Marianne Faithfull Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Marianne Faithfull
OCCUPATION: Actress, Singer
BIRTH DATE: December 29, 1946 (Age: 66)
PLACE OF BIRTH: London, England
ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn

Best Known For

Winning fans with her sweet, melancholy sound, Marianne Faithfull's long career is marked by her battles with drugs, a marriage to Mick Jagger, and reinvention.

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Marianne Faithfull

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While she produced two earlier albums during this time, nothing matched the critical success of 1979's Broken English, which marked Faithfull's musical rebirth. Her voice was different now, one that had been roughed up by time and hard living. And it was emotionally expressive and captivating. The album, which incorporated elements of punk with modern dance music,

earned her widespread praise.

Still the specter of drugs hung over Faithfull until the mid-1980s. Around this time, she went through extensive rehabilitation to end her decades-long problem. Her first album after becoming drug-free was Strange Weather (1987), which included a new recording of her greatest hit, "As Tears Go By." An ingenue no more, Faithfull sounded even more poignant and melancholy the second time around.

Career Comeback

Resuming her acting career, Faithfull appeared on the Dublin stage in 1991 in a revival of The Threepenny Opera, written by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. She went on to record two albums based on the works of Weill and Brecht— 20th Century Blues (1996) and The Seven Deadly Sins (1998).

Since then, Faithfull has seamlessly moved to between making music and acting. Continually creating interesting and innovative music, she recorded Kissin' Time (2002) in a popular yet alternative-sounding style. The album featured collaborations with many of alternative music's leading music makers, including Beck and Billy Corrigan of the Smashing Pumpkins. On Before the Poison (2004), Faithfull sang about love and friendship. It also contained a number of collaborations with contemporary artists as PJ Harvey and Nick Cave, best known for his rock group Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. On the big screen, Faithfull has appeared in a number of films, including Marie Antoinette (2004) directed by Sofia Coppola and Paris, I Love You (2006) directed by Gus Van Sant.

In 2006, Faithfull learned that she had breast cancer. Fortunately the disease was caught during the early stages and she made a full recovery. Since then, Faithfull has continued to work, starring in the independent film Irina Palm (2007). According to her website, Faithfull began working on her latest album in New York City in December 2007.