Charles Aznavour

The singer-songwriter and actor Charles Aznavour was born in 1924 in Paris to Armenian parents. Described as the 'French Frank Sinatra' for his tenor voice, his multi-lingualism has helped him sell over 100,000,000 records worldwide.

He teamed up with French pianist Pierre Roche in the late 1930s, touring the cabaret circuit as Aznavour and Roche, although writing songs for others would bring him his initial recognition. He got his big break when he and Roche were invited by French chanteuse Edith Piaf to join her during her tour of France and North America in 1947, where they were a particularly big hit in Canada.

Aznavour branched out on his solo career in 1953, releasing his first record in 1954, and going on to record over 700 songs. Amongst the most well known are "She", "La Boheme" and "La Mamma" which sold more than a million copies.

His acting career began as a child actor in the theatre, moving on to film in 1936. He has had over 50 film roles, which increased in prominence when his singing career took off. In 1960 he starred in French director François Truffaut's Tirez sur le Pianiste (Shoot the Piano Player), and received critical acclaim for his performance in the 1965 version of the Agatha Christie mystery And Then There Were None. He was also in the 1978 film The Tin Drum which received the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

One of the many awards he has received was his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1996. He commenced his farewell tour in 2006, which he anticipates will last until 2010.