Amanda Lear facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amanda Lear
|
|
|---|---|
Lear in 2010
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Amanda Tap(p) |
| Born | 18 June or 18 November 1939–1950 Saigon, French Indochina (present-day Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts | Salvador Dalí |
Amanda Lear is a famous French singer, songwriter, and painter. She has also worked as a television presenter, actress, and model. She was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) or Hong Kong. Her exact birth date is a bit of a mystery, but many sources say it was June 18 or November 18, 1939.
Contents
Early Life
Amanda Lear's early life has some unclear details. She has shared different information about where and when she was born. Many sources, like the French National Library, suggest she was born on June 18, 1939. Other dates like 1941, 1946, or 1950 have also been mentioned. In 2010, she showed her ID card, which stated she was born on November 18, 1950, in Saigon.
Her birthplace is often said to be Saigon or British Hong Kong. She was reportedly the only child of her parents, who later divorced. Her father was likely a French army officer, and her mother had a Russian-Asian background. Her birth name was either Tap or Tapp.
Amanda Lear grew up in different places, possibly in the South of France, Switzerland, or between London and Paris. She learned several languages when she was a teenager, including English, German, Spanish, and Italian. She often uses these languages in her work.
Career
Amanda Lear started her career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s. She modeled for famous designers like Paco Rabanne. She became good friends with the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí. He was her close friend and muse for over 18 years.
Lear first became well-known when she appeared on the cover of Roxy Music's album For Your Pleasure in 1973. From the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, she became a very successful disco singer. She sold millions of albums, especially in Europe and Scandinavia. Her first four albums were very popular, reaching the top 10 on European music charts. Her album Sweet Revenge (1978) was a bestseller. Some of her big hit songs include "Blood and Honey", "Tomorrow", "Queen of Chinatown", and "Follow Me".
By the mid-1980s, Amanda Lear became a popular television personality in Italy. She hosted many well-known TV shows. Even though TV became her main focus, she continued to record music. She tried different music styles and re-recorded some of her older hits.
Lear also has a very successful career as a painter. She has always said that painting is her biggest passion. Since the early 1980s, her artwork has been shown in galleries across Europe and other places. She has also written several books about her life, including My Life with Dalí.
Since the 1990s, Amanda Lear has continued to work in music, television, movies, and painting. While her music didn't always top the charts, her TV career remained strong. She has hosted many prime-time TV shows, mostly in Italy and France. She has also acted in movies and done voice-over roles. In the late 2000s, she started acting in theater plays in France. It is said that she has sold over 27 million records around the world.
She released a new album called Tuberose in 2021. In 2023, actress Andreja Pejić played Amanda Lear in the film Dalíland. An HBO documentary called Enigma was shown in January 2025. This film compares Amanda Lear's life story with April Ashley's. It includes a new interview with Lear.
Discography
- Studio albums and main compilations
|
|
Filmography
- Ne jouez pas avec les Martiens (1967)
- Wonderwall (1968)
- Follie di notte (1978)
- Loggerheads (1978)
- Grottenolm (1985)
- L'amour est à réinventer (1997)
- Bimboland (1998)
- La Défi (2002)
- Oliviero Rising (2007)
- Bloody Flowers (2008)
- 8th Wonderland (2010)
- Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
- Metti una notte (2017)
- Miss (2020)
- Si muore solo da vivi (2020)
- Maison de retraite 2 (2024)
- To Live, To Die, To Live Again (Vivre, mourir, renaître) (2024)
Theater
- 2009-2011 : Panique au ministère written by Jean Franco & Guillaume Mélanie, directed by Raymond Acquaviva
- 2011-2013 : Lady Oscar written by Guillaume Mélanie, directed by Éric Civanyan
- 2013-2014 : Divina written by Jean Robert-Charrier, directed by Nicolas Briançon
- 2016-2017 : La Candidate written by Jean Franco & Guillaume Mélanie, directed by Raymond Acquaviva
- 2021-2022 : Qu’est-il arrivé à Bette Davis et Joan Crawford ? written by Jean Marboeuf, directed by Michel Fau
- 2024 : The Scientific Cardplayer written by Jean Franco & Guillaume Mélanie, directed by Raymond Acquaviva
See also
In Spanish: Amanda Lear para niños
