Harry Connick Jr.

His father, Harry Connick Sr..(1926-2024), who was the district attorney of Orleans Parish from 1973 to 2003.

He has an older sister named Suzanna.

His parents also owned a record store.

Connick's father was a Roman Catholic of Northern Irish descent, while his mother, who died of ovarian cancer when he was 13 years old, was Jewish and from New York; his part-Jewish heritage would later inspire him to play Jewish doctor Leo on Will & Grace.

In addition to his career as a prosecutor, Connick Sr. also had a career performing weekly gigs at French Quarter Clubs.

Connick and his sister, Suzanna, were raised in the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans.

Harry Connick began learning to play keyboards at age three, playing publicly at age five, and recording with a local jazz band when he was ten.

At nine years old, Connick performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 Opus 37 with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra (now the Louisiana Philharmonic).

Later he played a duet with Eubie Blake at the Royal Orleans Esplanade Lounge in New Orleans.

The song was "I'm Just Wild About Harry".

It was recorded for a Japanese documentary called Jazz Around the World.

Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and former television host.

Connick's reputation was growing, and director Rob Reiner asked him to provide a soundtrack for his romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... (1989), starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.

The soundtrack consisted of several standards, including "It Had to Be You", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore".

Connick began his acting career playing a tail gunner in the World War II film Memphis Belle (1990).

He lived at the 92nd Street YMHA in New York City while he was a student at Hunter College and the Manhattan School of Music.

There he met Columbia Records executive George Butler, who persuaded him to sign with the label.

His first record, Harry Connick Jr., was mainly an album of instrumental standards.

He soon acquired a reputation in jazz because of his regular performances at various high-profile New York City venues.

His next album, 20, featured vocals and added to his success.

Connick's best-selling album in the United States is his Christmas album When My Heart Finds Christmas (1993).

He played a serial killer in Copycat (1995) before being cast as a fighter pilot in the blockbuster Independence Day (1996).

Connick's first role as a leading man was in Hope Floats (1998) with Sandra Bullock.

He also lent his voice to the animated cult classic The Iron Giant (1999).

The clip was also shown in a Bravo special called Worlds of Harry Connick, Junior. in 1999.

His musical talents were developed at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and under the tutelage of Ellis Marsalis Jr.. and James Booker.

Connick attended Jesuit High School, Isidore Newman School, Lakeview School, and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts; they are all in New Orleans.

After an unsuccessful attempt studying jazz at Loyola University New Orleans as well as giving recitals in the classical and jazz piano programs at Loyola, he left the city.

He played Leo Markus, the husband of Grace Adler (played by Debra Messing) on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace from 2002 to 2006.

His first thriller film since Copycat was Basic (2003) with John Travolta.

His highest-charting album is Only You (2004), which reached No.5 in the US and No.6 in Britain.

He has won three Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards.

Additionally, he played a violent ex-husband in Bug, and was in two romantic comedies: P.S. I Love You (2007), and New in Town (2009) with Renée Zellweger.

He was the leading man.

He has had seven top20 US albums, and ten number-one US jazz albums, earning more number-one albums than any other artist in U.S. jazz chart history as of 2009.

In 2011, he appeared in the family film Dolphin Tale as Dr. Clay Haskett and in its 2014 sequel.

Harry Connick Jr. was born and raised in New Orleans.

His mother, Anita Frances Livingston (née Levy), was a lawyer and judge in New Orleans.

As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide.

Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 16million in certified sales.