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Johnny Hallyday

Johnny Hallyday is a rock and roll legend in his native France, where he began his career in the 1950s and was soon dubbed the French Elvis for his expressive singing style and effect on the French cultural scene. Like Elvis Presley, he became equally renowned for his film work, often singing the theme song of the films in which he starred. He has amassed some 18 platinum albums, 900 songs, 100 tours, 80 million discs sold and 17 million spectators at his concerts.

In 1961, he had his first hit with a cover of the Chubby Checker classic Let's Twist Again, following that with hit versions of such U.S. chart-toppers as The House of the Rising Sun, In the Midnight Hour, Black is Black and Hey Joe. Throughout the ensuing decades, he has explored almost every trend, from psychedelia to rock opera. On his 50th birthday, a 42-CD box set of his four-decades career in rock was released in France and Canada and in 2000 his record Sang pour sang won the Best Album of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique Awards. In 2002, he was selected by France's soccer team to sing their official song for The World Cup.

Hallyday made his feature film debut in the Henri Georges Clouzot's psychological thriller Les Diaboliques and has gone on to appear in some 35 films, including working with Claude LeLouch in Money, Money, Money, Jean Luc-Godard in Detective and Costa Gavras in Family Business. Man on the Train marks his first collaboration with Patrice Leconte.

A great fan of car racing, Hallyday recently had the distinction of completing the extreme road race, the Paris-Dakar.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

Johnny Hallyday Facts

OccupationMusician, Actor
BirthdayJune 15, 1943 (80)
SignGemini
BirthplaceParis, France

Selected Filmography

Crime Spree
Vengeance
The Man on the Train
L'Aventure C'est L'Aventure
Pink Panther 2
Johnny Hallyday: Live at Montreux 1988
Johnny Hallyday: Le Zenith 1984
Johnny Hallyday: Au Palais des Sports 1969
Johnny Hallyday: Olympia 2000
Johnny Hallyday: 100% Johnny Live a La Tour Eiffel
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