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Singer-actor-composer-songwriter Charles Aznavour was born Chahnour Varinag Aznavourian in 1924 in Paris, France, after his parents fled Turkey in the wake of the Turkish massacre. He is one of France's legendary entertainers whose extraordinary career has spanned six decades. Aznavour is considered to have reinvented the French chanson, has composed more than 600 songs, has sold more than 100 million records and has appeared in over 60 films.

Aznavour made his theatrical debut as a dancer at the age of nine. He went on to become an international singing sensation and movie star, working with the likes of musical legends Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier and film directors such as Andre Cayatte (Tomorrow Is My Turn, for which Aznavour received the 1960 Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival); René Clair (Three Fables of Love); Julien Duvivier (Devil and The Ten Commandments); Claude Chabrol (The Hatter' s Ghost, The Twist); Volker Schlondorff (The Tin Drum); and Francois Truffaut, with whom he created perhaps his most memorable role as the lead in Shoot the Piano Player.

Some of his numerous career highlights include his 1964 sell-out performance at Carnegie Hall; his 1967 London debut at Royal Albert Hall, which was also sold-out; his UK No. 1 hit single, She (which was recently re-recorded by Elvis Costello for the soundtrack of the film, Notting Hill); and his honorary Cesar Award (France's equivalent of the Academy Award ), which he received in 1997 for his invaluable contributions to French cinema.

More recent accomplishments include his compositions for the musical comedy Lautrec; his latest album Jazznavour; his appearance with Sting, Elton John, Billy Joel and other popular music stars in Sting's annual rain-forest benefit concert at Carnegie Hall; and his being chosen Entertainer of the Century in an online poll sponsored by TIME Magazine, edging out the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan.

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