Cher

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, bold visual presentation and multifaceted career, while cultivating a screen persona that mirrors her public image by often portraying strong-willed and outspoken women. An influential figure in popular culture, her continual reinvention has fueled multiple comebacks over a career spanning more than six decades.

Cher rose to fame in 1965 as part of the folk rock duo Sonny & Cher, early exponents of 1960s counterculture, simultaneously finding success as a solo artist. In the 1970s, she topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with narrative pop songs "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady". After focusing on acting, she reemerged with the glam rock albums ''Cher'' (1987), ''Heart of Stone'' (1989) and ''Love Hurts'' (1991), scoring the international number-one singles "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)". At 52, she reached a commercial peak with the dance-pop album ''Believe'' (1998), which introduced the "Cher effect"—a stylized 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. In the 21st century, she released her highest-charting US ''Billboard'' 200 albums, ''Closer to the Truth'' (2013) and ''Dancing Queen'' (2018), both of which debuted at number three.

Cher became a TV star in the 1970s with ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' and her solo show ''Cher'', both on CBS, attracting over 30 million weekly viewers. She gained critical acclaim after debuting on Broadway and starring in the film adaptation of ''Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean'' (1982). Transitioning to film, she earned two Academy Award nominations—for ''Silkwood'' (1983) and ''Moonstruck'' (1987), winning the Oscar for Best Actress for the latter—and received the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress Award for ''Mask'' (1985). Other starring roles include ''The Witches of Eastwick'' (1987), ''Mermaids'' (1990), ''If These Walls Could Talk'' (1996, 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''.

Cher is one of the best-selling music artists in history, with estimated global sales of over 100 million records. She is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and the only solo artist with number-one singles on the US ''Billboard'' charts in seven consecutive decades (1960s–2020s). She scored three solo Hot 100 number-ones in the 1970s: "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" (1971), "Half-Breed" (1973) and "Dark Lady" (1974), while Sonny & Cher's "All I Ever Need Is You" led Adult Contemporary in 1972. In the 1980s, she topped Adult Contemporary with "After All" and "If I Could Turn Back Time" (both 1989). The 1990s saw "Believe" (1998) lead multiple charts, including the Hot 100, followed by Dance Club Songs number-ones "Strong Enough" and "All or Nothing" (both 1999). In the 2000s and 2010s, she topped Dance Club Songs with "Song for the Lonely" and "A Different Kind of Love Song" (both 2002), "When the Money's Gone" (2003), "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" (2011) and "Woman's World" (2013). In the 2020s, "DJ Play a Christmas Song" (2023) led multiple charts, including Adult Contemporary.}} Her accolades include a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globes, the ''Billboard'' Icon Award and the Kennedy Center Honors. Her 2002–2005 Living Proof: The Farewell Tour was the highest-grossing concert tour by a female artist at the time, earning $250 million—about $ million in . Beyond music and acting, Cher is known for her progressive politics and advocacy for causes including LGBTQ rights and HIV/AIDS awareness. Provided by Wikipedia