<p><strong>Michael Lee Aday</strong> (born <strong>Marvin Lee Aday</strong>; September 27, 1947) is an American musician and actor better known by his stage name <strong>Meat Loaf</strong>. He is noted for the <em>Bat Out of Hell</em> album trilogy consisting of <em>Bat Out of Hell</em>, <em>Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell</em>, and <em>Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose</em>. <em>Bat Out of Hell</em> has sold more than 43 million copies worldwide. After 35 years, it still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually and stayed on the charts for over nine years, making it one of the best selling albums of all time. He is also known for his powerful wide-ranging operatic voice and theatrical live performances.</p>
<p>After he enjoyed success with <em>Bat Out of Hell</em> and <em>Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell</em> and earned a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for the song "I'd Do Anything for Love", Meat Loaf experienced some initial difficulty establishing a steady career within his native US. He has however retained iconic status and popularity in Europe, especially the UK. In the UK he ranks 23rd for the number of weeks overall spent on the charts as of 2006. He also ranked 96th on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".</p>
<p>He is one of the best-selling artists of all time, with worldwide sales of more than 80 million records. He has also appeared in over 50 movies and television shows, sometimes as himself or as characters resembling his stage persona. His most notable roles include Eddie in the American premiere of <em>The Rocky Horror Show</em> and <em>The Rocky Horror Picture Show.</em> He also appeared in David Fincher's <em>Fight Club</em> in 1999.</p>
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