
Paul Anka
Department: Acting
Biography
Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including "Diana", "Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wrote the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; one of Tom Jones' biggest hits, "She's a Lady"; and the English lyrics to Claude François and Jacques Revaux's music for Frank Sinatra's signature song "My Way", which has been recorded by many, including Elvis Presley. He co-wrote three songs with Michael Jackson: "This Is It" (originally titled "I Never Heard") "Love Never Felt So Good", and "Don't Matter to Me", which became posthumous hits for Jackson in 2009, 2014, and 2018, respectively. Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to Camelia (née Tannis) and Andrew Emile "Andy" Anka Sr., who owned a restaurant called the Locanda. His parents were both of Lebanese descent. His father came to Canada from Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria, and his mother was an immigrant from Lebanon. His mother died when he was 18. Anka sang with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory. He studied piano with Winnifred Rees. He attended Fisher Park High School, where he was part of a vocal trio called the Bobby Soxers. Paul Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14. In 1956, with $100 given to him by his uncle, he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC Records, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2005, he stated that it was to a girl at his church whom he hardly knew. The resulting song "Diana" brought Anka stardom as it went to No. 1 on the Canadian and US music charts. "Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist. He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, including "It's Time to Cry", which hit No. 4 and "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached No. 15, making him (at 17) one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain, then Australia with Buddy Holly. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" – a song written for Holly, which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Anka stated shortly afterward: "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" has a tragic irony about it now, but at least it will help look after Buddy Holly's family. I'm giving my composer's royalty to his widow – it's the least I can do." ... Source: Article "Paul Anka" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For

The Longest Day
1962

Look in Any Window
1961

Girls Town
1959

Voices That Care
1991

Lonely Boy
1962

David Foster: Off the Record
2019

Let's Rock!
1958

Lindsay Wagner: Another Side of Me
1977

The Private Lives of Adam and Eve
1960

The Memories of Angels
2008

C'est votre vie
2013

Shake, Rattle and Rock!
1994

Mad Dog Time
1996

Lily: Sold Out
1981

My Way
2024

Jay Sebring… Cutting to the Truth
2020

Prince of the Hit Parade
1991

Paul Anka - Live in Switzerland
2013

Captain Ron
1992

Buddy Holly: Rave On
2017

Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin
2019

Paul Anka plays Avo Session
2011

The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: More 1974
1974

Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster
1991

My Way
1979

Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon
2011

3000 Miles to Graceland
2001

Paul Anka: His Way
2024

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies
2004

Ordinary Magic
1993

Mireille Mathieu - Singen, nur singen
2021

Cinderella at the Palace
1978

The Royal Variety Performance 1977
1977

Las Vegas
2003

The View
1997

4-3-2-1 Hot and Sweet
1966

Donny & Marie
1976

American Bandstand
1957

Kojak
1973

American Idol
2002

The Hollywood Palace
1964

The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
1969

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956

This Is Tom Jones
1969

The Masked Singer
2019

Svenska Hollywoodfruar
2009

Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters
1980

The Simpsons
1989

The Masked Singer
2019

The Dick Clark Show
1958

That '70s Show
1998

The Midnight Special
1972

The Mike Douglas Show
1961

Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell
1975

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
2016

Gilmore Girls
2000

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962

The Mike Douglas Show
1961

What's My Line?
1950

Einer wird gewinnen
1964

The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996

Goldener Löwe
1984

Cadet Rousselle
1971

Die ultimative Chartshow
2003

Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel
2004

Vegas: The Story of Sin City
2024

Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975

Numéro un
1975

Midi trente
1972

Champs-Elysées
1982

Viña del Mar International Song Festival
1963

3 nach 9
1974

Ein Herz für Kinder
1998

Star Academy
2001

Aktuelle Schaubude
1957

Téléthon
1987

Wedden, dat..?
1986

Samedi soir
1971

Werner Müllers Schlagermagazin
1961

Kraft Music Hall
1958

Sacrée Soirée
1987

Dinah!
1974

The Merv Griffin Show
1962

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003

Rebel Highway
1994

Real Time with Bill Maher
2003

Soundbreaking
2016