Susan Boyle Facts

Susan Boyle is a Scottish woman who rose to a dramatic level of fame in 2009 after a surprising performance on the British series "Britain's Got Talent". Her act and vocals came as a surprise to the judges and audience after they first judged her based on her unpolished appearance. Once she started singing the live audience's perception noticeably changed, winning Boyle a standing ovation and praise from all three judges on the show.

Boyle, youngest of 10, was born in Scotland and eventually got into theater. Boyle attended Edinburgh Acting School, and took singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil. Much of her more-current vocal experience comes from singing in church and doing karaoke in local village pubs. She made her first professionally done demo tape in 1999 using all her savings, sending it to record companies, radio talent competitions, and television stations.

Present Day: Boyle currently live alone with her cat, Pebbles, after her 91-year-old mother passed away in 2007. She has also decidedly tried to not change her appearance from the same unpolished one from her original appearance on Britain's Got Talent.

Boyle's popularity was unexpected, especially for her, while the underdog tale, summed up in a few short minutes via YouTube, had resonated with millions. The sudden internet-sensation rocketed to stardom after a YouTube video of her performance had reached millions and millions of views, with interest peaking so high that she was rated among the top 10 searches on Google's Hot Trends for several days in a row.

Born: April 1, 1961

Age: 48

Born: Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland

Famous For Singing: "I Dreamed a Dream", and later "Memory"

Lives With: Pebbles (Cat)

Father: Pete Boyle (singer) (deceased)
Mother: Bridget Boyle (shorthand typist) (deceased)