Amanda Lear

Amanda Lear is a model, singer, painter & actress. According to Lear herself, she was born to a British Naval officer on leave in Hong Kong and a mother of Mongolian-Chinese origin. Soon after her birth, her parents separated and Lear was raised by her mother in Nice, in the south of France. In addition to having two mother tongues by birth, French and English, she showed a talent for languages at an early age and also learned German, Spanish and Italian in her teens, which she used later in her professional life. At the age of sixteen, she relocated to Paris to study at L'Academie des Beaux Arts before joining St. Martins School of Art in London in 1964. She later became a successful singer. She became chums with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and a wild child of the London nights. Her stunning Eurasian features attracted the attention of Catherine Harlé, head of the most famous European model agency. In 1965 she returned to Paris to catwalk for Paco Rabanne and Yves St Laurent. Besides being Salvador Dalí's protégée she also became David Bowie's lover. Lear has so far sold some 15 million albums and approximately 25-30 million singles. Amanda Lear currently resides in Saint-Etienne-du-Grès near Avignon in Southern France.