Internationally renowned singer, actress, author, beauty and - as a matter of fact - wit. She regards her mind as her best feature. Still, Cher sees no benefit to being over fifty. She recently published her autobiography, The First Time.

Cher won an Academy Award in 1987 for her leading role in Moonstruck. She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California in 1946. As a teenager, Cher sang in nightclubs and dropped out of school to become an actress. In 1964 she met and married songwriter Salvatore "Sonny" Bono and gave up acting to sing with him. Their single "I Got You, Babe," released in 1965, was the first in a series of hits that included "The Beat Goes On" and "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done." From 1971 they appeared in an equally successful television variety show, "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour." It was cancelled three years later when they were divorced.

After a short-lived television show (1975) and a stage act in Las Vegas (late 1970s), Cher returned to acting and starred in Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean on Broadway and on film (1982). She won an Oscar nomination for her supporting role in Silkwood (1983) and gave critically acclaimed lead performances in Mask (1985) and Suspect (1987). As a glamorous pop star, she came to be recognized for her fine interpretations of plebeian but compassionate women in these films. Cher then starred in three box-office hits: The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Moonstruck (1987; Academy Award, best actress), and Mermaids (1990). She also resumed her singing career, recording the solo albums Cher (1987), Heart of Stone (1990), and Love Hurts (1991). A physical-fitness buff, Cher wrote Forever Fit in 1990 and began producing exercise videos in 1991.

"Cher (entertainer)". Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2002