Cherilyn Sarkisian Biography

Cher was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California to John Sarkisian, a truck driver, and Jackie Jean Crouch, an actress, and model. Her parents got divorced when she was just ten months old.

She attended the Montclair Prep private school in Encino, Los Angeles, where she fared well in French and English. In school, she would perform songs during the lunch break for her fellow students.

At the age of 16, she moved to Los Angeles with a friend and enrolled herself in acting classes, while she simultaneously worked as a dancer in clubs to earn a living.

In 1962, she met singer, Sonny Bono, who introduced her to record producer Phil Spector, who employed her as a backup singer and also produced her debut single ‘Ringo, I Love You’.

In 1964, she worked with Sonny Bono to form the group called ‘Caesar & Cleo’. They came out with the singles ‘Do You Wanna Dance?’, ‘Love Is Strange’ and ‘Let the Good Times Roll’.

In the late 1960s, she signed a contract with ‘Liberty Records' Imperial’ and the label released her solo single titled ‘Dream Baby’. The song was successful regionally and received airtime in Los Angeles.

On October 16, 1965, she came out with her debut solo album ‘All I Really Want to Do’. The album was produced by her husband Sonny Bono and received positive reviews.

In 1965, they changed their name from ‘Caesar & Cleo’ to ‘Sonny& Cher’ and recorded the hit song ‘I Got You Babe’. That year, they also came out with their debut studio album ‘Look at Us’.

In April 1966, her second album ‘The Sonny Side of Chér’, one of her successful albums, was released under the Imperial Records label. The album ‘Where Do You Go’ and the hit song, ‘The Girl from Ipanema’.

In October 1966, her third album titled ‘Cher’ was released by Imperial Records. The album was a commercial success and featured the singles, ‘Alfie’ and ‘I Feel Something in The Air’.

In 1967, her fourth album ‘With Love, Chér’ was released. The album was a success and the following year, she came out with her fifth album ‘Backstage’, which was a commercial failure.

Released in 1969, her sixth album ‘3614 Jackson Highway’ was also a commercial failure. The same year, she starred in the film ‘Chastity’, the film was a flop and did not do much to her career.

In 1971, she came out with her seventh studio album ‘Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves’. That year, she starred in the variety TV show ‘The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour’.

During the 1970’s she released the albums ‘Foxy Lady’, ‘Bittersweet White Light’, ‘Half-Breed’, ‘Dark Lady’, ‘Stars’, ‘I'd Rather Believe in You’, ‘Cherished’, ‘Take Me Home’ and ‘Prisoner’.

In the 1980’s she came out with the albums ‘I Paralyze’, ‘Cher’ and ‘Heart of Stone’. She was also seen in the movies ‘Silkwood’, ‘Mask’, ‘Suspect’, ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ and ‘Moonstruck’.

In the 1990’s she appeared in the films ‘Mermaids’, ‘Faithful’, and ‘If These Walls Could Talk’ and released the albums ‘Love Hurts’, ‘It's a Man's World’ and ‘Believe’.

In 2000, she came out with the album, ‘not.com.mercial’, and the following year, one of her best selling albums ‘Living Proof’ was released in Europe.

In June 2013, she released the single ‘Woman’s World’, which is part of her album ‘Closer to the Truth’, which was released in September 2013. The album peaked at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and received positive reviews from critics.

In 2018, she launched her twenty-sixth studio album ‘Dancing Queen.’ The album garnered critical acclaim upon release and debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200, becoming Cher’s second album to do so. That same year, she also starred in the musical comedy film ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ directed by Ol Parker. The film received positive reviews from critics and was also a commercial success, grossing over $402.3 million on a $75 million budget.

Cher next appeared in the 2020 computer-animated comedy film ‘Bobbleheads: The Movie.’ The following year, she starred in the documentary film, ‘Cher & the Loneliest Elephant’ directed by Jonathan Finnigan. The film holds an 83% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

One of her most popular and successful albums ‘All I Really Want to Do’ peaked at number 16 on the ‘Billboard 200’ and the title track of the album was her first solo hit that featured on Canadian, Dutch, and Swedish single charts.

One of Sonny & Cher’s hit singles ‘I Got You Babe’ peaked at the number one position for three weeks on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’. One of their bestselling albums, it sold 1 million copies in the U.S. and is also featured at number 444 on the ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine’s list of ‘500 Greatest Songs of all time’.

In 1974, she received the Golden Globe award in the category, ‘Best TV Actress - Musical/Comedy’, for the TV show ‘The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour’.

In 1984, she won the Golden Globe Award in the category, ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture’ for the film ‘Silkwood’.

In 1988, she received the Academy Award in the category, ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role’ for the film ‘Moonstruck’. She also won the Golden Globe that year for the same film.

In 2000, she received the Grammy Award in the category, ‘Best Dance Recording’ for ‘Believe’.

In 1964, she secretly married Sonny Bono in a hotel room in Tijuana, Mexico. They had a child together named Chaz Bono.

After divorcing her first husband, she married Gregg Allman on June 30, 1975, and they had a child together named Elijah Blue Allman. The marriage ended in divorce in 1979. Cher is currently dating Alexander Edwards.

Cherilyn Sarkisian, known professionally as Cher, has a unique talent for languages and can speak multiple languages fluently, including Armenian, Spanish, and Italian.

Cher is an accomplished painter and has created a number of artworks that have been displayed in galleries around the world.

Cher is a passionate advocate for animal rights and has worked with various organizations to promote the welfare of animals.