Neil Diamond

During his recuperation he was given the script for the lead role in a planned remake of the early sound film The Jazz Singer (1927). Signing a $1-million contract to appear as the son of a Jewish cantor trying to succeed in the music industry, Diamond was cast opposite the legendary Laurence Olivier and Broadway actress Lucie Arnaz.

Neil Leslie Diamond was born in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City, on January 24, 1941. His father, Akeeba "Kieve" Diamond, was a dry-goods merchant. Both he and wife Rose were Jewish immigrants from Poland. The Diamond family temporarily relocated to Cheyenne, Wyoming, because of Kieve Diamond's military service during World War II. During their time in Wyoming, Neil fell in love with "singing cowboy" movies on matinée showings at the local cinema. After the end of World War II, Neil and his parents returned to Brooklyn. He was given a $9 acoustic guitar for a birthday gift, which began his interest in music. At age 15 Neil wrote his first song, which he titled "Here Them Bells". At Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School, Neil Sang in the 100-member fixed chorus, with classmate Barbra Streisand, although the two would not formally meet until over 20 years later. Neil and a friend, Jack Packer, formed a duo singing group called Neil & Jack, and they sang at Long Island's Little Neck Country Club and recorded a single for Shell Records. The record failed to sell, however, and the duo soon broke up.

That same year Diamond appeared twice on Dick Clark's American Bandstand (1952) TV musical variety show.

In 1958 Neil entered New York University's pre-med program to become a doctor, on a fencing scholarship. Medicine did not catch his interest as much as music did, though, and he dropped out at the end of his junior year, only 10 credits shy of graduation. He Diamond went to work for Sunbeam Music on Manhattan's famous Tin Pan Alley. Making $50 a week, he worked at tailoring songs to the needs and abilities of the company's B-grade performers. Finding the work unrewarding, Neil soon quit. Renting a storage room in a printer's shop located above the famed Birdland nightclub on Broadway, Neil began to live there and installed a $30 piano and a pay telephone, and set about writing his songs his own way. A chance encounter with the songwriting/record producing team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich led to a contract with Bang Records.

A number of TV appearances followed, including singing gigs on The Mike Douglas Show (1961), The Merv Griffin Show (1962) and een a dramatic part as a rock singer on an episode of Mannix (1967). Filling a musical void that existed between Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, Diamond found wide acceptance among the young and old with his songs, but endured criticism that his music was too middle-of-the-road.

In 1966 he recorded his first album, featuring hit singles such as "Solitary Man" and "Cherry, Cherry".

Also, The Monkees recorded several songs to which he wrote the music, including "I'm a Believer" which was a hit in 1967.

Despite having worked with an acting coach since 1968, and talk of a five-picture acting contract with Universal Studios, Diamond remained inhibited by shyness of being in front of a camera.

Diamond split with Bang Records in 1969, and signed a contract with California's Uni label, for which he recorded his first gold records.

In 1970 he introduced British rock star Elton John in his first Stateside appearance at Hollywood's Troubador nightclub.

In December 1971 Diamond signed a $5-million contract with Columbia Records, which led to more recording contracts and live concert appearances.

In 1972 Diamond took a 40-month break from touring, during which he agreed to score the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973). Although Diamond's soundtrack for that film earned him a Grammy Award, it was a box-office failure.

His soundtrack to the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973) grossed more than the movie itself.

He turned down acting roles in every movie contract he was offered (among them was Bob Fosse's Lenny (1974) and Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976)).

In the summer of 1976, on the eve of three Las Vegas shows, Diamond's house in Bel Air was raided by the police because they received an anonymous tip that there were drugs and weapons stored there. The police found less than an ounce of marijuana. To have the arrest expunged from his recored, Diamond agreed to a six-month drug aversion program.

He appeared at the 1977 Academy Awards where he presented Barbra Streisand the Oscar for Best Song.

In 1977 he starred in two TV specials for NBC.

However, he did appear as himself with Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young in the 1978 documentary The Last Waltz (1978).

He had a cancer scare in 1979, when a tumor was found on his spine and had to be surgically removed, which confined him to a wheelchair for three months.

Despite the almost universally negative reviews of the film, it grossed three times its budget when released late in 1980.

In 1981 Diamond's hit single, "America", which was part of the film's soundtrack, was used on news broadcasts to underscore the return of the American hostages from Iran. Aware of his lack of acting talent, Diamond never acted in movie roles again, aside from making appearances as himself.

His 1982 Burt Bacharach/Carole Bayer Sager-penned hit "Heartlight" was inspired by the movie E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial (1982).

Inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame (1984).

Originally denied Quentin Tarantino permission to use his hit song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman, Soon" for the famous scene in Pulp Fiction (1994) in which Uma Thurman lip syncs the words to the song. Diamond eventually relented after his agent assured him that Tarantino was an up and coming director.

Inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (2007).

In an interview in 2009, he revealed that his inspiration for his 1969 song "Sweet Caroline" was Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2011. The other inductees were Darlene Love, Alice Cooper, Leon Russell, Tom Waits and Dr. John.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1750 North Vine Street in Hollywood, California on August 10, 2012.