Paul Anka

Known for ActingBorn 1941-07-30 (age 84)Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including "Diana", "Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wrote the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; one of Tom Jones' biggest hits, "She's a Lady"; and the English lyrics to Claude François and Jacques Revaux's music for Frank Sinatra's signature song "My Way", which has been recorded by many, including Elvis Presley. He co-wrote three songs with Michael Jackson: "This Is It" (originally titled "I Never Heard") "Love Never Felt So Good", and "Don't Matter to Me", which became posthumous hits for Jackson in 2009, 2014, and 2018, respectively. Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to Camelia (née Tannis) and Andrew Emile "Andy" Anka Sr., who owned a restaurant called the Locanda. His parents were both of Lebanese descent. His father came to Canada from Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria, and his mother was an immigrant from Lebanon. His mother died when he was 18. Anka sang with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory. He studied piano with Winnifred Rees. He attended Fisher Park High School, where he was part of a vocal trio called the Bobby Soxers. Paul Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14. In 1956, with $100 given to him by his uncle, he went to New York City where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC Records, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2005, he stated that it was to a girl at his church whom he hardly knew. The resulting song "Diana" brought Anka stardom as it went to No. 1 on the Canadian and US music charts. "Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist. He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, including "It's Time to Cry", which hit No. 4 and "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached No. 15, making him (at 17) one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain, then Australia with Buddy Holly. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" – a song written for Holly, which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Anka stated shortly afterward: "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" has a tragic irony about it now, but at least it will help look after Buddy Holly's family. I'm giving my composer's royalty to his widow – it's the least I can do." ... Source: Article "Paul Anka" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.Read more

Movies & web series

Ein Herz für Kinder

Paul Anka: His Way

Lindsay Wagner: Another Side of Me

Voices That Care

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies

Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon

My Way

Paul Anka - Live in Switzerland

The Memories of Angels

Soundbreaking

Rebel Highway

That '70s Show

The Simpsons

Gilmore Girls

The Midnight Special

American Bandstand

Cinderella at the Palace

The Masked Singer

Jay Sebring… Cutting to the Truth

Buddy Holly: Rave On

Aktuelle Schaubude

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Numéro un

The Longest Day

Mireille Mathieu - Singen, nur singen

David Foster: Off the Record

Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Bill Hicks: Sane Man

Las Vegas

3 nach 9

Kojak

Donny & Marie

Wedden, dat..?

George and the Christmas Star

The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: More 1974

Dinah!

Einer wird gewinnen

Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster

Champs-Elysées

What's My Line?

The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour

This Is Tom Jones

Die ultimative Chartshow

The Ed Sullivan Show

Lily: Sold Out

The Dick Clark Show

Vegas: The Story of Sin City