Editing Cher (section)

=== 1946–1961: Early life ===
Cheryl Sarkisian{{efn|name=Cheryl}} was born in [[El Centro, California]], on May 20, 1946. Her father, John Sarkisian, an Armenian-American truck driver with drug and gambling problems, was rarely present during her early life.<ref>Multiple sources:
* Sarkisian's nationality and personal problems: {{harvnb|Berman|2001|p=17}}.
* Sarkisian's profession: {{harvnb|Bego|2001|p=11}}.
* Sarkisian's absence during Cher's infancy: {{harvnb|Parish|Pitts|2003|p=147}}.</ref> Her mother, [[Georgia Holt]], was a model and actress of Irish, English, German and [[Cherokee]] descent.<ref>Multiple sources:
* Holt's profession: {{harvnb|Berman|2001|p=17}}.
* Holt's Irish, English, German and Cherokee descent: {{cite magazine |last=Cheever |first=Susan |author-link=Susan Cheever |url=http://people.com/archive/in-a-broken-land-vol-39-no-19/ |title=In a Broken Land |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=May 17, 1993 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227055224/http://people.com/archive/in-a-broken-land-vol-39-no-19/ |archive-date=December 27, 2016}}
* Cher's Cherokee heritage: {{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fFIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA76 |title=The Changing of Cher |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |date=March 17, 1972 |access-date=January 10, 2025}}</ref> Cher's paternal grandparents were survivors of the [[Armenian genocide]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Sophie |last=Hirsh |title=Cher Joins Kim and Kourtney Kardashian at Premiere of Film About the Armenian Genocide |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/cher-joins-kim-and-kourtney-kardashian-on-red-carpet |magazine=[[W (magazine)|W]] |date=April 13, 2017 |archive-date=December 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223100055/https://www.wmagazine.com/story/cher-joins-kim-and-kourtney-kardashian-on-red-carpet |url-status=live}}</ref> Cher's parents divorced when she was ten months old.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=17}} Before leaving, her father placed her in an orphanage for several months; Holt was allowed to visit once a week, only able to see Cher through a window.{{sfn|Cher|2024|pp=29–32}} Both found the experience traumatic.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=18}}

In 1951, Holt married actor John Southall, with whom she had Cher's half-sister, Georganne.{{sfn|Berman|2001|pp=17–18}} Holt's marriage to Southall ended when Cher was nine; Cher later described him as her "real father" and a "good-natured man who turned belligerent when he drank too much".{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=18}} Holt remarried and divorced several times, frequently moving the family across states, including New York, Texas and California.{{sfn|Parish|Pitts|2003|p=147}} They often struggled financially, and Cher recalled using rubber bands to hold her shoes together.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=18}} While living in Los Angeles, Holt pursued acting while working as a waitress, occasionally securing minor TV roles for her daughters in shows such as ''[[The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet]]''.{{sfn|Parish|Pitts|2003|p=147}}

By fifth grade, Cher organized a class performance of the musical ''[[Oklahoma!]]'', taking on male roles when boys refused to participate. At nine, her voice was unusually low for a female child.{{sfn|Cher|Coplon|1998|p=39}} Fascinated by film stars, Cher idolized [[Audrey Hepburn]], particularly in ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]]'' (1961), emulating Hepburn's character's unconventional outfits and demeanor.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=22}} She also admired [[Marlene Dietrich]], [[Bette Davis]] and [[Katharine Hepburn]],<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSf_HZmAa68C&pg=PA170 |page=170 |title=A Woman at War: Marlene Dietrich Remembered |isbn=0814332498 |last1=David Riva |first1=J. |last2=Stern |first2=Guy |year=2006 |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]]}}</ref> but felt discouraged by the lack of dark-haired actresses in Hollywood.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=22}} She recalled, "In the [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney cartoons]], [[Racism in early American film|all the witches and evil queens were really dark]]. There was nobody I could look at and think, 'That's who I'm like.'"{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=22}} As a child, she dreamed of fame but struggled with feelings of inadequacy, describing herself as "unattractive" and "untalented".{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=21}} Reflecting on her ambitions, she later said, "I couldn't think of anything that I could do&nbsp;... I just thought, 'I'll be famous'. That was my goal."{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=21}}

[[File:Cher HS Yearbook.jpg|upright|thumb|right|alt=Cher, as a teenager, smiles with dark, voluminous curls in her hair.|Cher in high school (1960)]]

In 1961, Holt married bank manager Gilbert LaPiere, who adopted Cher (under the name Cheryl LaPiere)<ref name=Cheryl-LaPiere/> and Georganne and enrolled them at [[Montclair College Preparatory School]], a private school in [[Encino, Los Angeles|Encino]]. Coming from a modest background, Cher faced challenges in the upper-class environment, where, as biographer Connie Berman wrote, her "striking appearance" and "outgoing personality" set her apart.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=21}} A former classmate recalled, "I'll never forget seeing Cher for the first time. She was so special&nbsp;... like a movie star, right then and there&nbsp;... She said she was going to be a movie star and we knew she would."{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=21}} Known for her creativity and wit, Cher excelled in French and English but struggled with other subjects, later discovering she has [[dyslexia]]. Her unconventional behavior also stood out: she performed songs for students during lunch and surprised peers when she wore a [[midriff]]-baring top.{{sfn|Berman|2001|p=22}} Reflecting on her lack of focus in school, Cher said, "I was never really [there]. I was always thinking about when I was grown up and famous."{{sfn|Parish|Pitts|2003|p=147}}