Background

Ethnicity: His paternal grandfather, Louis Bongiovi, was of Italian (Sicilian) descent, and his paternal grandmother, Elizabeth M. Benkovsky, was of Slovak ancestry. His maternal grandfather, Michael R. Sharkey, was of Polish descent, while his maternal grandmother, Martha W. Ludwig, was from a Swiss-German family.

Musician, actor. Born John Francis Bongiovi Jr. on March 2, 1962 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Jon was raised by his parents, Carol and John Bongiovi, a hairdresser. By his early teens, he was hanging out at local clubs, convinced that one day he would be a rock star.

Idolizing local rising stars such as Bruce Springsteen and the Asbury Jukes, Jon was playing in clubs by the time he was 16. He met keyboardist David Bryan in high school, and the two formed a ten-piece rhythm and blues band called Atlantic City Expressway. Jon also performed with bands called The Rest, The Lechers and John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones.

In 1980, Jon recorded his first single, Runaway, at his cousin's studio, with back-up by studio musicians. A local radio station included the song on a compilation tape, and it began to get frequent airplay. The success of Runaway got Jon noticed, and he realized that he'd need more than session players if he wanted to capitalize on his success.

Jon gave David a call, who in turn tapped Alec John Such, Tico Torres and guitarist Richie Samborra. During a show in New York in 1983, the band caught the attention of record exececutive Derek Shulman, who signed them to PolyGram. It was Shulman who anglicized John Bongiovi's name to Bon Jovi.

Education

Jon spent most of his adolescence bunking school to opt for music activities instead and he ended up playing in local bands with friends and his cousin Tony who owned the then famous New York recording studio, the Power Station. As a result, his academic records displayed less than spectacular achievements and poor grades.

Career

In June 1982, Jon Bon Jovi recorded a song called "Runaway". "Runaway" became a local hit. Along the way, Mercury Records gave Jon Bon Jovi a recording contract in 1983, and to promote "Runaway", Jon Bon Jovi called up David Bryan who in turn called bassist Alec John Such, drummer Tico Torres. Tapped to play lead guitar was Jon Bon Jovi's neighbor, Dave Sabo who later formed the group Skid Row. Sabo was eventually replaced by Richie Sambora. After Jon Bon Jovi claimed he wanted a group name, a friend of Richard Fischer and an employee of Doc McGhee, suggested they call themselves Bon Jovi.

In 1991, Jon Bon Jovi started his own label, Jambco Records, and produced Aldo Nova's album Blood on the Bricks and Billy Falcon's album Pretty Blue World. Disillusioned with the music business, despite all his success, and unhappy with the status quo, in the summer of 1991 he set off on a two-week cross-country motorcycle trip that would significantly affect his creative juices.

Jon Bon Jovi is a credited actor in the movies Moonlight and Valentino, The Leading Man, Destination Anywhere, Homegrown, Little City, No Looking Back, Row Your Boat, Vampires Los Muertos, U-571, Cry Wolf, National Lampoon's Pucked, and New Year's Eve. He also had a supporting role in the movie Pay It Forward, where he played Helen Hunt's abusive ex-husband. His TV series appearances include Sex and the City, 30 Rock, Las Vegas, The West Wing, and an extended stint on Ally McBeal as a plumber who was Ally's boyfriend for a short period of time. He also had a brief, uncredited role in the 1990 film Young Guns II.On January 24, 2011, it was confirmed that Jon would be cast in the film New Year's Eve, released later that year, as a successful rock star who is connected with Katherine Heigl's character.

In 2004, he became founder and primary owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League. He appeared in several television commercials for the league, typically with John Elway, Hall of Fame quarterback for the Denver Broncos. The AFL will be returning in 2011, but Bon Jovi will no longer be part owner of the Soul.

Achievements

• In the '90s, Jon stretched his talents by nurturing an acting career with starring roles in Moonlight and Valentino and The Leading Man. He also appeared in a handful of independent films, including Pay It Forward and U-571. On television, he was a regular guest star on Ally McBeal until the series finale in 2002. Bon Jovi also made headlines in 2004 when he and Sambora became co-founders and owners of the Arena Football League's Philadelphia Soul. The following year, he and the band donated $1,000,000 to Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network.
  
  Jon Bon Jovi has 12 studio albums and 2 live albums.

Works

• album

  • Bon Jovi

  • 7800° Fahrenheit

  • Slippery When Wet

  • New Jersey

  • Keep the Faith

  • These Days

  • Crush

  • Bounce

  • Have a Nice Day

  • Lost Highway

  • The Circle

Religion

Bon Jovi was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school, even though he admits to skipping class to play music and see bands. And while he doesn’t seem to want to elaborate, he’s got some issues with the Church, saying: "I went to Catholic school in and out. I’m what you call a recovering Catholic. I have many major issues with the church."

It really makes you wonder. Could it be social issues like cases of child molestation or the church’s stance on contraceptives? Or perhaps it’s more theological in nature. But Jon doesn’t seem to be an atheist, he’s just got his own brand of personal spirituality. He said: "I think I find more strength in faith than I do in organized religion. [The hit song] “Living on a Prayer” is most certainly nondenominational."

It’s all very vague and ambiguous. It is likely that Bon Jovi simply isn’t that religious – but that’s nothing special for Catholics.

Politics

Bon Jovi is a sustained supporter of the Democratic Party. He campaigned for Al Gore in 2000, for John Kerry in 2004, and both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in 2008. He’s given over $35,000 to the Democratic Party since 1994 and in 2008, for the Democrats, Bon Jovi hosted a private dinner at his mansion where he charged $30,800 a plate to be donated to the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Convention. That better have been some good food.

Jon is really into politics and Obama appointed him to the White House Council for Community Solutions, a presidential organization designed for the president to solicit advice from members of certain communities about how to improve quality of life. He said of his interest in politics: "What drew me to politics in the first place was the fact that I wanted to have a place to take a stand and use my voice to express what I believed in. But… I’ve never quite known what motivates politicians. Do they really believe in the cause that strongly or is it just the pursuit of power? I once flew on a plane with Bill Clinton and a reporter asked whose job was better, mine or the President’s? I said that mine was, because I get to keep the plane and the house."

Views

Bon Jovi admits that he romanticises poverty in his songs, from the band’s breakthrough 1986 hit Livin’ on a Prayer to the present day, but insists he wouldn’t have it any other way. ‘I get that it’s not always rosy, but it sucks to write that the glass is half empty,’ he says. ‘I saw Les Misérables and it’s got those same optimistic choruses. I thought, “Oh, I get this!”’

It’s the lack of such security in modern America that the new album primarily addresses, and Bon Jovi doesn’t exclude himself from such instability. Where once he described his role in the band as like being ‘the CEO of a major corporation’, such a claim rings slightly hollow at a time when so many major corporations – and rock bands – are going to the wall. ‘Record companies, car manufacturers, singers in pop bands…’ he lists. ‘Business is consolidating and I don’t think those jobs are coming back. You have to reinvent yourself.’

That means keeping up with new developments in music. Until now, Bon Jovi have been pretty old-school when it comes to marketing strategies, but, with the CD market stalling, they are promoting the new record with an ‘augmented reality’ app. Isn’t this a bit rich from the man who once accused the Apple CEO Steve Jobs of being ‘personally responsible for killing the music business’?

Quotations: "This is the way I look at sex scenes: I have basically been doing them for a living for years. Trying to seduce an audience is the basis of rock 'n roll, and if I may say so, I'm pretty good at it...Plus, being married and monogamous, it's the closest thing I can do to having sex without getting in trouble for it...The only thing I like more than my wife is my money, and I'm not about to lose that to her and her lawyers, that's for damn sure." - Movieline, February 1998

"I would love to be able to do both (acting and making music). If I look at someone like Sinatra, who toured until he was 80 and made 60 movies, that would be a great life to have."

"Some people just court celebrity for the sake of it. People like Tom Cruise. He was always a great actor, but I think the man's lost it, lost it. You won't ever catch me jumping up and down on Oprah going on about how I love this woman. And then others start feeding off it. Suddenly, Katie Holmes is on the covers of magazines. These people claim they hate the intrusion that fame brings but then they bring it on themselves by having huge entourages everywhere they go, attracting attention to themselves. It's a great fallacy. Another one's Paris Hilton. Famous for being infamous. And the people who should be getting the attention, people like Bob Dylan, aren't. It's sad."

"I wrote the album during a time of extreme polarization in America. There was a war happening and it was dividing families. I realized the party that I was working for had lost but that we still had to come forward together as a nation. You can't be a sore loser. Hence the album title "Have a Nice Day". What drew me to politics in the first place was the fact that I wanted to have a place to take a stand and use my voice to express what I believed in. But I've no longer got any political aspirations. I feel that as a politician, fifty per cent of people would hate you before you even left the house. And I've never quite known what motivates politicians. Do they really believe in the cause that strongly or is it just the pursuit of power? I once flew on a plane with Bill Clinton and a reporter asked whose job was better, mine or the President's? I said that mine was, because I get to keep the plane and the house."

"My real friends and my family know that if I'm not working I'm miserable. It's not for monetary reasons. I already have fame and fortune. Now I want to find the greatness in things - which is why I was attracted to the arts in the first place. Slowly, I have fallen in love with acting. And all the struggle here - the acting lessons, the indie movies - has taught me so much." (being in the limelight)

"If people have to tell you how successful they are, they really aren't that successful. That's something I learned sweeping floors at this recording studio called the Power Station. Mediocre stars were the biggest pricks, and the big stars were the ones who came in and said, "How're those demos going?" - Keep pushing." (success and life)

"Introverted maybe, but incredibly focused to do whatever it is that I want to do. If it's to go running this morning or to drink tonight, it's gonna be the whole bottle. I don't sip." (about being shy)

"I was crushed when Bush got re-elected. I was so depressed and am still gravely disappointed with the results of both elections. I think history will verify that the world would have been a much better place if the outcome had not been that way. I'm never going to be invited for tea at the White House. But I've never gone on stage - before the elections or since - and slagged off Bush. Not because I agree with him in any way, out of respect for the office of President. It's too obvious to bash Bush. Everybody knows what I think about his policies. We went to a local bar for a couple of drinks to cheer ourselves up. On the way home we passed a couple who were in their sixties. I could see the recognition in their eyes so I said, 'How ya doing?'. The old guy replied, 'I only got one thing to say to you' - and put his hand in the sign of a 'W'. I went bananas - and that wasn't one tenth of how badly my wife reacted. Needless to say, it's been a difficult last couple of years. It's heartbreaking many people now view Americans with suspicion. At one time, we were everybody's best friend. We could go to places perceived as dangerous territories. Now, I'd think twice about asking our road crew to travel there." (May 2006)

"Do you really want to know why I'm doing all this goodwill, and why I'm an ambassador for Habitat for Humanity and why I gave a million to [relief efforts for Hurricane] Katrina? It's because I feel guilty about the huge hole in the ozone layer my haircuts created. It's my responsibility to right the wrongs of the Eighties."

"Success is falling nine times and getting up ten."

"I suppose I am like the Elvis Costello of the movie business and the Tom Cruise of the music business. I got so many good reviews for so many movies but had zero commercial success. And yet with regards to the band's music the critics have never been very accepting but the masses keep buying our albums."

Membership

• The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation

• White House Council for Community Solutions

  2010

Personality

Bon Jovi likes watching movies, driving cars, sleeping, eating junk food, working out at the gym, football, spending time with his family and playing with his dog Copper.

He has owned a few cars as well, a white Datsun 280Z in 1988, a 1958 Corvette 1988-1992, a Ferrari 328 GTSI 1988-1992; in 1995, Jon owned a Ferrari, Camaro, two Corvettes, some Jeeps, Mustang Shelby and a 1957 Lincoln Premier, some motorcycles, among them a Harley Davidson and a snowmobile. In 1996, he owned a Harley Davidson, black Mercedes and a red 91/92 Corvette. He loves sports cars, especially Porsches.

Likes wearing casual clothes, jeans and shirts

He has sensitive eyes against sunlight and cigarette smoke, that's why he always wears sunglasses. During spring he has allergies and hay fever.

He started smoking in 1994 during the making of Moonlight and Valentino (1995) but quit again. Picked it back up during the making of The Leading Man (1996) and after the 1996 tour because he "just likes it".

Quotes from others about the person

• Guitarist Richie Sambora about their ( together with Bon Jovi) rock band:
  
  “I think [it was about] good songs and the authenticity didn’t really change. You know, you can’t all of a sudden [be] Bon Jovi and turn into Pink Floyd! Some bands try that and it doesn’t work. Stick to who you are and be authentic — I think that was a big part of it — and then just go out there and work,” Sambora says. “I don’t care what band you’re in — you’re a live band, you’ve got to go out there and prove it every night, and we did. We kept on working really, really hard. It was all hard work and that work ethic never stopped. We’re blue-collar kids at heart.”

Interests

• Watching movies, driving cars, sleeping, eating junk food, working out at the gym, football, spending time with his family and playing with his dog Copper.
  
  Likes wearing casual clothes, jeans and shirts.
  
  His favorite movie is The Godfather.

• Sport & Clubs

  Football

• Music & Bands

  Rock

Connections

During a stop in Los Angeles on The New Jersey Syndicate Tour in 1989, Jon secretly took a trip to Las Vegas, and married his high school sweetheart, Dorothea Hurley (born Sept 29, 1962) on 29 April 1989 at the Graceland Wedding Chapel. The couple has four children: a daughter, Stephanie Rose (born May 31, 1993), and three sons, Jesse James Louis (born Feb 19, 1995), Jacob Hurley (born May 7, 2002) and Romeo Jon (born Mar 29, 2004)

Father:

John Frank Bongiovi

Mother:

Carol Sharkey

Brother:

Anthony M. Bongiovi

Brother:

Matthew Bongiovi

wife (since 1989):

Dorothea Hurley

Daughter:

Stephanie Rose

Son:

Jesse James Louis

Son:

Jacob Hurley

Son:

Romeo Jon