Biography
Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines; December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following.
Influenced by the counterculture of the 1960s, Summer became the lead singer of a psychedelic rock band named Crow and moved to New York City. In 1968 she joined a German adaptation of the musical Hair in Munich, where she spent several years living, acting, and singing. There, she met music producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and they went on to record influential disco hits together such as "Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love", marking Summer's breakthrough into international music markets. Summer returned to the United States in 1976, and more hits such as "Last Dance", her version of "MacArthur Park", "Heaven Knows", "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", "Dim All the Lights", "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" with Barbra Streisand, and "On the Radio" followed.
Summer amassed a total of 42 hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 in her lifetime, with 14 of those reaching the Top 10. She claimed a top-40 hit every year between 1975 and 1984, and from her first top-ten hit in 1976, to the end of 1982, she had 12 top-ten hits (10 were top-five hits), more than any other act during that time period. She returned to the Hot 100's top five in 1983, and claimed her final top-ten hit in 1989 with "This Time I Know It's for Real". She was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach the top of the US Billboard 200 chart and charted four number-one singles in the US within a 12-month period. She also charted two number-one singles on the R&B Singles chart in the US and a number-one single in the United Kingdom. Her most recent Hot 100 hit came in 1999 with "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)". While her fortunes on the Hot 100 waned in subsequent decades, Summer remained a force on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart throughout her entire career.
Summer died on May 17, 2012, from lung cancer, at her home in Naples, Florida. She sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She won five Grammy Awards. In her obituary in The Times, she was described as the "undisputed queen of the Seventies disco boom" who reached the status of "one of the world's leading female singers." Moroder described Summer's work on the song "I Feel Love" as "really the start of electronic dance" music. In 2013, Summer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In December 2016, Billboard ranked her sixth on its list of the "Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists".
Description above from the Wikipedia article Donna Summer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
all 55
self 49
Movies 32
TV Shows 23
Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2023)
Stock Aitken Waterman: Legends of Pop (2023)
Il était une fois Champs-Élysées (2022)
La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président (2022)
70 Years of Youth Revolt (2020)
TV Story Superstar (2020)
Disco Europe Express (2019)
High Energy: Disco on Amphetamines (2019)
Do I Look Like a Lady? (Comedians and Singers) (2016)
Les Enfants de la Pop 80's (2012)
Hit Man Returns - David Foster & Friends (2011)
Donna Summer - Live from New York (2008)
Soul Divas (2007)
Best of Night of the Proms Vol. 2 (2007)
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: More 1978 (2007)
The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: Million Sellers (2006)
Burt Sugarman's The Midnight Special: 1976 (2006)
Songs From the Neighborhood: The Music of Mister Rogers (2005)
Donna Summer: Live (2005)
Sex 'n' Pop (2004)
Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s (2002)
The Power of One: The Pokémon 2000 Movie Special (2000)
The Queen Latifah Show (2000)
Donna Summer - Live and More Encore! (1999)
The Early Show (1999)
Where Are They Now? (1999)
Donna Summer - Live & More Collection (1999)
Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (1998)
Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary Party (1997)
Intimate Portrait (1993)
Rhythm Divine - History of Disco Music (1992)
Family Matters (1989)
Lahaye d'honneur (1987)
Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration (1985)
Donald Duck's 50th Birthday (1984)
A Hot Summer Night with Donna (1983)
The Eddie Rabbitt Special (1983)
Champs-Elysées (1982)
Andy Kaufman: The Midnight Special (1981)
The Donna Summer Special (1980)
The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's (1980)
Rona Barrett Looks at 1978 (1979)
Thank God It's Friday (1978)
Numéro un (1975)
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche (1975)
Van Oekel's Discohoek (1974)
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest (1972)
The Midnight Special (1972)
Disco (1971)
Starparade (1968)
Viña del Mar International Song Festival (1963)
The Mike Douglas Show (1961)
The Grammy Awards (1959)
Platinum Hit
The Donna Summer Special
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderFemale
Birthday1948-12-31
Deathday2012-05-17 (63 years old)
Birth NameLaDonna Adrian Gaines
Birth PlaceBoston, United States of America
RelationshipsBruce Sudano (1980-07-16 - 2012-05-17)
ChildrenAmanda Sudano, Brooklyn Sudano
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsLaDonna Adrian Gaines
Awardsstar on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance, Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording
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