Sarah Brightman Biography

(Soprano Singer)

Birthday: August 14, 1960 (Leo)

Born In: Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England

Advanced Search

Sarah Brightman is a celebrated British soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. From the age of three, she began taking dance and piano classes and started performing in local competitions, contests and festivals. She made her first on-stage debut at the age of thirteen with the musical drama I and Albert at London Piccadilly Theatre. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and went on to star in several Broadway musicals. After her retirement from stage, she began the second innings of her music career as a classical crossover artist. She has established herself as the world's best-selling soprano of all time. Brightman is the lone artist to have been invited to perform at two Olympic Games - first at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and later at 2008 Beijing Olympics. She has also starred in a few notable movies including ‘Brokedown Palace’, ‘Granpa’, and ‘First Night’, which made her a household name in England. She is the Brand Ambassador of UNESCO as Artist of Peace.

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In August

Age: 63 Years, 63 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Andrew Graham-Stewart (m. 1978–1983), Andrew Lloyd Webber (m. 1984–1990)

father: Grenville Geoffrey Brightman

mother: Paula Brightman

siblings: Amelia Brightman

Born Country: England

Opera Singers Soprano Singers

Height: 5'5" (165 cm), 5'5" Females

More Facts

education: Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, Elmhurst School for Dance

awards: 1996 - RSH Gold Award for Best Female Artist
1998 - Echo Award for Best Song
1998 - Golden Lion Award for Best Live Performance

1998 - Goldene Europa Award for Best Female Artist
1998 - Guinness Book Entry for Germany’s Best-Selling Single of All Time
1998 - Grammy Taiwan Award for Best Selling Record
1998 - UNESCO Hand-in-Hand Award
1999 - Czechoslovakian Grammy Award for Singer of the Year
1999 - The Point Trophy for Highest-Grossing Ticket Sales
2000 - IFPI Europe Award for Album sales exceeding one million copies in Europe
2001- New Age Voice Music Award for Best Vocal Album
2003 - Media Control Award for Biggest Hit of All Time
2004 - Arabian Music Award for Best Collaboration
2004 - Arabian Music Award for Best Female Artist
2005 - First Prize for Music Documentary by New York Film Festival
2005 - Third Prize for Music Video by New York Film Festival
2007 - The 21st Japan Gold Disc Award for Classic Album of the Year
2009 - The 23rd Japan Gold Disc Award for Classic Album of the Year
2009 - The 24th Japan Gold Disc Award for Classic Album of the Year

Recommended For You

Andrew Lloyd We... Grace Moore Joan Sutherland Luciano Pavarotti

Recommended Lists:

British PeopleBritish WomenLeo SingersWomen SingersBritish Singers Childhood & Early LifeSarah Brightman was born to businessman, Grenville Brightman and Paula Brightman in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England.She, along with her five younger siblings, was brought up in Little Gaddesden village located near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England.She showed great interest in music, dance and piano from a very young age and at the age of three she began learning piano and dance.She attended Arts Educational School in Tring Park, London, which was also attended by Actor Nigel Havers.She made her first on-stage debut at the age of thirteen in the musical drama, ‘I and Albert’, at London Piccadilly Theatre.Quotes: Past, IContinue Reading BelowRecommended Lists:Female Opera SingersBritish Women SingersBritish Opera SingersBritish Soprano SingersCareerIn 1981, Sarah auditioned for composer Andrew Webber’s musical Cats for the role of Jemima. A year later, she played the role of Tara Treetops in the play Masquerade and appeared in the title role of Charles Strouse’s Nightingale.In 1984, she appeared in Andrew Webber’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera, Song and Dance, and Mass Requiem’.From 1985 to 1990, she worked in numerous albums including The Trees They Grow So High, The Songs That Got Away, and As I Came of Age .After 1990, Sarah embarked on her solo career and in 1992 she made an appearance in Barcelona Olympic Games with the theme song, Amigos Para Siempre.In 1997, her international hit, Time to Say Goodbye was released which earned her The Guinness World Record for best-selling German single.In 2000, she made an appearance in the German feature film, Zeit der Erkenntnis. By the end of 2000, she had a sales record of more than Rolling Stones and Elton John, making her America’s top-touring and highest-selling British artist.The Billboard Magazine announced her as most successful crossover artist in UK in 2001.Later, from 2006 to 2008, she made appearances in various other singles and duets including All I Ask of You, Running, Snowbird, Abide With Me. Her single Symphony, released in 2008, became the highest ranked single on Billboard’s Charts.From 2009 to 2010, her popularity was all-time high in the Asian markets. Around the same time she acquired American citizenship.Continue Reading Below In 2011, she made a final guest appearance in The Phantom of the Opera.She was made UNESCO Ambassador as the Artist of Peace in 2012.Her much awaited album, Dreamchaser was released in April 2013.Quotes: You, TimeRecommended Lists:Leo WomenMajor WorksShe is best known for her appearance in Andrew Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Song and Dance, and Mass Requiem.She is well-reputed as world’s number one selling soprano with record sales of over 30 million records and 2 million DVDs.Awards & AchievementsShe is the winner of over 180 Platinum and Gold awards in 34 different countries across the globe including Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Australia, United States, United Kingdom and Mexico.She holds a Guinness World Record for her best-selling German single ‘Time to Say Goodbye’.She won the UNESCO Hand-in-Hand Award in 1998. She has also earned for herself the Golden Key to the city of Chicago and Istanbul.She has won the ‘Goldene Europa Award’ and the Arabian Music Award as the Best Female Artist.Quotes: YouPersonal Life & LegacyShe married Andrew Graham-Stewart in 1978 but the marriage did not last long and they got divorced in 1983.She got married to Andrew Lloyd Webber on 22nd March 1984. The couple got separated in June 1990.She is a master of several languages including Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Latin, English, German, Italian, Japanese, and Occitan etc.TriviaShe is popularly called as the ‘Angel of Music’ by her fans and followers.As a teenager, she worked as a model for popular brands like Vogue, Dior and Woolworth Jeans.