44 Facts About Paul Anka

Paul Albert Anka was born on July 30,1941 and is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actor.

Paul Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario to Camelia and Andrew Emile "Andy" Paul Anka Sr.

Paul Anka's father came to Canada from Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria, and his mother was an immigrant from Lebanon.

Paul Anka sang with the St Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory.

Paul Anka attended Fisher Park High School, where he was part of a vocal trio called the Bobby Soxers.

Paul Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14.

Paul Anka's talent included the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Paul Anka wrote the English lyrics to "My Way", Frank Sinatra's signature song.

Paul Anka then went on to become one of the first pop singers to perform at the Las Vegas casinos.

In 1963, Paul Anka purchased the rights and ownership of his ABC-Paramount catalog and re-recorded his earlier hits for RCA Victor, which he had joined in 1960.

The former, first released in 1971, included the track "She's a Lady", a song Paul Anka composed that would become the biggest hit for Welsh singer Tom Jones that same year.

Frustrated after more than ten years without a top 25 hit record, Paul Anka switched labels again, which marked a turning point in his career.

Paul Anka wrote five songs which were included on an album by Don Goodwin.

In 2005, Paul Anka released an album of big-band arrangements of contemporary Rock songs titled, Rock Swings; the album provided a mainstream comeback of sorts that saw Paul Anka awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

On October 12,2009, Paul Anka stated that Michael Jackson's new release titled "This Is It" was a collaborative effort between the two in 1983.

Paul Anka returned to Sanremo in 1968 with "La farfalla impazzita" by Battisti-Mogol.

In 2003, Paul Anka came back with an exclusive concert in Bologna, organized by the Italian company Mapei during the CERSAIE exhibition.

Paul Anka recorded a version of "My Way" with alternate lyrics dedicated to the sponsor of the evening.

Paul Anka has been very popular in Finland since the beginning of his career.

Paul Anka performed in Helsinki's Linnanmaki in 1959, in Lappeenranta in 1989, at the Pori Jazz Festival in Pori on 19 July 2007 and in 2012, and in Tampere three times on 6 August 2008 and on 9 and 10 August 2009.

Paul Anka appeared in the Las Vegas scene in the 1991 Finnish film Prince of the Hit Parade, directed by Juha Tapaninen.

Paul Anka has performed four times in Israel, and in 2019 rejected pleas that he boycott the country.

Paul Anka was married to Anne de Zogheb, the daughter of a Lebanese diplomat, Charles de Zogheb, from February 16,1963 until 2001.

In 2008, Paul Anka married his personal trainer, Anna Aberg, in Sardinia, Italy.

In October 2016, Paul Anka married Lisa Pemberton in Beverly Hills, California.

Paul Anka's first acting role in a major film was in a cameo as an army private in The Longest Day.

Paul Anka later played an Elvis-hating casino pit manager in 3000 Miles to Graceland and a yacht broker in Captain Ron.

Paul Anka guest-starred as a murder suspect in one of the Perry Mason Made-for-TV movies, The Case of the Maligned Mobster.

Paul Anka made guest appearances as himself in the episode "Red's Last Day" on That '70s Show and in "The Real Paul Anka" episode of Gilmore Girls.

Paul Anka made several appearances on the NBC TV series Las Vegas.

Paul Anka was the subject of the 1962 National Film Board of Canada documentary Lonely Boy, considered a classic work of cinema verite.

Paul Anka wrote and performed songs in the 1985 Canadian children's Christmas cartoon George and the Christmas Star.

Paul Anka appeared on The Simpsons season 7 episode Treehouse of Horror VI, Attack of the 50 Ft Eyesore, singing a song with Lisa in October 1995.

Paul Anka competed in season four of The Masked Singer as "Broccoli".

Paul Anka ended up finishing in 7th place during the Group C finals.

Paul Anka appeared in an episode of The Morecambe and Wise Show in 1970, singing his own lyrics 'My Way'.

Paul Anka won the Juno Award for Composer of the Year in 1975.

Paul Anka has been nominated for Juno Awards many other times.

Paul Anka was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1980.

Paul Anka was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in October 2004.

Paul Anka was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 2005.

In 1978, Paul Anka opened Jubilation, a restaurant and club considered one of the first modern-era nightclubs in Las Vegas; County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani was its first female bartender.

In 2012, Paul Anka co-founded the holographic tech startup, ARHT Media.

Paul Anka is currently a member of ARHT Media's Board of Advisors, alongside Kevin O'Leary and Brian Mulroney.