Cher Age , Career, Family, Net Worth, Height Bio 2024.

Cher is an award-winning singer and actress who has been entertaining audiences for over six decades with her powerful voice, bold fashion choices, and forthright personality. But long before the glittering gowns and glamorous red carpet appearances, Cher was just an ordinary young girl growing up in California.

What was Cher’s childhood like?

Cher was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California in 1946. Her father, John Sarkisian, was an Armenian-American truck driver while her mother, Georgia Holt, was an actress, model, and occasional waitress. Cher’s parents divorced when she was just 10 months old.

This led to a tumultuous, unsettled childhood for Cher as she moved frequently between various homes and schools. Her mother married and divorced several times more, struggling to support herself and Cher.

During these years, Cher lived with relatives or in Catholic boarding schools. She recalls enjoying school and getting good grades, though she changed schools often. Despite the chaos, Cher looks back fondly on her childhood.

What were some hardships Cher faced as a child?

While aspects of Cher’s youth were fun and formative, she also endured substantial hardships:

• Frequent moves: Due to her mother’s rocky romantic life, Cher moved over 10 times by 5th grade, attending numerous schools. This made forming lasting friendships difficult.
• Poverty: Cher’s family struggled financially, sometimes relying on government assistance. She shared small living quarters with multiple people.
• Health issues: Cher suffered from dyslexia, making academics an uphill battle. She also contracted mononucleosis twice, causing her to miss school.
• Loneliness: With her mother frequently working, Cher experienced stretches of time home alone without supervision or company. She recalls feeling lonely.
• Weight insecurities: Cher was self-conscious about her looks from a young age. She viewed her skinny classmates as more attractive.

Despite these challenges, Cher remained an outgoing, energetic child.

How did Cher get into performing?

Cher discovered her love of performance early on. In elementary school, she entertained classmates with impromptu songs and skits during lunch.

At age 5, she saw her first movie in theaters – a Shirley Temple film – and became enamored with acting and singing. Throughout her childhood, Cher emulated Temple and actresses she saw in movies.

Cher took tap and hula dancing lessons for several years, performing recitals for family. In high school, she excelled in drama club. Her early exposure to Hollywood cinema and classes shaped her aspiration to ultimately become an iconic entertainer in her own right.

What was young Cher’s personality like?

Even as a child, distinct aspects of Cher’s vivacious, trailblazing personality shown through:

• Outgoing: Cher was talkative and engaging despite frequently changing schools. She attracted friends with her humor and confidence.
• Independent: With an often-absent mother, Cher learned to take care of herself. She could prepare her own meals and got herself to school.
• Rebellious: Cher pushed back against rules she deemed unnecessary. In Catholic school, she protested strict dress code policies.
• Self-assured: Cher cultivated an air of self-confidence and determination from a young age. She refused to be deterred by naysayers or obstacles in pursuing performance.
• Stylish: Cher had an eye for fashion even as a child. She dreamed up lavish, homemade costumes and makeup looks foreshadowing her future renown style icon status.

What famous figures influenced young Cher?

Cher admired the style and showmanship of several prominent female performers at a young age:

Shirley Temple

Cher felt mesmerized seeing Shirley Temple dance and sing in films as a little girl. Temple’s golden curls and cheery charm represented everything Cher desired in a star. She dressed up pretending to be Temple and learned to mimic her signature songs and moves.

Audrey Hepburn

In her teens, Cher became enamored with Audrey Hepburn’s fashionable, gamine look in movies like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Roman Holiday. Cher emulated Hepburn’s bold eyebrows and pixie hair, developing her own chic style.

Marilyn Monroe

Cher also studied Marilyn Monroe’s glamorous look and sultry stage presence. She took notes on how Monroe commanded a room with confidence and allure. Cher incorporated Monroe’s beauty techniques like strategic highlight and contour into her own routine.

These three stars heavily influenced Cher’s aspirations for stardom and evolution into a pop culture icon integrating singing, acting, and fashion.

What were some interesting jobs Cher had as a teenager?

To help her family financially and pursue her show business ambitions, Cher took on some unconventional jobs even before finishing high school:

• Backup singer: At 16, Cher got work as a backup singer. She sang behind recording artists like Ronnie Spector, singing harmonies and choruses uncredited.
• Session singer: Producers hired Cher to lay down vocal tracks for commercial jingles and B-movie soundtracks. Though often uncredited, this taught Cher studio technique.
• Model: Cher modeled clothing for local print ads and catalogs. With her nearly six foot height and bold look, photographers appreciated her versatility to show off different fashion styles.

These odd jobs got Cher comfortable in front of audiences and cameras while helping to support her family. They laid the foundation for her eventual superstardom.

What surprising fact might people not know about Cher childhood?

Many fans today likely don’t know Cher actually auditioned for the role of Liesl Von Trapp in the Oscar-winning film The Sound of Music.

The part instead famously went to Charmian Carr. But Robert Wise, the film’s director, later said Cher demonstrating her vocal range with the song “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” very nearly won her the role as a teenager.

So while the world fortunately gained Cher as a music legend, she also came close to starring on the silver screen alongside Julie Andrews in that enduring musical classic!

• Cher endured instability with a frequently absent mother and over 10 moved homes by fifth grade
• She discovered her artistic passions early from school plays to watching Shirley Temple films
• As a teenager, Cher gained professional experience as a backup singer, session vocalist, and print model
• Directors noticed Cher’s talents when she auditioned for The Sound of Music role as a youth

Was Cher interested in other careers besides performance growing up?

Given Cher’s early success working as an actress and singer, most fans assume she fixated solely on being a performer from a young age.

However, according to interviews, Cher actually contemplated several more traditional careers before settling definitively on show business thanks to the encouragement of mentors and boyfriends who recognized her special talents.

Potential Career Paths Cher Considered:

• Interior Designer: Cher excelled in her high school design course, impressing her teacher. For a time, Cher thought about pursuing an interior design degree.
• Secretary: Though she loved singing with recording artists, Cher also considered a stable administrative job to help support her family.
• English Teacher: Teachers often complimented Cher’s essays and creative writing abilities. She briefly entertained teaching literature.
• Nurse: In a 2010 interview, Cher shared she almost pursued nursing because she “looked cute in a white uniform”.

So while performance captivated Cher from childhood, she amazingly almost veered away to other more conventional careers before ultimately following her destiny towards superstardom.

What are Cher best pieces of advice for navigating childhood struggles?

Drawing from her own troubled childhood, She frequently shares words of wisdom to help youth get through difficult circumstances:

Focus on the future

Cher understands many children endure out-of-control environments. She advises focusing on the future and factors you can change rather than dwelling on an unpleasant situation holding you back temporarily. Set goals to build the life you want.

Speak your truth

She regrets moments from her youth when she didn’t speak up against unkind classmates or unfair policies. She urges children to voice their experiences and stand up to bullying. Cher vows to pass on the confidence she wishes she had.

Be yourself

Despite insecurities about her looks and dyslexia making school harder, Cher learned embracing what makes you different is a superpower, not weakness. She wants children to celebrate qualities making them special rather than conforming to fit narrow molds.

Cher’s difficult childhood shaped an empathy and resilience she draws on to counsel youth facing exclusions today much like she did growing up.

• Inspired by Shirley Temple’s performances, Cher emulated her singing, dancing, and charm
• Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe influenced Cher’s beauty regimen and stage presence
• Getting work as a backup singer and model built Cher’s confidence for later stardom
• She nearly pursued nursing and teaching careers before focusing definitively on entertainment

What questions remain about Cher enigmatic childhood?

While she’s shared more insights in recent years, Cher still plays some details from her unusual youth close to the vest leaving fans with lingering questions:

• Who were Cher’s biological grandparents and why has she never discussed them?
• Did Cher inherit any musical talents or performance interests from her estranged father’s side of the family about which she’s rarely spoken?
• What reactions did Cher’s mother and family have early on to her interest in flamboyant clothes and makeup far different from styles at the time?
• Did Cher ever reconnect with childhood best friends over the years even as global fame made maintaining relationships complicated?
• What feelings about her difficult childhood has Cher still not fully revealed even to her closest confidantes?

Cher deservestotal autonomysharing whatever she’s comfortablefrom her early life and career. But as one of pop culture’s most celebrated icons for over half a century now, fans will undoubtedly continue intrigued wondering about secrets still locked away in her memory from earliest days destined for greatness.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Cher’s rags-to-riches life story contains powerful lessons about resilience. Despite poverty, frequent relocations, health issues, and a frequently absent mother, she nurtured big dreams from childhood fueled by a love of cinema and performance.

She never saw unconventional looks or circumstances as liabilities to hide but rather qualities making her special. This self-acceptance positioned her for uncommon success when she began working as a backup singer and model before graduating high school.

While the glare of fame’s spotlight has brought both admiration and scrutiny over her decades in the public eye, Cher’s difficult early years developed a toughness to weather anything while always speaking her complex truth. Her trailblazing career and ever-changing, show-stopping looks make Cher utterly singular in popular culture. Still, all share universal experiences growing up that shaped who she’d become.

She reminds even those who feel excluded or held back to bet on their own inner star quality. Greatness often comes from embracing exactly what makes you different while resolutely creating your own path believing in your gifts even when others can’t recognize them yet. If outcast Cherilyn Sarkisian hadn’t continued expressing her unconventional creative spirit in that Catholic schoolgirl uniform she so despised, the wondrous, incandescent Cher may never have fully emerged to inspire generations.

So while some childhood details remain veiled in mystery likely forever, Cher’s steadfast message crystallizes – the secret to becoming a beloved icon starts with courage to be your own kind of star visible from childhood already burning brightly within us all.

Did Cher have a good relationship with her mom growing up?

Despite being frequently absent working various jobs, Cher describes having a solid relationship with mom Georgia Holt. They bonded over their shared creative passions for film and music from when Cher was very young. Cher understood her mother worked tirelessly to support them as a single parent. She credits her mom for fostering her initial fascination with cinema and stardom.

Where did Cher’s iconic fashion sense originate?

Cher first fell in love with stylish clothes and makeup watching her mother Georgia get ready to perform in clubs Cher visited as a small child. In elementary school, Cher created homemade costumes copying looks from glamorous actresses in films she loved. She handcrafted her own jewelry and experimented with makeup against school policies. This early DIY fashion spirit forecasted her future renowned risk-taking designer looks.

When did Cher start performing publicly as a singer?

she began singing and acting from a very young age entertaining family members and classmates with impromptu songs and skits. But her first public singing performances happened as a teenager when she worked providing backup vocals anonymously in recording sessions for various artists. At 16, Cher officially stepped into the spotlight singing lead vocals for the band the Aladdin’s genies, foreshadowing her future pop icon status.

What inspired Cher’s signature husky singing voice?

Many fans don’t realize Cher actually struggled finding her singular singing voice as a youth. Initially she sang in a high soprano attempting to copy songstresses like Shirley Temple she admired. Later, Sonny Bono suggested she harness her natural lower register. she developed her distinctive contralto sound singing jazz and blues inspired by artists her mother played including Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee that better suited her smoky speaking voice as well. This shift unlocked her iconic vocal power.

Did Cher have a hard time making friends due to frequently moving as a child?

Yes, she admits her most challenging hardship stemming from constantly transferring homes and schools was difficulty maintaining longterm childhood friendships. However,she compensated by becoming highly outgoing introducing herself to new classmates. Her charm and wit consistently helped her bond with fellow students quickly during her brief stints at each new school. Still, the disruption of stable best friend connections bothered young Cher.