Big and bellowing describe Meat Loaf pretty well--both in terms of his musical style as well as his physical presence. He's a loud, raucous guy, and his landmark record, Bat Out of Hell, suggests as much. As an artist, though, he's received short-shrift. Though he's a talented and fun performer both in music and film, his imprint on the public consciousness has been limited.

Born Marvin Lee Aday and raised in Dallas, TX, Meat Loaf grew up in a family that appreciated and sang gospel music. If it influenced young Meat Loaf, his best-known work doesn't show it. He began to be defined as a hard rockin' metal fan with a flair for the theatrical. His early band toured with The Who, The Stooges and Ted Nugent, exposing his work to crowds looking for a wild good time. Though he's released more than a dozen records of original material, Meat Loaf would best be known for Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. His take on cheesy metal-rock clearly celebrated the genre at the same time that it sent it up, and proved he had considerable talent as a musical artist.

Meat Loaf has also had a successful acting career. After a stint performing in Hair, Meat Loaf earned the role that would define him for most of his career in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The pompadoured, motorcycle-riding Eddie delivers an ode to crazy Saturday nights and rock 'n' roll music before exiting stage left with a ice axe in his body. Loaf's other major role would be in Fight Club, in which he played a soft-hearted ex-body builder with man breasts. His name was Robert Paulson, and Loaf earned many critical praises for playing against type in the role.