Meat Loaf was born in Texas, and moved to Los Angeles in 1967 to play in local bands and appear in musicals such as "Hair" and "As You Like It". He made his film debut with a memorable role in cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In 1977, he and lyricist Jim Steinman released an operatic rock album called "Bat Out Of Hell”, the record was huge and has sold 35,000,000 copies worldwide. However, the tour promoting the album took a toll on Meat's voice and left him unable to sing on the follow-up record "Bad For Good". Meat Loaf stayed in the dark through the eighties doing 4 records which never got any airplay or chart position in the US. Meat Loaf appeared in films _Out Of Bounds (1986)_ as a Pilot, and The Squeeze with ‘Michael Keaton’ . But after getting back together with Steinman, they delivered a powerful sequel "Bat Out Of Hell II" which went to #1 in the US and UK. Bat II has now sold an excess of 20,000,000 copies. His TV credits include the Soldier being held prisoner in Vietnam in Lightning Force, a mad Doctor who invents a serum to keep zombies from deteriorating in Monsters and a slick Landlord of a restaurant who ends up on the menu in HBO series _"Tales From The Crypt" (1989)_ . Meat Loaf has also appeared in Crazy in Alabama and Fight Club. Meat Loaf's latest record "Testify" is due to be released in March of 2002.
Got his start in show business in a traveling stage production of the infamous play, "Hair". Owns a production company called Yellow Rose, Inc. with actor Brett Cullen. Is diabetic. Has told numerous contradictory "official" stories of how he got his stage name. Occasionally hosts VH1 show The List. Played 300 soldout concerts between 1987-91. Fell off the stage and broke his leg during a concert at Toronto in 1978 - he finished the tour in a wheelchair. Has had 17 concussions. Well known as a singer. His song "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" was a major hit in the late 70s. The album from which this song came was also a top seller as well. His 1970s album, 'Bat out of Hell', is the third highest selling album of all time, with an estimated 30,000,000 copies sold worldwide. It spent over 470 weeks in the UK charts - an all-time record. Is a vegetarian. According to "The Guiness Book Of World Records 2000" Meat Loaf's "Bat Out Of Hell" is the biggest selling album in the UK ever. Along with Derek St. Holmes, Meat Loaf handled lead vocals on Ted Nugent's 1976 Free For All record. Both his movie Blacktop and his special appearance in TV series Lightning Force were filmed in Vancouver B.C., Canada. Has an extensive line of theater credits including "Hair" and it's sequel "Rainbow", "More Than You Deserve" which collaborated him with his future lyricist Jim Steinman, Shakespeare's "As You Like It" and the theater production of "The Rocky Horror Show", later to reprise his role in the film version The Rocky Horror Picture Show. His dent in the 90s music scene with "Bat Out Of Hell 2: Back Into Hell" went all the way to number one and with roughly 18,000,000 copies sold worldwide, it is considered one of the biggest musical comebacks in music history. His first obscure single with local Michigan band Popcorn Blizzard, "Hello/Once Upon A Time" sold 5,000 copies! Was offered the title role in "Phantom Of The Opera" but turned it down Made a very special appearance in Ann Magnusons Cinemax comedy movie special Vandemonium Plus - he played Steve The Piglet. Despite his famous moniker, Marvin doesn't like to eat meatloaf. Only single to chart for Meat Loaf in the 1980s was "I'm Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us" which peaked at #84 According to the Encyclopedia of Rock Stars, Meat Loaf began a Slim Fast plan in 1990 and lost 84 pounds. This made him $1,000,000 richer Had a massive standing ovation at the CBS convention in New Orleans in 1977-78 He was offered lead vocalist position in the rock band Foreigner, but wanted to stay with Jim Steinman. Has played in two movies with Richard O'Brien, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Spice World. Was starring Off-Off Broadway in Paul Foster and John Braden's "Silver Queen" at La Mama E.T.C. when he was offered the role of "Eddie" in the American stage premiere of "The Rocky Horror Show". He had to leave "Silver Queen" a week before closing. His role was taken over by "Silver Queen's" director Robert Patrick, who had to wrap Meat Loaf's costume's trousers around him twice. Daughter Pearl Aday is a back-up singer with his band. Won a Grammy for the song "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" Has two daughters: Pearl Aday and Amanda Aday. 17 November 2003 - Collapsed while performing on a London stage. Doctors said it was a prolonged, non-life threatening viral infection. Was the producers' second choice to play "Bluto" in Animal House if "John Belushi" was unavailable. Went to Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, Texas. Performed at the Australian NRL grand final on 5 October, 2003. Admits to being a fantasy sports junkie. Was a vegetarian for 15 years but then decided to eat meat. His favorite meat is pork chops. In addition to songs from his own albums, his concerts usually include the song "Hot Patootie", which he sang as Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. When he first started rehearsals for the stage version of The Rocky Horror Show neither he nor the rest of the cast was aware of the sexual content of the play. It was only relatively late into the rehearsal stage that they found out, when Tim Curry (who they had never met, he had been bought over from the London production) turned up on stage in full Frank-N-Furter costume and make up singing "Sweet Transvestite" that they realized what the show was really about. Meatloaf walked out of the rehearsals and refused to do the show, but was talked into doing one performance to see how it went. When he saw how much the audience loved the show he agreed to stay on for the entire run.