Amanda Lear, born Alain Maurice Louis René Tap on June 18, 1939, in Saigon, French Cochinchina, Vietnam, is a show-person of great renown. Her father, of Russian and French descent, and her mother, of mixed Chinese and Vietnamese heritage, instilled in her a unique blend of cultural influences.
A master of gender-bending ambiguity, Lear rose to fame in France by embracing her androgynous persona, often performing songs with purposefully misspelled titles, such as "I'm a MISTERy", to tease her audiences. Her gravelly voice and the iconic "Lily Marlène" song, a tribute to Marlene Dietrich, have become synonymous with her name.
Rather than a traditional singer, Lear is recognized as a provocative performer of songs and an occasional actress, notable for her roles in Dallas Buyers Club (2013),Oliviero Rising (2007),and Loggerheads (1978). Her discovery by Salvador Dali, with whom she maintained a relationship since the late 1960s, marked a turning point in her career. Prior to Dali, she was married to Alain-Philippe Malagnac d'Argens.
As a performer, Lear is infamous for her erotic showmanship, which often overshadowed her singing abilities. Her distinctive style consisted of speaking lyrics in a sultry tone while posing in glamorous attire, captivating her audience with her enigmatic presence.
In 2000, Lear's South of France home suffered a devastating fire while she was performing in Italy, resulting in the loss of her husband and many original paintings by Dali. She later rebuilt her home in France and has since maintained a private life, speaking only sparingly about her background, family, and relationships.
A polyglot, Lear is fluent in French, German, and English, with a strong German accent in her French speech. She has a reputation for being elusive, often providing conflicting accounts of her past to preserve her "mister-y", a strategy she has successfully employed since the 1970s.
