Photo: Raph_PH / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Cliff Richard's longevity genuinely astonishes me. Born in Lucknow in 1940 and launched in Britain as a homegrown answer to Elvis, he could easily have been a footnote of the pre-Beatles era; instead he outsold almost everyone, sitting third in UK singles history behind only the Beatles and Presley. I find that staying power more impressive than any single hit. Trends in pop are brutal, and surviving them for over six decades requires discipline, reinvention, and a genuine bond with an audience. He may never have been fashionable in the rock-critic sense, but to me his career is a masterclass in endurance, and endurance is its own kind of greatness.
Overview
Sir Harry Rodger Webb (born 14 October 1940), known professionally as Cliff Richard, is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and as of 2026, is the third-top-selling artist in UK singles chart history, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Richard was originally marketed as a rebellious rock and roll singer in the style of Presley and Little Richard.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Cliff Richard
- Name (Japanese)
- クリフ・リチャード
- Reading
- くりふ・りちゃーど
- Born
- October 14, 1940 (age 85)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Dragon
- Origin
- Lucknow, Lucknow district, India
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film actor / singer / actor / entrepreneur / autobiographer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1980 Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Silver Clef Award
- 2006 Commander of the Order of Prince Henry
- Knight Bachelor
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film actor — see all → · Singer — see all → · More people from India →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.