Johnny Hallyday was born Jean-Philipe Smet in Cite Malesherbes, Paris, France, to Huguette and Leon Smet. His parents separated not long after his birth, so he was raised by his paternal Aunt - Helene Mar. (His pseudonym was borrowed from his cousin's friend, Lee Halliday).
Johnny, as he is popularly known, became famous in the 1960s from singing rock'n'roll in French. Since then, he has had a 40 year career in the music industry and is one of France's biggest stars. He has sold 80 million records, made 400 tours, had 18 platinum albums and performed in front of 15 million people.
He was married on April 12, 1965 to Sylvie Vartan (French singer) in Loconville. They have a son, David Hallyday (who is also a singer), born David Michael Benjamin Smet on August 14, 1966. Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan were France's "Golden Couple" of their generation. They divorced on November 4, 1980.
A year later, he married a model named Babeth Etienne on December 1, 1981 in Los Angeles, the marriage lasted 2 months and 2 days.
His love affair with the French actress Nathalie Baye began in 1982, after they met on a television programme. Nathalie gave birth to their daughter, Laura, at the end of 1983. They separated in 1986.
He married Adeline Blondiau in 1990. They divorced in 1992.
In 1996 he married Laetitia Boudou.