ACTOR · BORN 1951
Sting
- Born
- 2 October 1951, Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK
- Known for
- Quadrophenia (1979), Stormy Monday (1988), The Bride (1985), Brimstone & Treacle (1982)
22 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
Sting (born 2 October 1951) is an actor best known for Quadrophenia, Stormy Monday and The Bride.
Sting over the years
22 Interesting Facts About Sting
Interesting Facts (16)
- #001
- #002
Sting wrote his most popular song, "Every Breath You Take," after waking from a dream at midnight.
- #003
The Police's album "Synchronicity" was the album that finally knocked Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time, from the number one spot it had held throughout 1983.
- #004
The Police recorded "Every Breath You Take" at Ian Fleming's house in Jamaica, where the author lived briefly in the 1980s.
- #005
He is a big fan of "Richard Laymer, the Copy Guy," a popular character created by Rob Schneider for Saturday Night Live (1975). Sting was the first SNL host/musical guest to appear in a "Copy Guy" sketch; he later wrote the cast and crew a letter from "Sting. The Stingster. Der Stinglehoffer. Sting-a-ling-a-ding-dong. Sting-o. The Stingman.".
- #006
He planned a festival tour in the United States called "Desert Roses and Arabian Rhythms," featuring musicians from Egypt, Algeria, and Iran. It was scheduled to start September 14, 2001, but was canceled when terrorists attacked the United States on September 11th.
- #007
The comic-book character John Constantine ("Hellblazer"), who ultimately appeared in Keanu Reeves's film Constantine (2005), was designed to look like Sting and was in fact created solely to add a Sting-like character to the Swamp Thing comic. One issue of Swamp Thing features a boat named "USS Gordon Sumner."
- #008
Early in their careers, Sting and the other members of The Police dyed their hair blond, making them look more like the punk rockers in a bubblegum commercial.
- #009
Together with Trudie Styler, he introduced Madonna to her second husband, Guy Ritchie.
- #010
Sting says that seeing Jimi Hendrix at Newcastle City Hall made him want to become a rock star.
- #011
Offered roles in the films Jazz Singer, For Your Eyes Only, and Excalibur, but had to turn them down because of prior commitments. He was most disappointed in missing out in Excalibur.
- #012
His album "The Soul Cages" (1991) was largely inspired by the grief he felt over the deaths of his parents, Ernest and Audrey, who died the same year.
- #013
He was the visual inspiration for the original drawings of the supernatural detective John Constantine/Hellblazer (created by Alan Moore and Stephen Bissette in 1984). Sting was 33 at the time.
- #014
He was to make a cameo in Dune: Part One (2021) but had to step back because of his commitment to Kaamelott: First Installment (2021).
- #015
His 1987 hit "Englishman in New York" was covered in 2006 by the Spanish rap and hip hop singer Dark la Eme, who retitled it "Un Asturiano en Madrid" for his studio album "Chigre y Dragón" (chigre is an Asturian word describing any bar where cider is mainly consumed; not to be confused with a cider house).
- #016
At 17 he applied for a seaman's card and signed on with Princess Cruises as the bassist of the Ronnie Pierson Trio.
Characters & Cast (1)
- #017
The final scene of CBGB (2013) shows the police auditioning for a concert at the club. His daughter Mickey Sumner appears in the film as Patti Smith.
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #018
He released an album with Shaggy titled "44/876"; the numbers refer to the telephone country codes of the artists' home countries, the United Kingdom and Jamaica.
Life & Family (4)
- #019
Giacomo, the winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby, was named after Sting and Trudie's son of the same name. The horse's owner, Jerry Moss, is a close friend of Sting and signed him to A&M Records.
- #020
He filmed the birth of his son Jake Sumner and included it in his film Bring on the Night (1985).
- #021
He left Newcastle in 1976, and within three years his band The Police had a major hit with "Roxanne," followed by many other hits, five of which reached number one. Though it was a successful period for him, it was also his unhappiest, as his marriage fell apart.
- #022
He is the godfather of Madonna's newborn son Rocco Ritchie. Both "Madonna" and "Sting" are mononyms.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work