Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer and actress. Recognized for having brought the sense of female autonomy and self-actualization into the entertainment industry, she is known for her distinctive singing voice and for having worked in various areas of entertainment, as well as continuously reinventing both her music and image, which has led to her being nicknamed the .

Cher became prominent in 1965 as one-half of the husband–wife duo , who popularized a particular smooth sound that successfully competed with the dominant and sounds of the era. From 1965, she had established herself as a solo artist with successful singles such as "", "", "", and "", songs that deal with subjects rarely addressed in American popular music. magazine's Phill Marder described her as the leader of an effort in the 1960s to "advance feminine rebellion in the rock world [and] the prototype of the female rock star, setting the standard for appearance [and] attitude". After the duo's drug-free lifestyle had lost its popular appeal in the United States owing to the , she returned to stardom in the 1970s as a television personality with her shows and , both of which attained immense popularity. She became a fashion trendsetter with her daring outfits. After Cher and Sonny divorced in 1975, Cher experimented with various musical styles, including and , before becoming a successful live act in Las Vegas.

In the early 1980s, Cher made her Broadway debut and starred in the film , which earned her a nomination for the in 1983. In the following years, she starred in films such as , , and , for which she won the in 1988. She made her directorial debut in the 1996 film . At the same time, she established herself as a rock singer by releasing platinum albums such as (1989) and successful singles such as "" and "". Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Cher continued to experiment with musical styles, including and . She reached a new commercial peak in 1998 with the song "", which features the pioneering use of , also known as the "Cher effect". She has not toured since the 2002–2005 . In 2008, she signed a $60 million per-year deal to headline in Las Vegas for three years. The 2010s kicked off with Cher's return to film in . In 2013, she released her first studio album in over eleven years, . It became her highest-charting solo album in the US to date.

Cher has won an , a , an , three , and the at the , among several other honors. Her other ventures have included fashion designing, writing books and managing the film production company Isis. Recognized as one of the , she has sold more than 100 million solo albums and over 40 million records as Sonny & Cher worldwide. She is the only artist to date to have a number-one single on a chart in each of the past six decades.ultimately divorcing Crouch when Cher was ten months old. They married and divorced twice more. After the first divorce from Sarkisian, Crouch married another man. The third of Crouch's eight marriages was to actor John Southall, the father of Cher's half-sister, Georganne.

By then living in Los Angeles, Crouch was pursuing an acting career while working as a waitress. She changed her name to Georgia Holt and earned minor roles in films and on television. Holt secured acting parts for her daughters as on television shows such as . Although her mother's romantic relationship with Southall ended when Cher was nine years old, she considers him her father and remembers him as a "good-natured man who turned belligerent when he drank too much". As Holt remarried and divorced, the family moved from place to place (including New York, Texas and California) and often had little money. Cher remembered using rubber bands at one time to hold her shoes together. At one point, Holt had to put Cher in an orphanage for several weeks. Although they met every day, both Holt and Cher found the experience traumatic.

Cher's family first noticed her creativity when in the fifth grade, she produced for her teacher and class a performance of the musical . She organized a group of girls, directing and choreographing their dance routines. Unable to convince boys to participate, she acted the male roles and sang their songs. By age nine, she had developed an unusually low voice. Fascinated by film stars, Cher's role model was , particularly due to her role in the 1961 film . Cher began to pattern her outfits and behavior after the eccentric, fast-living character portrayed by Hepburn. She was disappointed by the absence of dark-haired Hollywood actresses whom she could emulate then. She had wanted to be famous since childhood but felt unattractive and untalented, later commenting, "I couldn't think of anything that I could do ... I didn't think I'd be a singer or dancer. I just thought, well, I'll be famous. That was my goal."

In 1961, Holt married bank manager Gilbert LaPiere, who adopted Cher (under the name Cheryl LaPiere) and her half-sister, Georganne, and enrolled them at , a private school in , whose students were mostly from affluent families. The school's upper-class environment presented a challenge for Cher; biographer Connie Berman wrote, "[she] stood out from the others in both her striking appearance and outgoing personality." A former classmate commented, "I'll never forget seeing Cher for the first time. She was so special ... She was like a movie star, right then and there ... She said she was going to be a movie star and we knew she would." Despite not being an excellent student, Cher was intelligent and creative, according to Berman. She earned good grades, excelling in French and English classes. As an adult, she discovered that she had . Cher achieved notoriety for her unconventional behavior: she performed songs for students during the lunch hours and surprised peers when she wore a midriff-baring top, being the first young woman in her social circle to do so. She later recalled, "I was never really in school. I was always thinking about when I was grown up and famous."

At age 16, Cher dropped out of school, left her mother's house, and moved with a friend into Los Angeles, where she took acting classes and worked to support herself. She danced in small along Hollywood's , introducing herself to performers, managers, and agents. According to biographer Connie Berman, "[Cher] did not hesitate to approach anyone she thought could help her get a break, make a new contact, or get an audition." Cher met performer , 11 years her senior, in November 1962 when he was working for record producer . Cher's friend moved out, and Cher accepted Sonny's offer to be his . Sonny introduced Cher to Spector, who used her as a on many recordings, including ' "" and ' "". Spector produced her first single, the unsuccessful "", issued under the name Bonnie Jo Mason. Cher and Sonny became close friends, eventual lovers, and performed their own wedding ceremony in a hotel room in Tijuana, Mexico, in October 1964. Although Sonny had wanted to launch Cher as a solo artist, she encouraged him to perform with her because she suffered from , and so he began joining her onstage, singing the harmonies. Cher disguised her nervousness by looking at Sonny; she later commented that she sang to the people through him. In late 1964, they emerged as a duo called Caesar & Cleo, releasing the poorly received singles "", "" and "".

Cher signed with ' imprint in the end of 1964, and Sonny came along as her producer. The single "Dream Baby", released under the name "Cherilyn", received airplay in Los Angeles. Encouraged by Imperial, Cher worked with Sonny on her second solo single on the label, a cover version of 's "", which peaked at number 15 on the in 1965. Meanwhile, had released their own version of the same song. When competition on the singles charts started between Cher and the Byrds, the group's record label began to promote the of the Byrds' single. of the Byrds commented, "We loved the Cher version ... We didn't want to hassle. So we just turned our record over." The , later described by 's Tim Sendra as "one of the stronger folk-pop records of the era", reached the top 20, remaining on the chart for six months.

In early 1965, Caesar and Cleo began calling themselves . Following the recording of "", they traveled to England in July 1965 at ' advice; Cher recalled, "[they] had told us ... that Americans just didn't get us and that if we were going to make it big, we were going to have to go to England." According to writer , "English newspaper photographers showed up when S&C were thrown out of the London Hilton [because of their outfits] the night they arrived—literally overnight, they were stars. London went gaga for the heretofore-unseen S&C look, which was neither nor rocker. "I Got You Babe" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became, according to Allmusic's Bruce Eder, "one of the biggest-selling and most beloved pop/rock hits of the mid-'60s". As the song knocked off the top of the British charts, English teenagers began to emulate Sonny and Cher's fashion style, such as , striped pants, ruffled shirts, industrial zippers and fur vests. Upon their return to the US, the duo made several appearances on the teen-pop showcases and and completed a tour of some of the largest arenas in the US. Their shows attracted Cher look-alikes—"girls who were ironing their hair straight and dyeing it black, to go with their vests and bell-bottoms". Cher expanded her creative range by a clothing line.

Sonny and Cher's first album, , released for the division of , spent eight consecutive weeks at number two on the Billboard 200 in 1965. Their smooth sound and warm harmonies became popular, and the duo successfully competed with the dominant and sounds of the era. Several mid-level hits followed, before "" returned the duo to the US top ten in 1967. Sonny and Cher charted 11 top 40 singles between 1965 and 1972, including six top-ten hits. At one point, they had five songs in the top 20, a feat equaled only by and the Beatles. By the end of 1967, they had sold 40 million records worldwide and had become, according to magazine's , rock's "it" couple.

Cher's following releases kept her solo career fully competitive with her work with Sonny. (1966) features "", a song with exotic-sounding Gypsy violins and a dramatic vocal delivery, which reached number two in America and became her first solo million-seller.
, also released in 1966, contains the and composition "", which was added to the credits of the American version of the 1966 and became the first stateside version of the popular song. (1968) includes songs described by biographer as "little soap-opera stories set to rock music" such as the US top-ten hit "".

By the end of the 1960s, Sonny and Cher's music had ceased to chart. According to biographer Connie Berman, "the heavy, loud sound of groups like and made the folk-rock music of Sonny and Cher seem too bland." Cher later commented, "I loved the new sound of , , the electric-guitar oriented bands. Left to myself, I would have changed with the times because the music really turned me on. But Son[ny] didn't like it—and that was that."
Their monogamous, anti-drug lifestyle had lost its popular appeal among American youths during the period of the and the rise of the drug culture. According to biographer Mark Bego, "in spite of their revolutionary unisex clothes, Sonny and Cher were quite 'square' when it came to sex and drugs." To recapture their young audience, the duo produced and starred in the film (1967), in which they are featured in childish skits. The movie was unsuccessful.

Cher's next album, (1968), in which she runs in diverse musical directions, including and anti-war protest settings, was not a success. In 1969, she was dropped from Imperial Records. Sonny and Cher had been dropped from Atco; however, the label wanted to sign Cher for a solo album. (1969) was recorded without the guidance of Sonny and incorporates experiments in ; Allmusic's Mark Deming proclaimed it "the finest album of her career". Displeased with the 3614 Jackson Highway album, Sonny prevented Cher from releasing more recordings for Atco.

Meanwhile, Sonny repeatedly cheated on Cher, and by the end of the 1960s their relationship had begun to unravel. According to magazine, "[Sonny] tried desperately to win her back, telling her he wanted to marry and start a family."   They married after she gave birth to Chastity Bono (who years later became ) on March 4, 1969. That year, the duo spent $500,000 and mortgaged their home to make the film . Written and directed by Sonny, who did not appear in the movie, it tells the story of a young woman, played by Cher, searching for the meaning of life. The art film failed, putting the couple $190,000 in debt with back taxes. However, some critics noted that Cher showed signs of acting potential. At the lowest point of their career, the duo put together a nightclub routine which relied on a more adult approach to sound and style. According to writer Cintra Wilson, "Their lounge act was so depressing, people started heckling them. Then Cher started heckling back. Sonny ... reprimanded her; then she'd heckle Sonny". The heckling became a highlight of the act and made it a success. Television executives took note, and the couple began making guest appearances on prime-time shows, in which they presented a "new, sophisticated, and mature" image. Cher adopted alluring, low-cut gowns that became her signature outfits.

head of programming offered Sonny and Cher their own television program after he noticed them as guest-hosts on in 1971. premiered as a summer replacement series on August 1, 1971, and had six episodes. Because it was a ratings success, the couple returned that December with a full-time show.

Watched by more than 30 million viewers weekly during its three-year run, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour received 12 nominations. Praised for their comedic timing, deadpan Cher mocked Sonny about his looks and short stature. According to biographer Connie Berman, they "exuded an aura of warmth, playfulness, and caring that only enhanced their appeal. Viewers were further enchanted when a young Chastity also appeared on the show. They seemed like a perfect family." Cher honed her acting skills in roles such as the brash housewife Laverne, the sardonic waitress Rosa, and historical vamps, including and . The designer clothing Cher wore were part of the show's attraction, and her style influenced the .

In 1971, Sonny and Cher signed with the division of , and the latter singer released the single "Classified 1A", in which she sings from the point of view of a soldier who bleeds to death in . Written by Sonny, who felt that her first solo single on the label had to be poignant and topical, radio station programmers quickly rejected the song as uncommercial. Since Sonny's first attempts at reviving their recording career as a duo had also been unsuccessful, Kapp Records recruited to work with them. He produced Cher's first solo number-one single, "", which "proved that ... Garrett knew more about Cher's voice and her persona as a singer than Sonny did", writes Cher biographer Mark Bego. It became the biggest-selling single in the history of then and was nominated for the . Released in September 1971, the album features cover versions of contemporary hits such as "", a US top-ten single that established Cher's more confident image as a recording artist. In 1972, Cher released the all-ballad set , demonstrating the evolution of her vocal abilities. That year, Garrett quit as producer after disagreeing with Sonny about the kind of material Cher should record.

At Sonny's insistence, in 1973 Cher released an album of called , which was unsuccessful. That year, lyricist Mary Dean brought Garrett "", a song about the daughter of a Cherokee mother and a white father, that she had written especially for Cher. Although Garrett did not have Cher at the time, he was convinced that "it's a smash for Cher and for nobody else", so he held the song for months until he got Cher back. "Half-Breed" was featured on the and became Cher's second number-one single. Both the album and the single were certified gold by the (RIAA). Cher's third number-one single was "", in 1974, from the . Later that year, she released a album that, according to Billboard magazine, proved her to be "one of the most consistent hitmakers of the past five years", as well as a "proven superstar who always sells records". Between 1971 and 1974, Sonny and Cher's career was revived with four albums released under Kapp Records and MCA Records, including the top-ten charting singles "" and "". Cher commented on her hectic schedule during this period: "I could do a whole album ... in three days ... We were on the road ... and we were doing the Sonny & Cher Show".

By late 1972, Cher's marriage with Sonny was over, but appearances were maintained until 1974. "The public still thinks we are married," Sonny wrote in his diary at the time, "[and] that's the way it has to be." In February 1974, Sonny filed for a separation, citing "irreconcilable differences". A week later, Cher countered with a divorce suit and charged Sonny with "involuntary servitude", claiming that he withheld money from her and deprived her of her rightful share of their earnings. The couple battled in court over finances and the custody of Chastity, which was eventually granted to Cher. Their divorce was finalized on June 26, 1975.

During the divorce proceedings, Cher had a two-year romantic relationship with record executive , who freed her from her business arrangement with Sonny, under which she was required to work exclusively for Cher Enterprises, the company he ran. Geffen secured a $2.5 million deal for Cher with and reunited her with Spector to record and release a test single to launch , Spector's Warner specialty label. The resulting 1974 single, "A Woman's Story", and a follow-up duet with , "", were commercial failures. Both singles received late recognition; magazine described the latter as having "one of the catchiest choral hooks ever recorded".

In 1974, Cher won the for The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.
Sonny went on without Cher and renamed the show The Sonny Comedy Revue. It was canceled after six weeks.

Cher returned to television with a solo show on February 16, 1975. Entitled , it began as a highly rated special with guests , , and . and won Emmy Awards for their guest appearances, and the show received nine more Emmy Award nominations that year. The show was produced by David Geffen and centered on Cher's songs, monologues, comedy performance, and her variation of clothing, which was the largest for a weekly TV show. Early critical reception was favorable; exclaimed that "Sonny without Cher was a disaster. Cher without Sonny, on the other hand, could be the best thing that's happened to weekly television this season."

Cher lasted for less than a year, replaced by a Sonny and Cher show; she said, "doing a show alone was more than I could handle." On June 30, 1975, days after finalizing her divorce from Sonny, Cher married rock musician , co-founder of . She filed for divorce nine days later, citing his heroin and liquor problems, but they reconciled and remained married until 1979. They had one son, , on July 10, 1976. Under the rubric "Allman and Woman", they released the 1977 duet album , later regarded by as "the worst of either artist's respective career". Sonny and Cher's TV reunion, , lasted from February 1976 to mid-1977. Cher's reportedly extravagant lifestyle, her troubled relationship with Allman, and Sonny and Cher's insult humour about their divorce caused a public backlash that contributed to the show's failure.

Encouraged by Geffen, Cher began work on her first album for Warner in 1975. According to biographer Mark Bego, "it was their intention that [this album] was going to make millions of fans around the world take her seriously as a rock star, and not just a pop singer." Despite Cher's efforts to develop her musical range by listening to artists such as , , , , , and , the resulting album, , received negative reviews. of wrote, "Cher is just no rock and roller ... Image, not music, is Cher Bono's main ingredient for both records and TV." The album has since become a and is generally considered among her best work. Her next albums, (1976) and (1977), the latter a return to her pop style at Warner's producers insistence, were also unsuccessful. She returned to prime time television with the specials (1978), nominated for three Emmy Awards, and Cher and Other Fantasies (1979). In 1978, she legally changed her name from Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere Bono Allman to Cher, to eliminate the use of four surnames.

A single mother with two children, Cher realized that she had to make a choice about the direction of her singing career. Deciding to temporarily abandon her desire to be a rock singer, she signed with and made a major comeback with the single "" and the , both of which capitalized on the craze. They became instant hits, remained bestsellers for more than half of 1979, and were certified gold by the RIAA. Sales of the album may have been boosted by the image of a scantily clad Cher in a outfit on its cover. Despite her initial lack of enthusiasm with disco music, she changed her mind after the success, commenting, "I never thought I would want to do disco ... [but] it's terrific! It's great music to dance to. I think that danceable music is what everybody wants." Encouraged by the popularity of Take Me Home, Cher planned to return to rock music in her next album, (1979). The album's cover features Cher draped in chains as a "prisoner of the press", which caused controversy among feminist groups for her perceived portrayal of a sex slave. Cher included rock songs, which made the disco release seem unfocused and thus a commercial failure. Prisoner produced the single "", featured on the soundtrack of the film . The song exploits the late 1970s fad and contributed to its popularity.

In 1980, alongside Italian record producer , Cher wrote her last Casablanca disco recording, "Bad Love", for the film . She formed the rock band Black Rose that year with her then-lover, guitarist . Although Cher was the lead singer, she did not receive top billing because she wanted to create the impression that all band members were equal. Since she was easily recognized when she performed with the band, she developed a by cutting her hair and dyeing it bright yellow, green, and pink. Despite appearances on television, the band failed to earn concert dates. Their album received unfavorable reviews; Cher told magazine, "The critics panned us, and they didn't attack the record. They attacked me. It was like, 'How dare Cher sing rock & roll?'" During the band's active period, Cher was a successful nightclub singer in Las Vegas, earning $300,000 a week. Black Rose later broke up in 1981. That year, she released the UK top-five hit "", a duet with musician , later described by Allmusic's Donald A. Guarisco as "one of the more inspired rock duets of the 1980's". In 1982, released the album , later deemed by biographer Mark Bego as Cher's "strongest and most consistent solo album in years" despite its disappointing sales.

With decreasing album sales and a lack of successful singles, Cher decided to further develop her acting career. Her earliest entertainment ambitions had been in film, as opposed to music; but she had no films to her credit except the poorly received Good Times and Chastity, and the Hollywood establishment did not take her seriously as an actor. She moved to New York in 1982 to take acting lessons with , founder of the , but never enrolled after her plans changed. She auditioned for and was signed by director (whose wife was a friend of Cher's mother) for the Broadway stage production as a member of a fan club holding a 20-year reunion. That year, Altman cast her in the of the play, which earned her a nomination. Cher credits Altman for launching her acting career: "Without Bob [Robert Altman] I would have never had a film career. Everyone told him not to cast me ... I am convinced that Bob was the only one who was brave enough to do it."

Director , who had seen Cher onstage in Jimmy Dean, offered her the part of 's lesbian roommate and plant co-worker in the controversial film . When it premiered in 1983, audiences questioned Cher's ability as an actress. She recalls attending a film preview during which the audience laughed when they saw her name in the credits. For her engaging and nearly flawless performance, Cher was nominated for the and won a Golden Globe Award.

In 1985, Cher formed the film production company Isis. Her next film, (1985), reached number two at the box office and was Cher's first critical and commercial success as a leading actress. For her role as a drug addict biker with a teenage son who has a severe physical deformity, she won the at the . During the making of the film, however, she clashed with director . She attended the in a tarantula-like costume "to show her scorn for the 'system'", according to authors James Parish and Michael Pitts. The incident garnered her much publicity.

In May 1986, Cher made her first on the show. When asked by why she had been reluctant to be a guest on his program, she replied that she thought he was an "asshole". In 1987, she returned to the show with Sonny to sing "I Got You Babe" for the first time in ten years.

By 1987, Cher was receiving attention for her commercials and controversial lifestyle, including her tattoos, plastic surgeries, exhibitionist fashion sense, and affairs with younger men. She dated actors , , and , hockey player , film producer Josh Donen, guitarist Richie Sambora, and Rob Camilletti, an 18-years-younger bagel baker she met in 1986. Dubbed "Bagel Boy" by the press, Camilletti made headlines after he was charged with assault in 1988 for ramming Cher's Ferrari into a paparazzo's car. The couple broke up the next year.

Cher starred in three films in 1987. In , she played a public defender who is both helped and romanced by one of the jurors in the homicide case she is handling. Along with and , she starred as one of three divorcees involved with a mysterious and wealthy visitor from hell who comes to a small New England town in the . The film grossed $31.8 million in domestic film rentals. Cher accepted a lead role in 's romantic comedy , which grossed $34.3 million in domestic film rentals. For her performance as an Italian widow in love with her fiancée's younger brother, Cher won the and the . Received with a standing ovation during her Oscar acceptance, she said, "I don't think that this award means that I'm somebody, but maybe I'm on my way." By 1988, Cher had become one of the most acclaimed and bankable actresses of the decade, commanding $1 million per film. That year she released the fragrance , which earned about $15 million in its first year sales, and the exercise book Forever Fit, which sold about 100,000 copies in 1988.

In 1987, Cher signed with and revived her musical career with what DMA magazine describes as "her most impressive string of hits to date", establishing her as a "serious rock and roller ... a crown that she'd worked long and hard to capture". , , , and produced her first Geffen album, the RIAA-certified platinum . It features the rock ballad "", her first top-ten hit in more than eight years.

Certified triple platinum by the RIAA, Cher's 19th studio album (1989) has sold 11 million copies worldwide. The music video for the album's first single, "", caused controversy due to Cher's performance on a , straddling a cannon, and wearing a see-through that revealed her tattooed buttocks. Television networks initially refused to air the video because of its partial nudity. Responding to pressure from older viewers, agreed to show the video from 9 pm to 6 am. The song was an international number-one hit and quickly became one of Cher's most successful singles. In 1989, Cher launched the (also known as The Cher Extravaganza), which continued until 1990. Most critics liked the tour's nostalgic nature and admired Cher's showmanship. Its parent television special was filmed during a concert in Las Vegas.