 18, 1999, p. 134.

Entertainment Weekly, May 31, 1996, p. 22; February 5, 1999, p. S7; April 23, 1999, pp. 16–21; November 1, 1999, p. 116.

Interview, October, 1994, p. 172; December, 1998, pp. 94–99.

Ladies Home Journal, November, 1996, p. 178; July, 1999, p. 42.

New York Times, March 20, 1988.

People Weekly, January 21, 1991; May 25, 1998, p. 84;

November 22, 1999, pp. 10–11.

Premier, February, 1988.

Rolling Stone, April 15, 1999, p. 45.

TV Guide, May 16, 1998, pp. 28–30, 33.

Women's Wear Daily, September 13, 1999, p. 94S.