The inimitable and iconic Lady Gaga has turned 40. The singer, songwriter, and actress — whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta — was born on March 28, 1986, in New York City.
Lady Gaga has been active as a performer since the 2000s. She made her acting debut in a 2001 episode of “The Sopranos,” and released her first album (“The Fame”) and single (“Just Dance”) in 2008.
On the day Gaga celebrates becoming a quadragenarian, let’s take a look back at her over the years. We’ll start with her childhood, go through the era when she first rose to fame, and end up at what she looks like today.
Baby Gaga
Above is a social media post with six pictures of Lady Gaga as a baby and very young child.
As you can see, Lady Gaga was always happy in front of a camera, even in the early stages of her childhood.
Lady Gaga as a Child
Above is a social media post with a picture of Lady Gaga as a nine-year-old in 1995.
It was also clear from a very early age that Gaga loved to dress up.
Early Fame
Above is a social media post with four pictures of Lady Gaga in 2004.
In the 2000s, Gaga began her epic rise to fame.
In 2001, she appeared as a classmate in an uncredited role in “The Sopranos” episode “The Telltale Moozadell.” She also appeared in episodes of MTV’s “Boiling Points” and teen drama “The Hills,” and as a musical guest in her 2009 “Saturday Night Live” debut.
Musically, she released her first album “The Fame” in 2008. Singles released during this time include 2008’s “Just Dance” and “Poker Face,” and 2009’s “LoveGame,” “Paparazzi,” and “Bad Romance.”
The Early 2010s
GettyIn the early 2010s, as Gaga rose to megastardom, she released two albums. They were 2011’s “Born This Way” and 2013’s “Artpop.” Singles in this period included 2010’s “Telephone,” “Alejandro,” and “Dance in the Dark,” 2011’s “Born this Way,” “The Edge of Glory,” and “You and I,” and 2013’s “Applause.”
She made countless television appearances, too. As herself, she appeared on shows like “American Idol,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” and “Opening Act.” Gaga also featured in her own television specials, including “A Very Gaga Thanksgiving,” “Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular,” and “Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live!” She even voiced herself in an episode of “The Simpsons.”
Gaga also made her movie debut in 2013’s action exploitation film “Machete Kills.” She went on to appear in the comedy “Muppets Most Wanted” and crime anthology film “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” in 2014.
The Mid-Late 2010s
GettyThe mid-late 2010s saw Gaga release a lot more music. In 2016, she released the album “Joanne.” In terms of singles, releases included 2016’s “Perfect Illusion” and “Million Reasons,” 2017’s “The Cure,” 2018’s “Shallow,” and 2019’s “I’ll Never Love Again.”
Regarding small screen appearances, she acted in the television series “American Horror Story: Hotel” and “American Horror Story: Roanoke,” and appeared as herself on the likes of “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and the Super Bowl LI halftime show.
Movie-wise, she starred in and produced the documentary “Gaga: Five Foot Two” and played the lead role of Ally Maine in the musical romantic drama “A Star Is Born,” for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
The Early 2020s
GettyGaga released one album in the early 2020s. That was 2020’s “Chromatica.” Singles included 2020’s “Stupid Love” and “Rain on Me,” 2022’s “Hold My Hand” and “Bloody Mary,” and 2024’s “Die with a Smile” and “Disease.”
On television, she appeared in the specials “MTV Unplugged Presents: Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga” and “Gaga Chromatica Ball.”
On the big screen, Gaga starred as Patrizia Reggiani in the 2021 biographical crime drama “House of Gucci.” She also played the lead role of Harleen “Lee” Quinzel in the 2024 jukebox musical legal drama “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Lady Gaga Today
Above is a 2026 social media post by Lady Gaga with three recent pictures of her.
Today, Lady Gaga looks as fabulous as ever.
Her most recent musical releases include the album “Mayhem” and singles “Abracadabra” and “The Dead Dance” in 2025.
On the small screen, she hosted “Saturday Night Live” and appeared as Rosaline Rotwood in an episode of Netflix’s supernatural mystery comedy series “Wednesday.” She also performed in the Super Bowl LX halftime show in 2026.
In terms of movies, she starred in the documentary “The Lady and The Legend” in 2026. She’s also set to appear in comedy-drama sequel “The Devil Wears Prada 2” later this year.
We’d like to wish the wonderful Lady Gaga the happiest of 40th birthdays. Here’s hoping she has an excellent day celebrating.
