Singer, Actress. Born Lesley Sue Goldstein, she was discovered by music producer Quincy Jones as a teenager and signed to Mercury Records. In 1963 at age 16, her song about teenage heartbreak, "It's My Party", reached Number 1 on the Pop Music charts, was nominated for a Grammy and sold more than 1 million copies. She followed that up with such hits as "Judy's Turn to Cry", "That’s the Way Boys Are", "She’s a Fool", "Maybe I Know", "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" and "You Don’t Own Me", which sold more than 1 million copies as well and reached Number 2 on the Pop Music Charts. Along with her brother, Michael Gore, she co-wrote the Academy Award-nominated "Out Here On My Own" from the motion picture "Fame" (1980). In the 1990s, Lesley Gore co-wrote "My Secret Love" for the film "Grace of My Heart" (1996) and she appeared in "Smokey Joe's Cafe" on Broadway. In 2005, she released "Ever Since," her first album in 30 years, and hosted the Public Broadcasting Service LGBT series “In The Life”. The same year she revealed publicly she was a lesbian and had been in a committed relationship with her partner for decades. She was working on a stage version of her life when she died of lung cancer in 2015.
Singer, Actress. Born Lesley Sue Goldstein, she was discovered by music producer Quincy Jones as a teenager and signed to Mercury Records. In 1963 at age 16, her song about teenage heartbreak, "It's My Party", reached Number 1 on the Pop Music charts, was nominated for a Grammy and sold more than 1 million copies. She followed that up with such hits as "Judy's Turn to Cry", "That’s the Way Boys Are", "She’s a Fool", "Maybe I Know", "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" and "You Don’t Own Me", which sold more than 1 million copies as well and reached Number 2 on the Pop Music Charts. Along with her brother, Michael Gore, she co-wrote the Academy Award-nominated "Out Here On My Own" from the motion picture "Fame" (1980). In the 1990s, Lesley Gore co-wrote "My Secret Love" for the film "Grace of My Heart" (1996) and she appeared in "Smokey Joe's Cafe" on Broadway. In 2005, she released "Ever Since," her first album in 30 years, and hosted the Public Broadcasting Service LGBT series “In The Life”. The same year she revealed publicly she was a lesbian and had been in a committed relationship with her partner for decades. She was working on a stage version of her life when she died of lung cancer in 2015.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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