Biography for
Sarah Brightman More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

14 August 1960, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Nickname

Angel of Music

Height

5' 5½" (1.66 m)

Mini Biography

Sarah Brightman's soprano voice has sold millions of records and been heard in arenas, cathedrals, and Olympic stadiums around the world. Brightman is the winner of more than 180 gold and platinum awards in 40 countries, and is a concert artist who has performed before millions of fans on every continent.

Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe, "Pans People", before joining Hot Gossip, where she released several disco hit singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made her West End musical theatre debut in "Cats", where she met composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. She went on to star in several Broadway musicals, including "The Phantom of the Opera", where she originated the role of "Christine Daaé".

After a number of successful years on the musical stage, Brightman decided to resume her solo career with former "Enigma" co-producer, Frank Peterson. Their collaboration resulted in a string of successful albums, beginning with "Dive" (1993), "Fly" (1995) and "Timeless/Time To Say Goodbye" (1997). Her duet with the Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, "Time To Say Goodbye", topped charts all over Europe and became the highest and fastest selling single of all time in Germany. It subsequently became an international success, selling 12 million copies, worldwide. In the following years, Brightman released a series of highly personal and thematic albums: "Eden" (1998), "La Luna" (2000), "Harem" (2003) and "Symphony" (2008). The "Harem" concert tour grossed over $60 million and played to 700,000 fans.

Brightman has appeared in several films, including Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), and Stephen Evans' 1st Night (2010/I).

She is the first artist to have been invited to perform at two Olympic games, first at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and, 16 years later, in Beijing to an estimated four billion people, worldwide. In 2010, she was named by Billboard as the fifth most influential and top-selling classical artist of the 2000s decade in the United States.

IMDb Mini Biography By: M. Morales

Spouse

Andrew Lloyd Webber	(22 March 1984 - June 1990) (divorced)
Andrew Graham-Stewart	(1978 - September 1983) (divorced)

Trivia

Is the oldest of six children.

Attended the same school as actor Nigel Havers.

Composer (and then soon to be husband), Andrew Lloyd Webber, originally wrote the famous Phantom Of The Opera song "The Music Of The Night" for Sarah. It was originally titled "Married Man" with lyrics by British director Trevor Nunn, and sung at Lloyd Webber's yearly festival in the early 80s. At the time of writing and performing it, Lloyd Webber was still married to his first wife... what a hint!

Is still friends with her former "The Phantom of the Opera" stage co-star, Michael Crawford.

Her favorite songs are "Blackbird" by The Beatles, "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell, "One" by U2, "Life On Mars" by David Bowie, "Heaven Or Las Vegas" by Cocteau Twins, "We Have All The Time In The World" by Louis Armstrong, "Reckoner" by Radiohead and "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed. (Source: BBC Radio 2 "Tracks of My Years").

"Time to Say Goodbye" - her first album released in the U.S., debuted at the Billboard Top 200 albums at number seventy-one, ranking a low position for an artist, but a higher position for a Classical music album, however the album peaked at number-one at the Billboard Top Classical Crossovers Albums, generating a reign at the peak for thirty-five consecutive weeks.

Ex-stepmother of Imogen Lloyd Webber and Nick Lloyd Webber.

Ex-sister-in-law of Julian Lloyd Webber.

Prior to making a big splash on stage in the 1980s, Brightman was a performer with the girlie dance troupe Hot Gossip who scored a UK hit in 1978 with, "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper". After the dancers joined "The Kenny Everett Television Show" (1981) as regulars, Brightman went on to pursue a career in musical theatre.

Personal Quotes

In the past, I always used to be looking for answers. Today, I know there are only questions. So I just live.

When I sing, I close my eyes. If I see a feather, everything is fine. Without this image in my mind, the sound is not 'truthful' enough and I must begin again. I have to. I first had this feeling, this instinct, with 'The Phantom of the Opera', and since then have always listened to it.

It really is strange the way I work for success but when I get there cannot appreciate it. I enjoy the road to success and the struggle - even when it becomes hard. But when I achieve my goal, I feel suddenly and totally stressed. Only in retrospect can I begin to enjoy the moment and admit just how great it was.

My fans want me with my hair.

I live in a plane more or less.

Right before I go on stage I'm absolutely terrified. My mind darts at many directions but the center of me is going forward into the performance.

Where Are They Now

(June 2003) Promoting new CD, Harem, around the world.

(October 2007) Filming scenes for Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008).