Cher

Cher, born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946, is a singer, actress, producer, director, and pop icon. She first received notice as the straight man to her husband, Sonny Bono, on TV's "Sonny and Cher" variety show. After the couple divorced, Cher continued on to solo success with hits like "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves", "Half Breed", "If I Could Turn Back Time", and "Believe".

In the mid-1970s, Cher made a transition to acting, revealing an unexpected and initially underappreciated talent. Her first screen appearance, in "Silkwood", netted her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in "Mask", "Come Back to the Five and Dine, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean", "The Witches of Eastwick", and "Suspect", among others. She received her second Academy Award for her role in "Moonstruck" opposite Nicolas Cage.

She has also won a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards and a People's Choice Award for her work in music and television.

Cher is the only female solo artist to reach the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in each of the previous four decades. She holds the Hot 100 record for the longest hit-making career span, with 33 years between the release of her first and most recent #1 singles, in 1965 and 1998. She announced that her residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas will resume after taking the summer of 2009 off.

She is the mother of Chaz (Chastity) Bono and Elijah Blue Allman.