# Cher filmography
**Cher** (born Cherilyn Sarkisian, 1946, in [El Centro, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-centro-california)) is an American singer and actor whose screen career runs from 1960s cameo appearances through an Academy Award-winning performance in *Moonstruck* (1987) to selective later roles in *Burlesque* (2010) and *Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again* (2018).[1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/) Film reference works observe a recurring feature of her screen career: across most of her movies she portrays women far removed from glamour, which contrasts sharply with the dazzling image tied to her celebrity.[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Screen debut | Appearances as herself in *Wild on the Beach* (1965) and *Good Times* (1967), then the title role in *Chastity* (1969)[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) |
| Television breakthrough | Co-host of *The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour* on CBS, 1971–1974, a show that drew over 30 million weekly viewers[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) • [3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/38225-cher?language=en-US) |
| Critical breakthrough | Stage debut as Sissy in Robert Altman's 1982 Broadway run of *Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean*, followed by the film version[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) |
| Major awards | Cannes Best Actress for *Mask* (1985); Academy Award and Golden Globe for *Moonstruck* (1987 film year)[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) |
| Biggest box-office hit | *Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again* (2018), $395,462,133 worldwide[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/person/24404-Cher) |
| 1990s output | Two theatrical features with non-cameo acting roles in the decade: *Faithful* (1996) and *Tea with Mussolini* (1999)[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) |
| Later screen work | Tess in *Burlesque* (2010), a voice role as Janet the lioness in *Zookeeper* (2011), and documentary appearances[5](https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/person/cher) • [6](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-6809/filmographie/) |
## Television work (1965–1980s)
Cher's first screen appearances were as herself, in *Wild on the Beach* (1965) and *Good Times* (1967), before she took the title role in *Chastity* (1969), a drama produced around her and [Sonny Bono](https://www.edgepedia.org/sonny-bono)'s screen personas.[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) After the duo's first U.S. hit "Baby Don't Go" in 1965, she co-hosted *The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour* for CBS from 1971 to 1974.[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) The show attracted over 30 million weekly viewers, and Cher won a Golden Globe for Best TV Actress in a Musical/Comedy for it.[3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/38225-cher?language=en-US) • [1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/)
Her move into acting came through the stage: she trained with the acting teacher [Jeff Corey](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-corey) and made her Broadway debut in 1982 in Altman's *Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean*, playing Sissy.[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) • [3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/38225-cher?language=en-US)
## Film career
**1982–1987: the critical peak.** Altman's film version of *Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean* (1982) gave Cher her first substantial film role as Sissy, and [Mike Nichols](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-nichols) was so impressed with her stage performance that he cast her in *Silkwood* (1983) as Dolly Pelliker, the blue-collar, frumpy lesbian roommate of [Karen Silkwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/karen-silkwood), opposite [Meryl Streep](https://www.edgepedia.org/meryl-streep).[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) • [1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/) The role brought her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.[1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/)
In *[Mask](https://www.edgepedia.org/mask-1985-film)* (1985), directed by [Peter Bogdanovich](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-bogdanovich), she played Rusty Dennis, a biker mother of a son with a craniofacial condition; screenwriter Anna Hamilton Phelan wrote the part with Cher in mind.[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/930-Cher) • [8](https://www.cherscholar.com/maj-performances/) She won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award for the performance, though many believed she was snubbed for an Oscar nomination that year despite critical acclaim.[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) • [8](https://www.cherscholar.com/maj-performances/)
1987 was her densest year: she appeared in three features, as Kathleen Riley in *Suspect*, as Alexandra Medford in *[The Witches of Eastwick](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-witches-of-eastwick-film)*, and as Loretta Castorini in *Moonstruck*.[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/930-Cher) *Moonstruck* brought her the [Academy Award for Best Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-actress) and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) • [1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/) [The Italian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-italian) encyclopedia Treccani dates the Oscar to the 1988 ceremony, while English-language reference works date it to the 1987 film year; both refer to the same award.[9](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/cher_%28Enciclopedia-del-Cinema%29/) • [2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html)
**1990s: semi-retirement.** After *Mermaids* (1990), in which she played Mrs. Rachel Flax, Cher appeared in only two theatrical features with non-cameo acting roles during the decade: *Faithful* (1996), as Margaret, and *Tea with Mussolini* (1999), cast as a wealthy American in 1930s Italy opposite [Judi Dench](https://www.edgepedia.org/judi-dench), Maggie Smith, and [Joan Plowright](https://www.edgepedia.org/joan-plowright).[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/930-Cher) • [2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) She made cameo appearances as herself in *The Player* (1992) and *[Ready to Wear](https://www.edgepedia.org/pret-a-porter-film)* (1994).[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) • [10](https://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/en/Item/?itemid=101700&type=person)
**2000s and after.** Her later credits include an appearance in *Stuck on You* (2003), the title role of Tess in *Burlesque* (2010), and a voice role as Janet the lioness in *Zookeeper* (2011).[10](https://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/en/Item/?itemid=101700&type=person) • [5](https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/person/cher) • [6](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-6809/filmographie/) She then appeared in *Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again* (2018), which became her highest-grossing film.[1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/person/24404-Cher)
## By the numbers
The available gross figures show a wide commercial range. *Moonstruck* earned $80,640,528 domestically, and *The Witches of Eastwick* grossed $63,857,669 domestically, while *Mask* took $48,230,577.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/person/24404-Cher) • [11](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/person/id/1000/) *Burlesque* earned $90.6 million worldwide.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/person/24404-Cher) Her largest commercial success came late: *Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again* grossed $395,462,133 worldwide.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/person/24404-Cher)
Critical reception spans a similar range on Rotten Tomatoes: *Moonstruck* stands at 92% while *[Burlesque](https://www.edgepedia.org/burlesque-2010-american-film)* sits at 36%.[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cher) The pairing of numbers shows that her best-reviewed film and her biggest hit belong to different decades and different registers, the 1987 romantic comedy and the 2018 musical ensemble piece.
## Awards and recognition
Cher's major acting awards attach to three performances. For *Mask* she won the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award in 1985.[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) • [9](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/cher_%28Enciclopedia-del-Cinema%29/) For *Moonstruck* she won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) • [1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/) Earlier nominations include the Golden Globe supporting-actress nomination for *Silkwood* and the 1970s television Globe win for *The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour*.[1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/) In 1997 she was a Golden Globe nominee for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.[1](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/)
## Television and later screen appearances
Beyond the 1970s variety shows, her television work includes the 1996 HBO feature *If These Walls Could Talk*, which she co-directed with Nancy Savoca and in which she also acted; TMDB records it as her directorial debut.[2](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html) • [3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/38225-cher?language=en-US) Documentary and appearance credits include *Mayor of the Sunset Strip* (2003) in the AFI Catalog, *The Drop-out* and *The Wrecking Crew* (both 2008) and *The First Monday in May* (2014) in AlloCiné's filmography, and *Becoming Chaz* (2011).[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/930-Cher) • [6](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-6809/filmographie/) Her life also inspired the 2018 jukebox musical *The Cher Show* on Broadway.[3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/38225-cher?language=en-US)
## References
1. [Cher — Golden Globes official site](https://goldenglobes.com/person/cher/)
2. [Cher — Film Reference (St. James film encyclopedia entry)](http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ca-Co/Cher.html)
3. [Cher — The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/38225-cher?language=en-US)
4. [Cher — The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/person/24404-Cher)
5. [Cher — Danish Film Institute database](https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/person/cher)
6. [Cher : Filmographie — AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-6809/filmographie/)
7. [Cher — AFI Catalog, American Film Institute](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/930-Cher)
8. [Cher Films: 1967–2018 — Cher Scholar](https://www.cherscholar.com/maj-performances/)
9. [Cher — Enciclopedia del Cinema, Treccani](https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/cher_%28Enciclopedia-del-Cinema%29/)
10. [Cher — Swedish Film Database (SFdb)](https://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/en/Item/?itemid=101700&type=person)
11. [Cher — Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/person/id/1000/)
12. [Cher — Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cher)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Actor filmographies and performer list articles › Surnames A to F*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license