Full name: Dr. John Francis Bongiovi.
Academic Degrees: Sayreville War Memorial High School graduate,
Monmouth University Doctor in Humanities Honorary Degree recipient.
Nickname: Captain Kidd (back in the eighties), Elvis (currently used).
Height: 5 ft 10 in
Birthdate: March 2nd, 1962.
Bith place: Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
Grew up in: Sayreville, NJ
Family: Mom, Carol; Dad, John; Brothers: Anthony and Matt.
High School: Sayreville War Memorial High School.
Former bands: Raze (eighth grade), The All Star Review,
The Lechers, Bon Jovi and the Wild Ones, The Rest.
Marital Status: Married to Dorothea Hurley (April 29, 1989);
Children: Daughter Stephanie Rose (born May 31, 1993),
Son Jesse James Louis (born Feb. 19, 1995),
Son Jacob Hurley (born May 7, 2002).
Son Romeo Jon (born March 29, 2004).
Instruments: Guitar, piano, harmonica, keyboards.
Favorite bands: The Animals, Little Steven,
Southside Johnny, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Hobbies: Cars, football (NY Giants), movies, baseball, buying vintage furniture.
Pets: A dog named Copper and a rabitt as household pets.
Favorite food: Italian and Japanese (sushi).
Favorite junk food: Cookies.
Favorite drink: Cosmopolitans and good wine (red and white.)
Favorite sport: Football, he is a fan of the New York Giants.
Other projects: Majority Owner, Co-Chairman of the Board of the Arena Football League (AFL) franchise
team Philadelphia Soul. For more information on this football team visit: www.philadelphiasoul.com
 

Jon Bon Jovi's biography.





The son of a hairdresser, John Bongiovi, Sr., and Carol Bongiovi, a former Playboy bunny who worked as a florist to help with the family income, was born on a caring and loving middle-class family from New Jersey, and has two yunger brothers: Matt and Tony.


He grew up among rockers from his natal state of New Jersey, like Bruce Springsteen, Little Steven and Southside Johnny. And listenig to Thin Lizzy. Formerly a guitarist, he began singing when he was 15 years old. The first concerts he gave were only prom dances and at local bars.


He dropped out from high school and dedicated his life entirely to music. In those times he worked in a number of minor jobs, like fast food, and he was a salesman at Kinney shoes. Some of his friends worked too, others went to school, but all he did was tell everyone that he was going to be a Rock Star, so he made his bags and moved to New York City.


When he got to Manhattan, Jon worked cleaning the floors at his second cousin's Tony Bongiovi's recording studio, "The Power Station", that was very renowned back then. Jon sleeped on the floor of the studio and his cousin let him record his first compositions at night, when the studio was closed, he learned there all the secrets about recording and he hanged out with the artists that recorded ther like Aerosmith, David Bowie or Little Steven, in which album he even "contributed" clapping his hands in one song.


Among the songs Jon wrote during this time, its Runaway, which he recorded in his first demo, and he send to diverse record companies. After knocking to all the possible doors, Jon took his demo to the director of the radio station of Long Island, who had a particularly good impression with this song and he wanted to include it in a compilation of talents of the zone. Rejecting this supply, Jon traveled to Los Angeles, where he continued the visits to the record companies in vain. While he was there, he received calls from the owner of the radio station insisting on his project, so he finally accepted.


When this first version of Runaway got out in 1983 it got national attention, It was a song written by a single boy, without a band, or a manager, but he gained fame as a local star, so he decide to from a band and to play in all New Jersey Clubs. He made all this in only three weeks.



In spite of the jokes that he always did on the first formations, it was clear that Jon would not be satisfied until finding something definitive, and nothing better than to have platinum records of each one.


Female fans swooned. The camera loved him. The media grew obsessed with "the hair" and Jon Bon Jovi was slapped with the label "rock 'n' roll sex symbol" much to his dismay. Believing the music should take centerstage, Jon has never gone to great lengths to play up his good looks. For the record, the hair has been cut, in stages, over the course of the past ten years, the chest was waxed for his first starring film role (it has since grown in) and his physique is that of an avid runner who works out daily.


The media may have devoted an inordinate amount of time and energy to covering Jon Bon Jovi's good looks but none of this attention can diminish the acknowledgment of Jon's incredible talents nor his unbelievable successes. In the end, the music speaks for itself.


In 1989, Jon married his highschool sweetheart Dorothea Hurley, they are the proud parents of two beautiful children, Stephanie Rose and Jesse James Louis.



He possed as a model for some Versace ads, but modeling is not something that he feels comfortable doing. In his free time he writes songs, and he has initiated a new and very successful career as an actor.


Jon gained critical acclaim for his acting debut last fall in "Moonlight and Valentino," a Gramercy Pictures film directed by David Anspaugh and starring Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Perkins, Kathleen Turner and Gwyneth Paltrow. For this impressive debut, Jon was selected by the Motion Picture Club for the prestigious Premiere Performance Award, an honor which recognizes an outstanding debut performance in a film.



On his is second film project, he has the lead role in the upcoming John Duigan film, "The Leading Man," a contemporary thriller co-starring Anna Galiena and Thandie Newton. Jon plays Robin Grange, a charismatic young Hollywood actor making his London theater debut. His character is attractive, charming and dangerous, and soon seduces his way into everyone's lives.



Jon wrote and performed the soundtrack for Blaze of Glory which earned him the Golden Globe Award in 1991 as well as the American Music Award, and both Grammy and Oscar nominations. He also made news last year filming a Christmas video with supermodel Cindy Crawford which included a steamy on-screen kiss. The song, "Please Come Home for Christmas," was a track he recorded for the Special Olympics benefit album, A Very Special Christmas II.


Throughout their extraordinary 18-year career, Bon Jovi has sold over 85 million albums. Jon continues to write and perform music, playing to sold out audiences around the world. When the band comes off their current sold-out stadium tour, Jon will resume working on film projects.



Dedicating his time and talents to a number of charitable organizations, Jon has given ongoing support to the American Red Cross and the Special Olympics. Over the last five years, Bon Jovi has given Christmas benefit concerts to aid local community charities. An avid supporter of environmental causes, Jon participated the Rainforest Benefit Concert alongside Elton John, Jessye Norman, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, James Taylor and Geoffrey Oryema.


In 1999, for instance, Bon Jovi opened his home to benefit the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. In 1998 he organized a concert to raise funds for the family of slain Long Branch police Sgt. Patrick King.


On March 12th, 2001, Jon Bon Jovi was honoured Humanitarian of the Year by The FoodBank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties for his charitable work on behalf of the people of New Jersey.



"The band over the years did a lot of charity work in New Jersey. I personally have done things and supported the food banks and numerous other entities in NJ".


"The county awarded me their humanitarian of the year award. I only accepted the dinner because it was a way to raise half a million bucks for the food bank". These two quotes were among Jon's statements after receiving the award.



And on May 16th, 2001, Jon Bon Jovi received an honorary Doctorate in Humanities degree from Monmouth University in New Jersey and gave the Commencement Address to the graduating students click > here < to read the words he pronounced that day. Jon was given the Honorary Degree because of his success as an entertainer and his humanitarian work, you can watch the Commencement Ceremony online by clickling here. Jon Bon Jovi has worked on behalf of Special Olympics, the American Red Cross, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and other groups.



On June 15, 2001, Jon Bon Jovi addressed the prestigious Oxford Union debate society, the Oxford Union, founded in 1823, which has gained a worldwide reputation for the cut and thrust of its debate, proving a valuable training ground for many future British prime ministers, click > here < to read his speech, Jon joined the list of speakers among whom are Queen Elizabeth II, Dalai Lama, Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X, Winston Churchill... and Kermit the Frog.



Continuing his long history of charity involvement, in the wake of the September 11 disaster, Jon took part in several fundraising activities. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora performed as part of the A Tribute To Heroes telethon and recorded a special rendition of "America, The Beautiful" for the NFL. The entire band performed as part of the Alliance of Neighbors concerts benefiting families near the band's hometowns affected by the disaster and BON JOVI took part in the historical A CONCERT FOR NEW YORK at Madison Square Garden.



Since the fall of 2003, Jon has co-owned the Philadelphia Soul, an expansion team of the Arena Football League (AFL). He plunged into this venture not as an absentee owner, but as a passionate football fan and a successful marketer who guided his own career through the fever-chart topography of pop music, selling 100 million albums and counting. The Arena Football League has been struggling for legitimacy -- in the long and intimidating shadow of the NFL -- for 18 years. But recently, under the colorful leadership of commissioner David Baker, it has begun to grab some traction. There's an NBC network contract, and there's a clutch of owners who don't see themselves as B-list players: John Elway, Jerry Jones Jr., Casey Wasserman (grandson of the last true mogul Lew), and Bon Jovi himself. Bon Jovi and partner Craig Spencer, a local Philadelphia businessman, assembled a team from scratch and built an organizational culture within just a few months on learning they had won the franchise. He has appeared in several television commercials for the league.



Awards.



1989: American Music Award: Best Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group; award shared with his band.



1990: Golden Globe: Best Song, Blaze of Glory (from Young Guns II soundtrack).



1991: MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award; shared with his band.



2001: Humanitarian of the Year by The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties for his charitable work on behalf of the people of New Jersey.



2001: Honorary Doctorate in Humanities degree from Monmouth University in New Jersey, for his success as an entertainer and his humanitarian work.



2004: 32nd annual American Music Awards Award of Merit shared with his band.