
Cher
Department: Acting
Biography
Cher (born Cheryl Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Goddess of Pop", she is known for her androgynous contralto voice, multifaceted career, bold visual presentation and continuous reinvention of her image and sound. Her adaptability has fueled multiple comebacks, cementing her status as a cultural icon over a career spanning seven decades. Cher gained fame in 1965 as part of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher, while also achieving solo success with top-ten singles including "All I Really Want to Do" and "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)". In the 1970s, she divorced from Sonny Bono and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady", becoming the female solo artist with the most number-one singles in US history at the time. Following a hiatus to focus on acting, Cher returned to music with the rock-inflected albums Cher (1987), Heart of Stone (1989) and Love Hurts (1991), earning international number-one singles with "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)". She reached a commercial peak with the dance-pop album Believe (1998), which introduced the "Cher effect", an extreme, stylistic use of Auto-Tune to distort vocals. The title track became 1999's number-one song in the US and the UK's best-selling single by a female artist. 21st-century releases include Closer to the Truth (2013) and Dancing Queen (2018), both debuting at number three on the Billboard 200 and becoming her highest-charting solo albums in the US. Cher rose to television stardom in the 1970s with her CBS shows The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, attracting over 30 million weekly viewers, and the namesake Cher. She made her Broadway debut in 1982 with Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean and starred in its film adaptation. She earned critical acclaim for roles in Silkwood (1983), Mask (1985) and Moonstruck (1987), winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for the latter. Cher went on to star in Mermaids (1990), If These Walls Could Talk (1996), where she made her directorial debut, Tea with Mussolini (1999), Burlesque (2010) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). Her life and career inspired the 2018 jukebox musical The Cher Show. With 100 million records sold, Cher is among the world's best-selling music artists. Her accolades include an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, three Golden Globes, the Billboard Icon Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, honors from the Kennedy Center and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cher is the only solo artist with a number-one single on a Billboard chart in seven consecutive decades, from the 1960s to the 2020s. Her 2002–2005 Living Proof: The Farewell Tour was the highest-grossing concert tour by a female artist at the time, earning US$250 million (about $390 million in 2023). Cher is also known for her fashion, political views, social media presence, philanthropy and activism, including LGBTQ rights and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Known For

Moonstruck
1987

Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
1985

Stuck on You
2003

Tea with Mussolini
1999

The Player
1992

Mermaids
1990

Mask
1985

A Night at the Academy Museum
2021

The Witches of Eastwick
1987

Die 90er - Popwunder & Popsünden
2004

Suspect
1987

Silkwood
1983

Cher: The Farewell Tour
2003

If These Walls Could Talk
1996

Burlesque
2010

2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2021

Live Aid
1985

Zookeeper
2011

Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
2023

Faithful
1996

Cher... at the Mirage
1991

Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
1982

Meat Loaf - A Celebration Of Life
2022

Euro Disney : L'Ouverture
1992

Cher: Live in Concert
1999

VH1 Divas Live 2: An Honors Concert for VH1's Save the Music
1999

VH1: Divas Las Vegas
2002

Becoming Chaz
2011

Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
2012

Chastity
1969

Wild on the Beach
1965

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies
1998

Cher: Life in the Spotlight
2019

The Sonny Bono Story
1999

Rona Looks at Raquel, Liza, Cher and Ann-Margret
1975

Prêt-à-Porter
1994

Christmas at Graceland
2023

ET Vault Unlocked: Cher
2023

Cher Meets Rylan
2023

Cher at the BBC
2021

iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2023
2023

Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special
1988

MTV's 10th Anniversary Special
1991

Diane Warren: Relentless
2025

Gardel
—

Good Times
1967

Tina Turner : Celebrate!
1999

The Best of Max
2002

The Wrecking Crew
2008

The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour : Christmas Special 1969
1969

Detroit Rock City
1999

Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion
2024

AFI: 100 Years... 100 Movies... 10th Anniversary Edition
2007

Dear Mom, Love Cher
2013

Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution
2024

Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
1997

Somewhere Over The Rainbow
2014

Cher... Special
1978

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
2018

Cher – The Very Best Of Cher - The Video Hits Collection
2004

Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary
1986

Cher... A Celebration at Caesars
1983

Robert Altman's Players
1992

Larger than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story
2017

Cher... and Other Fantasies
1979

ABBA - The Last Video
2004

Six by Sondheim
2013

The Advocate Celebrates 50 Years: A Long Road to Freedom
2018

Superstar: The Life and Times of Andy Warhol
1990

The First Nine Months Are the Hardest
1971

The Sonny & Cher Nitty Gritty Hour
1970

Rabbit Ears: The Ugly Duckling
1985

Moonstruck: At the Heart of an Italian Family
2006

The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
1986

Stuck Together: Bringing Stuck on You to the Screen
2004

The Best Of Beat
2003

Bang
2020

Bon Jovi | Access All Areas: A Rock & Roll Odyssey
1990

Bobbleheads: The Movie
2020

Cher & the Loneliest Elephant
2021

Inventing David Geffen
2012

An Audience with Elton John
1997

Cherfitness: A New Attitude
1991

Cherfitness: Body Confidence
1992

Cher: In Her Own Words
2021

Southern Rock At The BBC
2012

Night of 100 Stars
1982

Joan Rivers at the BBC
2024

Women in Rock
1986

2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2024

AN EVENING WITH: FRIENDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT
1990

Paul McCartney & Wings: Wings Over the World
1979

Sonny & Me: Cher Remembers
1998

Standing Room Only: Cher in Concert
—

Superstars and their Moms
1987

The BRITs at 40
2020

SNL50: The Homecoming Concert
2025

Celebrating Betty White: America's Golden Girl
2022

Trailer Camp
1995

The Grand Opening of Euro Disneyland
1992

Magic Night
1980

A Grammy Salute to Cyndi Lauper: Live from the Hollywood Bowl
2025

Mondo Hollywood
1967

Becoming Madonna
2024

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
1971

The Sonny and Cher Show
1976

Top of the Pops
1964

The View
1997

Millionär gesucht! - Die SKL Show
1998

E! True Hollywood Story
1996

Will & Grace
1998

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015

The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
1969

Al TV
1984

So Graham Norton
1998

The Oscars
1953

Cher
1975

This Is Pop
2021

Parabéns
1992

Saturday Night Live
1975

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?
2019

Die Harald Schmidt Show
1995

Wetten, dass..?
1981

The Graham Norton Show
2007

The New Scooby-Doo Movies
1972

An Audience with...
1978

Dancing with the Stars
2005

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962

Dinah!
1974

MTV Video Music Awards
1984

The Graham Norton Show
2007

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014

The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019

The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996

Going Live!
1987

Musikladen
1972

Trailblazer Honors
2014

Bambi
1948

Fashion !
2012

The Carol Burnett Show
1967

ECHO-Verleihung
1992

The Carol Burnett Show
1967

The Kennedy Center Honors
1978

The Magic Hour
1998

Donny & Marie
1976

The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009

Die Drehscheibe
1964

Keeping Up with the Kardashians
2007

Vivement dimanche
1998

Stars 90
1990

The Mike Douglas Show
1961

Kraft Music Hall
1958

Impact x Nightline
2022

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
1995

Parkinson
1998

Chicken Shop Date
2014

This Morning
1988

Love, American Style
1969

The Mike Douglas Show
1961

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
1964

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003

Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson
2021

Dancing with the Stars
2005

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968

People's Choice Awards
1975

The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003

The Best of The New Scooby-Doo Movies - The Lost Episodes
1972

Saturday Night Live
1975