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IMDbPro

Cheryl Lynn

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Raised in the church in Los Angeles, California, Cheryl Lynn was once too shy to sing church solos. By 1978, she was a speech pathology major in college. With her singing talents known primarily by her family and her then-boyfriend, she had not considered a career as a singer. Yet her boyfriend, Delbert Langston, issued an ultimatum: she would have to demonstrate her ample pipes on The Gong Show (1976) or else he would stop dating her. The bashful Lynn sung "You Are So Beautiful". Winning the contest, soon she was receiving phone messages from Atlantic Records' producer Ahmet Ertegun and Elektra Records' Bob Krasnow. A recording contract from Columbia Records soon followed and a pairing with producer-composer David Paich. Lynn enjoyed a string of hits in the late 1970s through the 1980s, among them were "Got To Be Real", "Star Love", "Shake it Up Tonight", "If This World Were Mine" (duet with Luther Vandross) and "Encore". She was also the female vocalist on the original version of the now-standard Soul-Pop classic, "Georgy Porgy", by the rock group TOTO. Not unlike other singers who came to prominence in the short-lived Disco era, Lynn saw a decline in her record sales by the late 1980s. She remains, however, one of the most talented and best remembered vocalists from that era. In the mid-1990s, Cheryl released her last album to date, "Good Time", as well as "Got To Be Real-The Best Of Cheryl Lynn". For all of her fans and music lovers that enjoy sincere, passionate vocals, her return to the recording studio with a new album would be more than welcome.
BornMarch 11, 1957
BornMarch 11, 1957
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    Known for

    Al Pacino in Carlito's Way (1993)
    Carlito's Way
    7.9
    • Soundtrack("Got to Be Real")
    • 1993
    Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black in The Holiday (2006)
    The Holiday
    7.0
    • Soundtrack("Got to Be Real")
    • 2006
    Denise Richards, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Eddie Griffin in Undercover Brother (2002)
    Undercover Brother
    5.9
    • Soundtrack("Got To Be Real")
    • 2002
    Steve Martin in The Pink Panther (2006)
    The Pink Panther
    5.7
    • Soundtrack("Got to Be Real")
    • 2006

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actress



    • Ivy League Exorcist: The Bobby Jindal Story (2012)
      Ivy League Exorcist: The Bobby Jindal Story
      8.5
      Short
      • Alice
      • 2012
    • Cheryl Lynn: Everytime I Try to Say Goodbye
      Music Video
      • Cheryl Lynn
      • 1989
    • Toto: Georgy Porgy (1979)
      Toto: Georgy Porgy
      6.1
      Music Video
      • Cheryl Lynn (voice)
      • 1979

    Soundtrack



    • Weekend Recharge (2015)
      Weekend Recharge
      TV Series
      • performer: "Encore"
      • 2025
    • Cheech Marin, Eva Longoria, Thom Nemer, and Jesse Garcia in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip (2025)
      Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip
      5.1
      • performer: "To Be Real"
      • writer: "To Be Real"
      • 2025
    • LaKeith Stanfield and Issa Rae in The Photograph (2020)
      The Photograph
      6.1
      • performer: "If This World Were Mine"
      • 2020
    • Suitcasing (2019)
      Suitcasing
      7.5
      Short
      • performer: "Too Be Real"
      • 2019
    • Gwilym Lee and Miranda Tapsell in Top End Wedding (2019)
      Top End Wedding
      6.3
      • lyrics: "Got to be Real"
      • music: "Got to be Real"
      • performer: "Got to be Real"
      • 2019
    • RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (2012)
      RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
      8.5
      TV Series
      • performer: "Got to Be Real"
      • writer: "Got to Be Real"
      • 2016
    • Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz in Atlanta (2016)
      Atlanta
      8.6
      TV Series
      • performer: "Encore" (uncredited)
      • 2016
    • Peter Adamson, Jean Alexander, Johnny Briggs, Margot Bryant, and Doris Speed in Coronation Street (1960)
      Coronation Street
      5.6
      TV Series
      • performer: "Got to Be Real"
      • writer: "Got to Be Real" (uncredited)
      • 2016
    • Tom Hanks in A Hologram for the King (2016)
      A Hologram for the King
      6.1
      • lyrics: "Got To Be Real"
      • music: "Got To Be Real"
      • performer: "Got To Be Real"
      • 2016
    • Matt Stone and Trey Parker in South Park (1997)
      South Park
      8.7
      TV Series
      • performer: "Got to Be Real"
      • writer: "Got to Be Real" (uncredited)
      • 2015
    • Kerry Washington in Scandal (2012)
      Scandal
      7.7
      TV Series
      • performer: "Got to Be Real"
      • writer: "Got to Be Real" (uncredited)
      • 2015
    • Robin Williams, Ben Kingsley, Ben Stiller, Brad Garrett, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Patrick Gallagher, Ricky Gervais, Matthew Harrison, Randy Lee, Mizuo Peck, Darryl Quon, Jody Racicot, Gerald Wong, Dan Stevens, Anjali Jay, Skyler Gisondo, Rami Malek, Rebel Wilson, Kerry van der Griend, Paul Cheng, and Crystal the Monkey in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
      Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
      6.2
      • performer: "Got to Be Real"
      • writer: "Got to Be Real"
      • 2014
    • Dressed to Marry (2014)
      Dressed to Marry
      4.7
      • writer: "Got To Be Real"
      • 2014
    • The X Factor Philippines (2012)
      The X Factor Philippines
      4.5
      TV Series
      • writer: "Got to Be Real"
      • 2012
    • Patrick Stewart, Curtis Armstrong, Dee Bradley Baker, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jeff Fischer, Scott Grimes, David Koechner, Seth MacFarlane, Kevin Michael Richardson, Wendy Schaal, Daisuke Suzuki, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Mike Barker, Mike Henry, Rachael MacFarlane, and Matt McKenna in American Dad! (2005)
      American Dad!
      7.4
      TV Series
      • performer: "Got to Be Real"
      • writer: "Got to Be Real"
      • 2010

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Born
      • March 11, 1957
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Other works
      TV commercial (soundtrack song "Got to Be Real") for UK's "Marks & Spencer" womenswear featuring Dannii Minogue, Twiggy, Lisa Snowdon, V.V. Brown and Ana Beatriz Barros.

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Cheryl's signature record, "Got To Be Real", was inducted into the "Dance Music Hall Of Fame" on September 19, 2005.

    FAQ

    Powered by Alexa
    • How old is Cheryl Lynn?
      68 years old
    • When was Cheryl Lynn born?
      March 11, 1957
    • Where was Cheryl Lynn born?
      Los Angeles, California, USA
    • What is Cheryl Lynn's birth name?
      Cheryl Lynn Smith
    • What is Cheryl Lynn known for?
      Carlito's Way, Undercover Brother, The Pink Panther, and The Holiday

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