George Kyriacos Panayiotou was born in Finchley, north London, in the United Kingdom. He first discovered fame as a musician when he and school friend, Andrew Ridgeley, formed the pop group Wham!. Success came fast and furious with their first album, 'Fantastic' (1983) hitting the UK number one spot. Wham! survived for five years and during that time the group notched up four number one singles and two number one albums. Most of their other releases made top three. George also contributed to the Band Aid Single 'Do They Know It's Christmas' (1984), and scored two further solo number one hits with 'Careless Whisper' and 'A Different Corner'.Following the break-up of Wham!, George went on to have a hugely successful career as a solo artist - despite a few silly brushes with the law here and there. His debut album 'Faith' (1987) - and the single of the same name - were both an instant and international success worldwide, both peaking at number one in the United States. The album has since been certified Diamond. Over the last three decades George has notched up 8 number one albums in the UK and 13 number one singles (including Wham!, Band Aid, and the 'Five Live' EP). He has performed duets with Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Queen, and Lisa Stansfield, and actively participates in charitable causes, Live Aid and the Freddie Mercury concert for AIDS being just two of the more prominent examples.George released the single 'December Song' in 2008 as a free download: his hope was that purchasers would donate money to charity.He still remains in contact with his Wham! partner and long-time friend Andrew Ridgeley. See full bio on IMDb »
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