"Men should be like Kleenex, soft, strong, and disposable. "

Queen of Gay Glamour

Cher, or Cherilyn Sarkisian, is probably best-known from her 1960s duo with former husband, Sonny. She sings, writes songs, acts, directs, and is considered an all-around entertainer.

Cher's mother, Georgia Holt, is a one-time aspiring actress and occasional model; her father, John Sarkisian, is an Armenian refugee.

Cher met Sonny Bono in a Los Angeles coffee shop in 1963. Two two immediately became friends, and through Sonny, Cher began singing back-up for Phil Spector classic recordings -- at the time, Sonny was already working for him at Gold Star Studios.

They first emerged as the duo "Ceasar and Cleo," but received very little attention. When they later re-emerged as "Sonny and Cher" at the release of Look at Us, their first album in 1965, they became an overnight success. This album contained the #1 hit "I Got You Babe." Cher was only 19 years old at this time.

In 1965 Cher released her first solo record All I Really Want To Do. This album charted her first solo U.S. Top 40 hit, which was a cover of Bob Dylan's "All I Really Want to Do." Other hits continued to emerge including "Where Do You Go," and "Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down!)." Within the next three years the albums The Sonny Side of Cher (1966), Cher (1966), Backstage (1967), With Love. . .Cher (1968), and 3614 Jackson Highway (1969). However, by 1968, the album sales were low. Their easy-listening style and anti-drug policy became unpopular to what the American pop culure was doing during the late 1960's.

In the early 1970s Sonny and Cher began a television special, The Sonny and Cher Nitty Gritty Hour, which was a comedy with skits and music and led to guest spots on other 70's hit shows. In 1971 Fred Silverman of CBS offered the duo a variety show: The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. It received several Emmy nominations through its three year run. By the third year, however, Sonny and Cher's marriage began to fall apart and so did the show. The couple soon divorced. Cher soon went solo and started a television show. It ran for one and a half seasons, then ended in 1976.

Cher released a Greatest Hits album in 1974. Then released albums for three consecutive years: Stars (1975), I'd Rather Believe In You (1976), and Cherished (1977). However, non of these albums became commercial successes.

During the 1980's Cher formed the rock band Black Rose. The album was a failure, and the band broke up the following year. After this defeat, she tried her luck at acting. She landed her first major role in a Broadway production of Come Back to the Five-and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. Next, she starred along side Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell in Silkwood, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also starred in Mask (1985), as the biker mother of a severly disfigured boy, Suspect (1987), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), and Moonstruck (1987).

In 1991, Cher completed her Geffen recording contract with the album Love Hurts. It produced a series of hits including "Love and Understanding," "The Shoop Shoop Song" and "Save Up All Your Tears." The album was certified platinum. At the age of 52, Cher released the album Believe (1998). The song "Believe" became a worldwide hit, reaching #1 in 23 countries. This made Cher the oldest woman to have a #1 hit in the rock era. The Believe album was eventually certified quadruple platinum, and sold over 12 million copies globally. The "Believe Tour" continued throughout 2000, making it her most successful tour. In February of 2002, Cher released Living Proof, a follow-up to believe.

Since her "Living Proof Farewell Tour," Cher has kept a low profile, but is continuing to work with music. There are roomers of an anticipated album.