John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He has released 16 studio albums with his band as well as two solo albums. In the 1990s, Bon Jovi started an acting career, starring in the films Moonlight and Valentino, The Leading Man, Little City, Homegrown, Pay It Forward, U-571 and Cry Wolf and appearing on television in shows such as Sex and the City, 30 Rock, Ally McBeal, and The West Wing. Bon Jovi was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2012, he ranked number 50 among Billboard magazine's "Power 100", a ranking of "The Most Powerful and Influential People in the Music Business". Bon Jovi is a founder and former majority owner of an Arena Football League team, the Philadelphia Soul.
