Teen idol: 1971–1978

Osmond in 1974

Andy Williams' father, Jay Emerson Williams, saw the Osmond Brothers (Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay) perform on a Disneyland televised special as a barbershop quartet. The group was then invited to audition for The Andy Williams Show. Williams initially had reservations about featuring children on the program, but was encouraged by his father to try them out. The Osmond Brothers proved themselves as an asset to the program, soon becoming regulars on the show and quickly gaining popularity. In 1963, Donny Osmond made his debut on the show at the age of five singing "You Are My Sunshine". The brothers continued to perform on the show throughout the 1960s, along with an occasional visit from their sister Marie.

Osmond became a teen idol in the early 1970s as a solo singer, while continuing to sing with his older brothers. Osmond was one of the biggest "cover boy" pop stars for Tiger Beat and 16 magazines in the early 1970s. His first solo hit was a cover of Roy Orbison's 1958 recording of "Sweet and Innocent", which peaked at no. 7 in the U.S. in 1971. Osmond's follow-ups Steve Lawrence's "Go Away Little Girl" (1971) (U.S. no. 1), Paul Anka's "Puppy Love" (U.S. no. 3), and "Hey Girl/I Knew You When" (U.S. no. 9) (1972) vaulted him into international fame, further advanced by his November 20, 1972, appearance on the Here's Lucy show, where he sang Nat King Cole's "Too Young" to Lucy's niece, played by Eve Plumb, and sang with Lucie Arnaz ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again").

The Osmonds in the Netherlands (1973)

Comeback: 1989–1990

In the 1980s, all of the Osmonds abandoned their earlier image—which had originally been crafted to appeal to young viewers—hoping to reach a more adult audience. While his brothers moved toward country music to modest success, Donny was able to revive his career in popular music. He made an unlikely appearance as one of several celebrities and unknowns auditioning to sing for guitarist Jeff Beck in the video for Beck's 1985 single "Ambitious", which was produced by Paul Flattery and directed by Jim Yukich. This was followed in 1986 by an equally unlikely cameo in the animated Luis Cardenas music video "Runaway".^[4] He spent several years as a performer, before hiring the services of music and entertainment guru Steven Machat, who got Osmond together with English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel to see whether Machat and Gabriel could turn Osmond's image into a contemporary young pop act. They succeeded, returning Osmond to the US charts in 1989 with the Billboard Hot 100 no. 2 song "Soldier of Love" (originally announced on radio stations as "from a mystery singer") and its top twenty follow-up "Sacred Emotion". Launching an extensive tour in support of the Eyes Don't Lie record, he enlisted guitarist Dick Smith of Earth Wind & Fire and Kenny Loggins, along with keyboardist Mark Jackson.

Current music career: 1991–present

Osmond was the guest vocalist on Dweezil Zappa's star-studded version of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" which appeared on Zappa's 1991 album Confessions. The song also included guitar solos from Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather, Warren DeMartini, Nuno Bettencourt, and Tim Pierce. Osmond sang "No One Has To Be Alone", which was heard at the end of the film The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water. He also sang "I'll Make a Man Out of You" for Disney's Mulan.

In the 2000s, he released a Christmas album, an album of his favorite Broadway songs, and a compilation of popular love songs. In 2004, he returned to the UK Top 10 for the first time as a solo artist since 1973, with the George Benson-sampling "Breeze On By". The song was co-written with former teen idol Gary Barlow, from the 1990s UK boy band Take That, and reached number 8 on the UK charts.

His 17th solo album (and 61st album including those with his siblings) The Soundtrack of My Life features a collection of cover songs with personal meaning to Osmond. He enlisted Stevie Wonder to play harmonica on the track "My Cherie Amour".^[5]

Donny & Marie in Las Vegas

"Donny & Marie" marquee at the Flamingo Las Vegas

Following Marie's stint on Dancing with the Stars in 2007, the pair teamed up for a limited six-week engagement in Las Vegas. The residency began in September 2008, but proved so successful that it was ultimately extended for an eleven-year run through November 2019.^[6][7] Donny and Marie performed at the 750-seat showroom at the Flamingo Hotel. "Donny & Marie" was a 90-minute show. The singing siblings were backed by eight dancers and a nine-piece band. Donny and Marie sang together at the beginning and end of the show, and had solo segments in between. The Flamingo Hotel's showroom was updated in 2014 and renamed the Donny and Marie Theater.

Osmond and the show earned three of the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Best of Las Vegas Awards in 2012 including "Best Show", "Best All-Around Performer" (Donny & Marie), and "Best Singer".^[8] Osmond earned "Best Singer" for a second time in the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Best of Las Vegas Awards in 2013.^[9]

Donny & Marie

In 1974, Osmond and his sister Marie co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show for a week. Fred Silverman offered them a show of their own, The Donny & Marie Show, a television variety series which aired on ABC from 1976 to 1979. In honor of their impact on American pop culture, Donny and Marie received the Pop Culture Award at the 2015 TV Land Awards. In the past, Osmond has expressed regret that the show was canceled, and that he and Marie were unable to decide when to end the show.

Donny and Marie also co-hosted the eponymous and syndicated talk show Donny & Marie from 1998 to 2000. They would occasionally perform with musical guests. Though they received back-to-back nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2000 and 2001, the show was canceled.

Other hosting opportunities

For two seasons in the US, Osmond hosted Pyramid (2002–2004), a syndicated version of the Dick Clark-hosted television game show. He reprised hosting for a British version of Pyramid on Challenge in 2007. For his performance on Pyramid, Osmond was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 2003; the award went to Alex Trebek.

Osmond is one of two game show hosts to host two different versions of the same game show in different countries; the other being Howie Mandel for Deal or No Deal.

Osmond returned to ABC as host of The Great American Dream Vote, a primetime reality-game show that debuted in March 2007. After earning lackluster ratings in its first two episodes, the program was canceled.^[10]

Osmond hosted the daytime British version of the game show Identity on BBC Two in 2007.

On April 11, 2008, he hosted the 2008 Miss USA Pageant in Las Vegas with his sister Marie.

He appeared on Entertainment Tonight as a commentator covering the ABC show Dancing with the Stars during his sister Marie's run as a contestant on the 5th season of the American version of the show in 2007.

Music

Osmond is mentioned in the lyrics of Alice Cooper's song "Department of Youth" on the album Welcome to My Nightmare. As the song fades, Cooper can be heard asking the youth choir backing him up, "Who's got the power?" to which a crowd of young people screams "We do!" After a couple of repetitions, this changes to "We've got the power" with a cheering response. On the final repetition, Cooper changes the question to "...and who gave it to you?" The crowd answers, "Donny Osmond!" Cooper then responds "What?!"

Osmond is featured in the song "Start the Par-dee" with Lil Yachty, written as a promotion for Chef Boyardee's throwback recipe ravioli. His most iconic line is "My name is Donny O, and you know I love my ravio's".

Film and television

In the animated television series Johnny Bravo, Osmond voiced himself as a recurring character. He has also done guest spots on numerous other television shows such as Friends, Diagnosis: Murder, and Hannah Montana. He also appeared in a Pepsi Twist commercial during the Super Bowl with his sister, Marie, and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. In 1982, he co-starred with Priscilla Barnes and Joan Collins in the television movie The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch for Aaron Spelling.

In 1978, he appeared in Goin' Coconuts with sister Marie. His future wife Debbie (credited as Debbie Glenn) made a cameo appearance at the end of the film.^[11][12]

In 1998, Osmond was chosen as the singing voice of Shang in Disney's Mulan. He sang "I'll Make a Man Out of You".

Also in 1999, he starred as Joseph in the movie version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber's request who said, "to me, there is no better selection."

In 2002, he sang "No One Has to Be Alone" for the end credits of The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water.

In the Bob the Builder special "Built to be Wild", he played Jackaroo the pickup truck.

Osmond remarked in an interview that his movie appearance on College Road Trip and upcoming appearances on two Disney Channel shows would mean that he would be coming full circle since he and his family were discovered by Walt Disney.

Osmond appears in the music video of "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "White & Nerdy". The song is a parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'"; Osmond's role is analogous to that of Krayzie Bone's role in the original video. Yankovic asked Osmond to appear because "if you have to have a white and nerdy icon in your video, like who else do you go for?"^[13]

In February 2019, he was revealed to have portrayed "Peacock" on The Masked Singer, where he was the runner-up.^[14]

Osmond was a guest on Kevin Nealon's web series on YouTube, Hiking with Kevin, in March 2019. The webisode begins with the two hiking and through the snow at the Sundance Resort in Utah, and ends with them walking a crowded Las Vegas Strip until Osmond brings Nealon backstage at the Donny & Marie Showroom in the Flamingo Hotel, at which he was to perform that evening.^[15]

In 2020, Osmond was invited as a celebrity panelist for Fox's I Can See Your Voice, appearing on episode 5 in the first season of the show (4 November).^{[16][17][18][19]}

Dancing with the Stars

Osmond and professional Kym Johnson were paired for the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars. He participated in the show to prove he was a better dancer than his sister. It was very difficult for him to manage to get to rehearsals and host his show in Las Vegas with his sister Marie. For the first week, the two were assigned to dance a foxtrot and a 30-second salsa. His foxtrot was said to be "too theatrical" and was scored 20/30 by the judges. He, however, managed to maintain a good score when his salsa scored 10 points and was safe that week. He danced a jive the following week which was guest-judged by Baz Luhrmann. He scored 25 and was scored second place, called first to be safe. That following week he danced a rumba and scored 21.

After his comments, he "toyed with" openly gay judge Bruno Tonioli, first kissing him, before embracing him and tipping him back in a mock-passionate move after Bruno called Osmond's dance "a bit airy-fairy". The following week introduced four new dances including the Charleston which he danced and scored 24. That following week, the two danced an Argentine tango which scored 29/30, the highest-scored dance to date until it was beaten by then-top scorer and future runner-up Mýa and her 70s-themed samba. He had also received that week's encore.

Following that week, Osmond and Johnson danced a train-station-themed jitterbug and scored a 24. He then danced a mambo against all couples and was eliminated 6th receiving seven points for a total of 31/40. The following week, he danced a quickstep which he quotes "was one of the worst moments of my life" and scored 24 and a team tango along with Joanna Krupa and Kelly Osbourne and received 28/30 and the encore.

In the 8th week of competition, Osmond was required to dance a ballroom and decade-themed Latin dance. His ballroom Viennese waltz received 26 but his 1980s themed pasodoble received 24 being quoted by judge Len Goodman as "the scariest, bizarre pasodoble we've ever seen" being awarded the last place on the judges' leaderboard for the first time. Following that week, he danced a tango and got advice from past runner-up Gilles Marini. He got tangled in Johnson's dress and received 21 saying the cause was that "I saw Marie." He then danced the samba to a song originally recorded by his brothers and himself called "One Bad Apple", receiving 26 and a Jitterbug scored 27. He once again was scored last place.

For the finals week, he danced a cha-cha-cha (27), a megamix dance alongside Mya and Kelly Osbourne (28), the only perfect-scoring freestyle (30) and a repeat of his Argentine tango (30) and won the competition, making him the oldest winner. As he accepted his trophy, he hugged fellow finalist Mya and brought his wife Debbie, and sister Marie on stage.^[20][21]

On season 18, he guest-judged week five on Disney Night. In October 2014, he guest judged on the British version of the show, Strictly Come Dancing, on week 3 (movie week) of the 12th series.

Donny Osmond Home

Donny Osmond Home is a furniture and decor accessories collection, established in 2013 by Osmond and his wife Debbie, in collaboration with decor manufacturers.^{[32][33][34][35][36]}

Author

Life is Just What You Make It: My Story So Far, his autobiography co-written with Patricia Romanowski, is a "tell-all", Donny Osmond style. The book, released in 1999, includes stories from behind-the-scenes as a teen star, to his thought of tarnishing his "goody-two-shoes" image as he started his solo career, to him describing the full-on panic attacks he suffered on stage.^[37][38][39]

Studio albums

• The Donny Osmond Album (1971)
• To You with Love, Donny (1971)
• Portrait of Donny (1972)
• Too Young (1972)
• Alone Together (1973)
• A Time for Us (1973)
• Donny (1974)
• Disco Train (1976)
• Donald Clark Osmond (1977)
• Donny Osmond (1989)
• Eyes Don't Lie (1990)
• Christmas at Home (1998)
• This Is the Moment (2001)
• Somewhere in Time (2002)
• What I Meant to Say (2004)
• Love Songs of the 70s (2007)
• The Soundtrack of My Life (2015)
• Start Again (2021)

Television

Films