Sting

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

266

Gender

Male

Birthday

1951-10-02 (74 years old)

Place of Birth

Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK

Sting

Biography

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner (born 2 October 1951), known as Sting, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, activist, and actor. He was the frontman, principal songwriter and bassist for new wave band the Police from 1977 until their breakup in 1986. He launched a solo career in 1985 and has included elements of rock, jazz, reggae, classical, new-age, and worldbeat in his music. Sting has sold a combined total of more than 100 million records as a solo artist and as a member of the Police. He has received three Brit Awards, including Best British Male Artist in 1994 and Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2002; a Golden Globe; an Emmy; and four Academy Award nominations. As a solo musician and as a member of the Police, Sting has received 17 Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Police in 2003. Sting has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors; a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II for services to music; Kennedy Center Honors; and the Polar Music Prize. In May 2023, he was made an Ivor Novello Fellow. Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner was born at Sir G B Hunter Memorial Hospital in Wallsend, Northumberland, England, on 2 October 1951, the eldest of four children of Audrey (née Cowell), a hairdresser, and Ernest Matthew Sumner, a milkman and former fitter at an engineering works. He grew up near Wallsend's shipyards, which made an impression on him. As a child, he was inspired by the Queen Mother waving at him from a Rolls-Royce to divert from the shipyard prospect towards a more glamorous life. He helped his father deliver milk and by ten was "obsessed" with an old Spanish guitar left by an emigrating friend of his father. Sting attended St Cuthbert's Grammar School in Newcastle upon Tyne. He visited nightclubs such as Club A'Gogo to see Cream and Manfred Mann, who influenced his music. He learned to sing and play simultaneously by listening to records at 78 rpm. After leaving school in 1969, he enrolled at the University of Warwick in Coventry, but left after a term. After working as a bus conductor, building labourer, and tax officer, he attended the Northern Counties College of Education (now Northumbria University) from 1971 to 1974 and qualified as a teacher.[20] He taught at St Paul's First School in Cramlington for two years. Sting performed jazz in the evenings, at weekends, and during breaks from college and teaching, playing with the Phoenix Jazzmen, Newcastle Big Band and Last Exit. He gained his nickname after his habit of wearing a black and yellow jumper with hooped stripes with the Phoenix Jazzmen. Bandleader Gordon Solomon thought he looked like a bee (or according to Sting himself, "they thought I looked like a wasp"), which prompted the name "Sting". In the 1985 documentary Bring On the Night a journalist called him Gordon, to which he replied, "My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting, who is this Gordon character?" In 2011, he told Time "I was never called Gordon. You could shout 'Gordon' in the street and I would just move out of your way". Despite this, he chose not to legally change his name to "Sting". ... Source: Article "Sting (musician)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Known For

  • The Simpsons

    The Simpsons

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  • The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  • Markus Lanz

    Markus Lanz

  • Leute heute

    Leute heute

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  • Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  • Only Murders in the Building

    Only Murders in the Building

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  • The One Show

    The One Show

  • CBS News Sunday Morning

    CBS News Sunday Morning

  • LIVE with Kelly and Mark

    LIVE with Kelly and Mark

  • Kulturplatz

    Kulturplatz

  • Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    Jimmy Kimmel Live!

  • Champs-Elysées

    Champs-Elysées

  • Champs-Elysées

    Champs-Elysées

  • NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

    NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

  • Late Night with David Letterman

    Late Night with David Letterman

  • Vivement dimanche

    Vivement dimanche

  • Sacrée Soirée

    Sacrée Soirée

  • Late Night with Conan O'Brien

    Late Night with Conan O'Brien

  • Bambi

    Bambi

  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

  • Le monde est à vous

    Le monde est à vous

  • MTV Video Music Awards

    MTV Video Music Awards

  • Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

    Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

  • GMTV

    GMTV

  • Les Rendez-vous du dimanche

    Les Rendez-vous du dimanche

  • Titel, Thesen, Temperamente

    Titel, Thesen, Temperamente

  • TOTP2

    TOTP2

  • Rockpalast

    Rockpalast

  • Parkinson

    Parkinson

  • On Air with Ryan Seacrest

    On Air with Ryan Seacrest

  • CMT Crossroads

    CMT Crossroads

  • An Audience with...

    An Audience with...

  • The Oscars

    The Oscars

  • Finding Your Roots

    Finding Your Roots

  • Inas Nacht

    Inas Nacht

  • Behind the Music

    Behind the Music

  • The Larry Sanders Show

    The Larry Sanders Show

  • Captain Planet and the Planeteers

    Captain Planet and the Planeteers

  • Ally McBeal

    Ally McBeal

  • American Music Awards

    American Music Awards

  • Star Academy

    Star Academy

  • Salut les Terriens !

    Salut les Terriens !

  • The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn

    The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn

  • Today

    Today

  • Viña del Mar International Song Festival

    Viña del Mar International Song Festival

  • Viña del Mar International Song Festival

    Viña del Mar International Song Festival

  • MTV Unplugged

    MTV Unplugged

  • Lo + plus

    Lo + plus

  • The Old Grey Whistle Test

    The Old Grey Whistle Test

  • Legends

    Legends

  • Michael McIntyre's Big Show

    Michael McIntyre's Big Show

  • Bee Movie

    Bee Movie

  • Rove

    Rove

  • Victoires de la musique

    Victoires de la musique

  • The Michael J. Fox Show

    The Michael J. Fox Show

  • Dune

    Dune

  • Scott Walker: 30 Century Man

    Scott Walker: 30 Century Man

  • Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

    Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

  • Il était une fois Champs-Élysées

    Il était une fois Champs-Élysées

  • The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

    The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

  • TFI Friday

    TFI Friday

  • Sting & Shaggy au Château d'Hérouville

    Sting & Shaggy au Château d'Hérouville

  • 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

    2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

  • The Book of Solutions

    The Book of Solutions

  • Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon

    Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon

  • America | A Tribute to Heroes

    America | A Tribute to Heroes

  • Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

    Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

  • Still Bill

    Still Bill

  • George Michael: A Different Story

    George Michael: A Different Story

  • Radio On

    Radio On

  • Under the Sun

    Under the Sun

  • Billy Joel: And So It Goes

    Billy Joel: And So It Goes

  • GIMS: On the Record

    GIMS: On the Record

  • The State's 43rd Annual All-Star Halloween Special

    The State's 43rd Annual All-Star Halloween Special

  • Under the Volcano

    Under the Volcano

  • Life's Too Short

    Life's Too Short

  • The Mighty

    The Mighty

  • Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story

    Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story

  • The Filth and the Fury

    The Filth and the Fury

  • Julia and Julia

    Julia and Julia

  • Little Britain USA

    Little Britain USA

  • Zoolander 2

    Zoolander 2

  • Herbie Hancock: Possibilities

    Herbie Hancock: Possibilities

  • Zucchero | Sugar Fornaciari

    Zucchero | Sugar Fornaciari

  • Peter and the Wolf: A Prokofiev Fantasy

    Peter and the Wolf: A Prokofiev Fantasy

  • The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration

    The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration

  • Twin Spirits: Sting performs Schumann

    Twin Spirits: Sting performs Schumann

  • Live Aid: 20 Years Ago Today

    Live Aid: 20 Years Ago Today

  • Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who

    Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who

  • De TV Show

    De TV Show

  • Eric Burdon: Rock 'n' Roll Animal

    Eric Burdon: Rock 'n' Roll Animal

  • Bruce Springsteen A MusiCares Tribute

    Bruce Springsteen A MusiCares Tribute

  • Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute

    Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute

  • Kaamelott: The First Chapter

    Kaamelott: The First Chapter

  • Miley's New Year's Eve Party

    Miley's New Year's Eve Party

  • Bio’s Bahnhof

    Bio’s Bahnhof

  • Al TV

    Al TV

  • Plenty

    Plenty

  • Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics

    Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics

  • An Audience with Elton John

    An Audience with Elton John

  • Brüno

    Brüno

  • Lubach

    Lubach

  • The Tribute to Pavarotti One Amazing Weekend in Petra

    The Tribute to Pavarotti One Amazing Weekend in Petra

  • The Secret Policeman's Ball

    The Secret Policeman's Ball

  • The Making of Do They Know It's Christmas?

    The Making of Do They Know It's Christmas?

  • Radioman

    Radioman

  • PoliWood

    PoliWood

  • The Bride

    The Bride

  • WHAM!

    WHAM!

  • The Police: Around The World

    The Police: Around The World

  • Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out

    Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out

  • Brimstone & Treacle

    Brimstone & Treacle

  • Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB

    Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB

  • Police in Montserrat

    Police in Montserrat

  • Two Rooms: A Tribute to Elton John & Bernie Taupin

    Two Rooms: A Tribute to Elton John & Bernie Taupin

  • Ligmalion: Or How to Help Yourself in Self-Help Britain

    Ligmalion: Or How to Help Yourself in Self-Help Britain

  • Attenborough at 90

    Attenborough at 90

  • Stormy Monday

    Stormy Monday

  • Chris Botti in Boston

    Chris Botti in Boston

  • Sting: Live In Berlin

    Sting: Live In Berlin

  • TV total

    TV total

  • The Dark Side of The Sun

    The Dark Side of The Sun

  • The Kenny Everett Video Show

    The Kenny Everett Video Show

  • Sting : My Songs au château de Chambord

    Sting : My Songs au château de Chambord

  • Chris Botti & Friends - Night Sessions: Live in Concert

    Chris Botti & Friends - Night Sessions: Live in Concert

  • Sting: Live at the Olympia Paris

    Sting: Live at the Olympia Paris

  • MTV Rockumentary

    MTV Rockumentary

  • Artemis '81

    Artemis '81

  • John Mayer: Someday I'll Fly

    John Mayer: Someday I'll Fly

  • Quadrophenia

    Quadrophenia

  • Live Aid

    Live Aid

  • Sting - Bring on the Night

    Sting - Bring on the Night

  • Destination Dune

    Destination Dune

  • Sting: All this Time

    Sting: All this Time

  • Live Aid at 40: When Rock ’n’ Roll Took on the World

    Live Aid at 40: When Rock ’n’ Roll Took on the World

  • Branford Marsalis: Steep

    Branford Marsalis: Steep

  • Live 8

    Live 8

  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman

    Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman

  • Herb Alpert Is...

    Herb Alpert Is...

  • MADtv

    MADtv

  • Reel Stories

    Reel Stories

  • Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?

    Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?

  • 2012: Time for Change

    2012: Time for Change

  • The Max Headroom Show

    The Max Headroom Show

  • Jaco

    Jaco

  • Biggest Band Break Ups and Make Ups

    Biggest Band Break Ups and Make Ups

  • Royal Opera House: Message in a Bottle

    Royal Opera House: Message in a Bottle

  • Take That Away!

    Take That Away!

  • Kaamelott: The Second Chapter (Part II)

    Kaamelott: The Second Chapter (Part II)

  • The Grotesque

    The Grotesque

  • The Beatles Revolution

    The Beatles Revolution

  • Tina Turner : Celebrate!

    Tina Turner : Celebrate!

  • Sting Live At Irving Plaza

    Sting Live At Irving Plaza

  • The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert

    The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert

  • Urgh! A Music War

    Urgh! A Music War

  • VH1 Rock Honors: The Who

    VH1 Rock Honors: The Who

  • Brian Johnson's A Life on the Road

    Brian Johnson's A Life on the Road

  • Mylène Farmer, l’Ultime Création

    Mylène Farmer, l’Ultime Création

  • Sonic Sea

    Sonic Sea

  • Live Aid

    Live Aid

  • Billy Joel: The 100th - Live at Madison Square Garden

    Billy Joel: The 100th - Live at Madison Square Garden

  • Mylène Farmer : sur les pas d'une icône

    Mylène Farmer : sur les pas d'une icône

  • Freedom Beat

    Freedom Beat

  • Iain Goes Inside the Last Ship

    Iain Goes Inside the Last Ship

  • The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune

    The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune

  • Chris Botti Live: With Orchestra and Special Guests

    Chris Botti Live: With Orchestra and Special Guests

  • 20 Feet from Stardom

    20 Feet from Stardom

  • The Grammys

    The Grammys

  • Catherine et Liliane

    Catherine et Liliane

  • The Queen's Birthday Party

    The Queen's Birthday Party

  • The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concerts

    The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concerts

  • Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People

    Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People

  • Sting Unplugged

    Sting Unplugged

  • The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

    The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

  • The Soul Cages Concert

    The Soul Cages Concert

  • Sting: When the Last Ship Sails (Live at the Public Theater)

    Sting: When the Last Ship Sails (Live at the Public Theater)

  • Sting and Gil Evans: Strange Fruit

    Sting and Gil Evans: Strange Fruit

  • All Access: Front Row. Backstage. Live!

    All Access: Front Row. Backstage. Live!

  • The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Music Edition

    The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Music Edition

  • Pavarotti, Birth of a Pop Star

    Pavarotti, Birth of a Pop Star

  • Can't Stand Losing You: Surviving The Police

    Can't Stand Losing You: Surviving The Police

  • The Sweatbox

    The Sweatbox

  • Sting: The Brand New Day Tour: Live From The Universal Amphitheatre

    Sting: The Brand New Day Tour: Live From The Universal Amphitheatre

  • I Want My MTV

    I Want My MTV

  • Mylène Farmer: 2019 - Le Film

    Mylène Farmer: 2019 - Le Film

  • They All Came Out to Montreux

    They All Came Out to Montreux

  • One World, One Voice

    One World, One Voice

  • The Police: Synchronicity Concert

    The Police: Synchronicity Concert

  • The Best of Max Headroom

    The Best of Max Headroom

  • Sting: Inside - The Songs of Sacred Love

    Sting: Inside - The Songs of Sacred Love

  • Sting: The Journey & The Labyrinth: The Music of John Dowland

    Sting: The Journey & The Labyrinth: The Music of John Dowland

  • 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' - The Story Of The Official Band Aid Video

    'Do They Know It's Christmas?' - The Story Of The Official Band Aid Video

  • Space Songs: Through the Distance

    Space Songs: Through the Distance

  • Pavarotti & Friends

    Pavarotti & Friends

  • Resident Alien

    Resident Alien

  • Dolly Parton - From Rhinestones to Rock & Roll

    Dolly Parton - From Rhinestones to Rock & Roll

  • Pavarotti The Duets

    Pavarotti The Duets

  • FireAid Benefit Concert

    FireAid Benefit Concert

  • Great North: A Run. A River. A Region.

    Great North: A Run. A River. A Region.

  • Being Mick

    Being Mick

  • Music for Montserrat

    Music for Montserrat

  • Sting au Bataclan

    Sting au Bataclan

  • An Intimate Evening with Mary J. Blige - Live from the House of Blues

    An Intimate Evening with Mary J. Blige - Live from the House of Blues

  • Hope for Haiti Now

    Hope for Haiti Now

  • Tower of Song: A Memorial Tribute to Leonard Cohen

    Tower of Song: A Memorial Tribute to Leonard Cohen

  • Mylène Farmer : Les Clips L'Intégrale (1999-2020)

    Mylène Farmer : Les Clips L'Intégrale (1999-2020)

  • The Police: Live In Concert Tokyo

    The Police: Live In Concert Tokyo

  • The Police - Every Breath You Take

    The Police - Every Breath You Take

  • Sting: Beyond The Police

    Sting: Beyond The Police

  • Lindisfarne’s Geordie Genius: The Alan Hull Story

    Lindisfarne’s Geordie Genius: The Alan Hull Story

  • The Police: Certifiable

    The Police: Certifiable

  • Talking Pictures: Quadrophenia

    Talking Pictures: Quadrophenia

  • Punk and Its Aftershocks

    Punk and Its Aftershocks

  • Acceleration Punk

    Acceleration Punk

  • Rolling Stone 25: The MTV Special

    Rolling Stone 25: The MTV Special

  • The Police - Live '79 at Hatfield Polytechnic

    The Police - Live '79 at Hatfield Polytechnic

  • Twentieth Century Blues: The Songs of Noël Coward

    Twentieth Century Blues: The Songs of Noël Coward

  • Bruce Springsteen - Human Rights Final - Buenos Aires

    Bruce Springsteen - Human Rights Final - Buenos Aires

  • Citizens Of Boomtown: The Story of the Boomtown Rats

    Citizens Of Boomtown: The Story of the Boomtown Rats

  • The Police - Live In Oakland

    The Police - Live In Oakland

  • Sting au Panthéon (50 ans de FIP)

    Sting au Panthéon (50 ans de FIP)

  • Ruben Blades Is Not My Name

    Ruben Blades Is Not My Name

  • Sting: 57th and 9th - The Interviews

    Sting: 57th and 9th - The Interviews

  • Sting and the Police at the BBC

    Sting and the Police at the BBC

  • Sting: A Free Man

    Sting: A Free Man

  • Sting: A Winter's Night...Live From Durham Cathedral

    Sting: A Winter's Night...Live From Durham Cathedral

  • Le Grand Concert Unis pour le Liban

    Le Grand Concert Unis pour le Liban

  • Dire Straits at Live Aid

    Dire Straits at Live Aid

  • Sting's 40th Birthday Celebration: Live from the Hollywood Bowl

    Sting's 40th Birthday Celebration: Live from the Hollywood Bowl

  • The Police: Better Than Therapy

    The Police: Better Than Therapy

  • U2 & The Police: A Conspiracy of Hope

    U2 & The Police: A Conspiracy of Hope

  • Sting Festival de Viña del Mar

    Sting Festival de Viña del Mar

  • When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain

    When Bruce Springsteen Came to Britain

  • The Police - Greatest Video Hits

    The Police - Greatest Video Hits

  • Peter Gabriel, Sting, & Bruce Springsteen - Human Rights Now!

    Peter Gabriel, Sting, & Bruce Springsteen - Human Rights Now!

  • Gurrumul

    Gurrumul

  • Rock'n'roll... Of Corse!

    Rock'n'roll... Of Corse!

  • Sting - Grenzgänger und Freigeist

    Sting - Grenzgänger und Freigeist

  • Human Rights Now 25th Anniversary

    Human Rights Now 25th Anniversary

  • The Police - Live in Rio

    The Police - Live in Rio

  • The Police: Live At Rockpalast

    The Police: Live At Rockpalast

  • Sting ‎– Fields Of Gold - The Best Of Sting

    Sting ‎– Fields Of Gold - The Best Of Sting

  • Bruce Springsteen - 32nd Annual of Kennedy Center Honors

    Bruce Springsteen - 32nd Annual of Kennedy Center Honors

  • The Police: Ghost in the Machine Tour - Live at Gateshead

    The Police: Ghost in the Machine Tour - Live at Gateshead

  • The Police: Live in Essen - Rockpalast 1980

    The Police: Live in Essen - Rockpalast 1980

  • The Very Best of Sting & The Police

    The Very Best of Sting & The Police

  • The Police - Outlandos To Synchronicities

    The Police - Outlandos To Synchronicities

  • Sting: Unplugged

    Sting: Unplugged

  • In Thanks We Trust

    In Thanks We Trust

  • If on a Winter's Night ... Live from Durham Cathedral

    If on a Winter's Night ... Live from Durham Cathedral

  • The Police ‎– Live Ghost In The Machine

    The Police ‎– Live Ghost In The Machine

  • CMT Crossroads: Sting and Vince Gill

    CMT Crossroads: Sting and Vince Gill

  • Sting: Radio 2 in the Park

    Sting: Radio 2 in the Park

  • In The City

    In The City

  • Sting - Live at iHeartRadio Music Festival 2016

    Sting - Live at iHeartRadio Music Festival 2016

  • Sting - 25 Years

    Sting - 25 Years

  • Sting - Fields Of Japan 1994

    Sting - Fields Of Japan 1994

  • The Police Rock in Rio - Live Madrid

    The Police Rock in Rio - Live Madrid

  • Sting - Live at iHeartRadio

    Sting - Live at iHeartRadio

  • Kaamelott Premier Volet Director's cut

    Kaamelott Premier Volet Director's cut

  • STING: The Journey & The Labyrinth

    STING: The Journey & The Labyrinth