Where and When Was Lady Gaga Born?

Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga. Photo by Anthony Harvey / Getty Images

Question

Where and when was Lady Gaga born?

Answer

Lady Gaga was born March 28, 1986 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Her birth name was Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Lady Gaga's family lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Her father is Joseph Anthony "Joe" Germanotta, Jr. and her mother is Cynthia Louise "Cindy" Bissett. Her ethnic descent is 75% Italian and the remainder includes French Canadian ancestry. Lady Gaga's family's religious background is Roman Catholic.

Lady Gaga's father Joe Germanotta was born in New Jersey. He started and owns a company that installs wi-fi service in hotels. The song "Speechless" was written about him in an effort to encourage him to undergo open-heart surgery.

Lady Gaga's mother was born and raised in a small town in West Virginia. When she married Joe Germanotta she worked in telecommunications at Verizon. She often accompanies her daughter on concert tours.

Natali Germanotta, Lady Gaga's sister, attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Manhattan like her older sister. After graduation she attended Parsons New School of Design as a fashion student. She appears briefly in the music video for "Telephone."

Growing Up Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga learned to play the piano at age four. She wrote her first song titled "Dollar Bills" when she was 13 and began to perform publicly when she was 14. She appeared in high school stage productions including A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum and Guys and Dolls. In 2001 at age 15 she appeared in a very small role on the hit HBO TV series The Sopranos. Lady Gaga studied method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute for ten years. After graduating from high school she attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and their musical theatre conservatory Collaborative Arts Project 21.

Lady Gaga left Collaborative Arts Project 21 at age 19 to focus on her developing music career. In 2005 she recorded songs with hip hop legend Grandmaster Melle Mel. It was during that project that she first used the professional name Lady Gaga. She also formed the group SGBand, short for Stefani Germanotta Band. The group became popular in the lower east side of Manhattan club scene.

Hermaphrodite Rumor

One of the most persistent rumors related to Lady Gaga's birth is that she is a hermaphrodite and has both male and female genitals. The rumor kicked into high gear based on close viewing of a music video shot at the UK's Glastonbury Music Festival and a few select photos. Some viewers insist they show bulges that would indicate Lady Gaga has male genitals in some form.

Others have claimed that Lady Gaga also verbally confirmed that she is a hermaphrodite. However, no confirming videos or official statements exist. Lady Gaga's manager told ABC news the rumors are ridiculous. Lady Gaga herself responded to Barbara Walters asking the question in an interview by saying the rumor is untrue.

Lady Gaga Achievements

Lady Gaga first hit the pop singles chart with the 2008 hit "Just Dance." She followed up the #1 smash with 10 more consecutive top 10 pop hit singles including "Poker Face," "LoveGame," "Paparazzi," "Bad Romance," "Telephone," "Alejandro," "Born This Way," "Judas," "The Edge of Glory," and "You and I." Her first album The Fame peaked at #2 while selling over four million copies. She followed it with three #1 hit albums including Born This Way, , and her duet album with Tony Bennett Cheek To Cheek.

Lady Gaga also found success in 2015 appearing in the hit TV series American Horror Story and its fifth season Hotel. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film. Her acting career will continue with a remake of the film A Star Is Born co-starring Bradley Cooper scheduled to begin filming in 2017.

With sixteen nominations to her credit, Lady Gaga has also won six Grammy Awards. She has three times been nominated for Album of the Year with The Fame, the re-released expansion The Fame Monster, and Born This Way. Her victories have included Best Electronic / Dance Album for The Fame, Best Dance Recording for "Poker Face," Best Pop Vocal Album for The Fame Monster, Best Female Pop Vocal and Best Music Video for "Bad Romance," and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Cheek To Cheek with Tony Bennett.