Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: Richard Paul Astley

Gender: Male

Place of birth: St. Helens, Merseyside, England, UK

Homepage: https://rickastley.co.uk

Movie Involvements: 9

TV Involvements: 8


Most Famous Work

Biography

Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, radio DJ and podcaster. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album Whenever You Need Somebody, which sold 15 million copies worldwide and was certified Platinum by both the BPI and the RIAA. His debut single "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a No. 1 hit in more than 25 countries, winning the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single. The song also stayed at the top of the UK chart for five weeks in 1987 and was the best-selling single of that year. His 1988 single "Together Forever" also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and was one of his eight songs to reach the UK Singles Chart Top 10. In 1988, Astley followed up his debut album with Hold Me in Your Arms which achieved Platinum and Gold certifications internationally. The lead single "She Wants to Dance with Me" became a worldwide Top 10 hit. In 1991, he left Stock Aitken Waterman and moved his musical direction towards soul, which he explored on his other albums. His 1991 single "Cry for Help" was his last single to reach the Top 10 in either the US or UK. In 1993, he retired from music to focus on spending time with his partner and daughter. He returned to the music industry in 2000 and released 50 to celebrate his 50th birthday in 2016, with the album debuting in the UK at No. 1. His most recent studio album Are We There Yet? was released in 2023. Astley has sold approximately 40 million records worldwide and was nominated in 1989 for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist but lost to Tracy Chapman. During the period between his debut release and his fifth single, Astley outsold every other artist in the world. In the United Kingdom, Astley was also in the Top 40 every week for the first six months of his career. He became an internet phenomenon in 2007 following the emergence of the Rickrolling meme, which utilizes the music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up", and his career was revitalised by the meme's popularity. A year after the Rickrolling meme began, he was voted "Best Act Ever" at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008. On 28 July 2021, "Never Gonna Give You Up" became the fourth 1980s song to reach one billion views on YouTube. Richard Paul Astley was born on 6 February 1966 in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, the fourth child of Horace and Cynthia Astley. His parents divorced when he was 5 and Astley was brought up by his father who was "really, really pissed off a lot of the time... but he was great as well, he was really loving". Rick remained in very close contact with his mother, who lived a few streets away. Describing his childhood, Astley stated "There was definitely an element of 'There's something very wrong in this family.' I can't even say I've got these exact memories of it, I just know it was a bit odd." ... Source: Article "Rick Astley" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Most Famous Work

Top of the Pops
Average
7

Top of the Pops

(1964) Self
Leute heute
Average
3

Leute heute

(1997) Self
Stars 90
Average
6

Stars 90

(1990) Self
Viña del Mar International Song Festival
Average
2

Viña del Mar International Song Festival

(1963) Self - Musical Guest
The Michael Ball Show
Average
0

The Michael Ball Show

(2010) Self
Berlin Live
Average
6

Berlin Live

(2011) Self - Performer
Millionär gesucht! - Die SKL Show
Average
0
Starnacht am Wörthersee
Average
0

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
2023 N/A
Self
N/A
N/A
Self
2022 N/A
2021 Self - singer (archive footage)
2020 Self - singer (archive footage)
Self
Self
2019 N/A
Himself
2018 N/A
N/A
N/A
2015 Himself
2011 Self - Performer
2010 Self
2009 Self
2008 Self
2007 Self
2005 Self (Archive footage)
2000 Self
1998 Self
1997 Self
1991 Self
1990 Self
1987 N/A
N/A
self
1964 Self
1963 Self - Musical Guest
N/A
Year Character Movie/Tv

Sound

Year Role Movie/Tv
2004 Music
Year Role Movie/Tv

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