Who are Cher parents? | ZingBlog

Publish date: 2024-03-01

Cher is an American singer, actress, and television personality born on May 20, 1946, in El Centro, California, United States.

Often referred to by the media as the “Goddess of Pop”, she has been described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry

When Cher was in fifth grade, she produced a performance of the musical Oklahoma! for her teacher and class. She organized a group of girls, directing and choreographing their dance routines. Unable to convince boys to participate, she acted in 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 Audrey Hepburn, particularly due to her role in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Cher began to take after the unconventional outfits and behavior of Hepburn’s character. She was also inspired by Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, and Katharine Hepburn. She was disappointed by the absence of dark-haired Hollywood actresses whom she could emulate.

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 Georganne, and enrolled them at Montclair College Preparatory School, a private school in Encino, 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.”

At age 16, Cher dropped out of school, left her mother’s house, and moved to Los Angeles with a friend. She took acting classes and worked to support herself, dancing in small clubs along Hollywood’s Sunset Strip and introducing herself to performers, managers, and agents. Cher signed with Liberty Records’ Imperial imprint at the end of 1964, and Sonny became her producer. The single “Dream Baby”, released under the name “Cherilyn”, received airplay in Los Angeles.

Cher and Sonny had had marital problems since late 1972, but appearances were maintained until 1974. 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 Chaz, which was eventually granted to Cher. Their divorce was finalized on June 26, 1975.

Meet the parents of Cher

Her father, John Sarkisian, was an Armenian-American truck driver with drug and gambling problems; her mother, Georgia Holt, born Jackie Jean Crouch, was a former model and retired actress who claimed Irish, English, German, and Cherokee ancestry. Cher’s father was rarely home when she was an infant, and her parents divorced when Cher was ten months old. Her mother later married actor John Southall, with whom she had another daughter, Georganne, Cher’s half-sister.

Now living in Los Angeles, Cher’s mother began acting while working as a waitress. She changed her name to Georgia Holt and played minor roles in films and on television. Holt also secured acting parts for her daughters as extras on television shows like The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Her mother’s relationship with Southall ended when Cher was nine years old, but she considers him her father and remembers him as a “good-natured man who turned belligerent when he drank too much”.

Holt remarried and divorced several more times, and she moved her family around the country (including New York, Texas, and California). They often had little money, and Cher recounted having had to use rubber bands to hold her shoes together. At one point, her mother left Cher at an orphanage for several weeks. Although they met every day, both found the experience traumatic.

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