Sting

Described as intellectual, earthy, egotistical, introspective, enigmatic and environmentally-obsessed, the multi-talented performer known simply as Sting came to prominence as the singer, bass player and songwriter of The Police, one of the more influential New Wave bands of the late 1970s and mid-80s. His blond good looks made him a natural for the movies, and long before he left his reggae-tinged rock group for a solo career, he debuted in "Quadrophenia" (1979), based on The Who's rock album, playing a super-Mod whose image collapses when he's found to work as a bellhop. "Brimstone and Treacle" (1982) gave Sting his first major role, and he surprised the critics with his strong presentation of a deviant character. His drifter with the running con game (bumping into passersby and pretending to know them) established a persona subsequent features would reference, frequently depicting him as sinister. In that vein, he delivered a slightly homoerotic turn as the evil Feyd Rautha in David Lynch's disappointing adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune" (1984).

Exploring the jazz idiom for the first time, Sting showed he had the right stuff with his first solo album, "The Dream of the Blue Turtles" (1985), and Michael Apted's fascinating documentary "Bring on the Night" (1986) covered the European tour promoting it. He maintained his forceful presence in films like "The Bride" (as Dr. Frankenstein) and Fred Schepisi's "Plenty" (both 1985) and particularly Mike Figgis' "Stormy Monday" (1988), but his Broadway debut as Macheath in a revival of "Threepenny Opera" in 1989 garnered mostly negative reviews. Acting took a back seat to his songwriting and rainforest advocacy through the early 90s. Drawing on country, gospel and even Celtic music (as well as jazz and rock), Sting continued to create the "impure", innovative blends of his evolving, distinctive pop sound. He wrote the music for an Oscar-winning documentary ("Panama Deception" 1992) and sang on the soundtrack of Figgis' "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995), one of many movies that have featured him as a song performer. He returned to film acting as the conniving bisexual butler in "Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets/Grave Indiscretion" (1995, produced by wife Trudy Styler) and played a small role as bar owner in Guy Ritchie's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998). Following such other rock icons as Elton John and Phil Collins, Sting was hired to provided the song score for Disney's animated "The Emperor's New Groove" (2000), for which he earned a Best Original Song Oscar nomination.

• Also Credited As:
  Gordon Matthew Sumner, Gordon Sumner, Sting
• Born:
  Gordon Matthew Sumner on October 2, 1951 in Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, United Kingdom
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Musician, Songwriter, Clerk, Construction laborer, Ditch digger, Soccer coach, Teacher

Family

• Brother: Philip Sumner. younger
• Daughter: Coco Sumner. born in 1990; mother, Trudie Styler
• Daughter: Katherine Sumner. born c. 1982; mother, Frances Tomelty
• Daughter: Mickey Sumner. born in 1984; mother, Trudie Styler
• Father: Eric Matthew Sumner. died of cancer c. 1988; Sting s Soul Cages solo album (1991) is a reflection on father s death
• Mother: Audrey Sumner. died of cancer c. 1987; album Nothing Like the Sun is dedicated to her
• Sister: Angela Sumner. younger
• Sister: Anita Sumner. younger
• Son: Giacomo Luke Sumner. born on December 17, 1995; mother, Trudie Styler
• Son: Jake Sumner. born in 1985; mother, Trudie Styler
• Son: Joseph Sumner. born c. 1977; mother, Frances Tomelty

Significant Others

• Wife: Trudie Styler. born c. 1956; together from c. 1982; married in August 1992

Education

• Warwick University, Coventry, England

Milestones

• 1961 Began playing guitar at age nine (date approximate)
• 1969 Received a seaman s card and worked as bass player with the Ronnie Pierson trio on Princess Cruise Lines at age 17 (date approximate)
• 1975 Worked as a construction laborer, a clerk for Inland Revenue and an English teacher and soccer coach at St Catherine s Convent School in Newcastle-on-Tyne; moonlighted with rock and jazz groups such as Phoenix Jazzmen and Last Exit
• 1977 Formed group The Police with drummer Stewart Copeland and rhythm guitarist Andy Summers; first album Outlandos D Amour was an immediate success
• 1979 Screen acting debut in Quadrophenia
• 1982 Co-starred in Richard Loncraine s Brimstone and Treacle , scripted by Dennis Potter; also composed music and performed on the soundtrack with The Police
• 1984 Displayed more of his body than his acting ability in David Lynch s Dune
• 1985 Left The Police to pursue solo career; first solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles
• 1985 Played leading role of Dr. Frankenstein in The Bride
• 1985 Showed both street smarts and vulnerability in Fred Schepisi s Plenty , adapted by David Hare from his play
• 1985 Tour with band formed for The Dream of the Blue Turtles album was subject of Michael Apted s documentary Bring on the Night , which in turn resulted in album of the tour with same title in 1986
• 1987 Acted opposite Kathleen Turner in Julia and Julia
• 1988 Starred in Mike Figgis directorial debut Stormy Monday ; delivered strong performance as a jazz club manager
• 1989 Broadway debut as Macheath in a revival of Threepenny Opera ; New York Times critic Frank Rich described him as a stiff onstage
• 1992 Wrote music for Barbara Trent s Oscar-winning documentary Panama Deception
• 1995 Revived acting career, portraying conniving bisexual butler in Gentlemen Don t Eat Poets/Grave Indiscretion ; produced by wife Trudie Styler who also played a small role as a drunken cook
• 1995 Sang on soundtrack of Figgis Leaving Las Vegas
• 1998 Acted in Guy Ritchie s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ; played bar owner father of a cardsharp
• 2000 With David Hartley, wrote song score for the Disney animated feature Kingdom of the Sun ; project retooled into The Emperor s New Groove and most of songs were dropped, however, one of the retained tunes, My Funny Friend and I , received an Oscar nomination
• 2001 Wrote and performed Until on the soundtrack to Kate & Leopold ; earned second Oscar nomination
• 2002 Signed deal to write a non-fiction book to be published by Bantam Dell in 2004
• 2003 Wrote and performed You Will Be My Ain True Love for the film Cold Mountain ; received Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song; received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song
• 2006 Received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration for Always On Your Side which he sang with Sheral Crow
• 2006 Released Songs From The Labyrinth, an album of recordings of the music of John Dowland by Sting and Bosnian lutanist Edin Karamazov