Mark Ronson 50 facts: in 2015 he was named one of the magazine's 50 best dressed British men

In 2011, a portrait of Ronson was painted by British artist Joe Simpson; the painting was exhibited around the UK, including a solo exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Learn 50 facts about Mark Ronson.

1. While his debut album Here Comes the Fuzz failed to make an impact on the charts, his second album, Version, reached number two in the UK Album chart, and included three UK top 10 singles.

2. Won a Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist in 2008.

3. His third studio album, Record Collection, was released on 27 September 2010, peaking at number two in the UK.

4. In 2014, Ronson achieved his first UK and US number one single with "Uptown Funk", which featured vocals from Bruno Mars.

5. In 2015 the song won Ronson the Brit Award for British Single of the Year.

6. His fourth studio album, Uptown Special, was released in January 2015, and became his first UK number one album.

7. Ronson has also produced multi-platinum, Grammy-winning albums for artists such as Amy Winehouse and Adele.

8. Ronson was born at the Wellington Hospital, St John's Wood, the son of Anne (Dexter) and Laurence Ronson, a real-estate mogul and music manager.

9. His parents are both Ashkenazi Jews (their ancestors were Jewish immigrants from Austria, Russia, and Lithuania).

10. Ronson was brought up in Masorti Judaism and had a Bar Mitzvah ceremony.

11. Ronson's family name was originally "Aaronson", but his grandfather Henry changed it to "Ronson".

12. He is the nephew of property tycoon Gerald Ronson.

13. Through his mother, he is also related to British Conservative politicians Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Leon Brittan, as well as Odeon Cinemas founder Oscar Deutsch.

14. After his parents divorced, his mother married Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones, which contributed to a childhood surrounded by music.

15. Ronson has twin sisters who are two years younger than he is.

16. His sister Charlotte Ronson is a fashion designer, and Samantha Ronson, a singer and DJ.

17. Ronson also has five younger half-siblings. Alexander and Annabelle, from his mother's remarriage to Mick Jones as well as Henrietta, David, and Joshua, from his father's remarriage to model Michele First.

18. At the age of eight Ronson, along with his mother, step-father and twin sisters, moved to New York City.

19. Living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan he counted Sean Lennon, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, amongst his childhood friends.

20. Ronson attended high school at the private Collegiate School in Manhattan before attending Vassar College and then New York University (NYU).

21. In 2002, he began dating Quincy Jones's daughter, actress-singer Rashida Jones.

22. They became engaged in March 2003, with Ronson proposing by creating a crossword puzzle with the message "Will you marry me". Their relationship ended approximately one year later.

23. Ronson married French actress and singer Joséphine de La Baume, who had previously appeared in the music video for "The Bike Song". They married in Aix-en-Provence, in the South of France, on 5 September 2011.

24. In 2009 he participated in PETA's "Please Don't Wear Any Fur" campaign.

25. In 2009 Ronson was voted the most stylish man in the UK by GQ magazine.

26. In 2015 he was named one of the magazine's 50 best dressed British men.

27. In 2011, a portrait of Ronson was painted by British artist Joe Simpson; the painting was exhibited around the UK, including a solo exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

28. Ronson spends his time between London and New York.

29. Since childhood, he has been a fan of English Premier League football club Chelsea F.C..

30. He has also been a fan of the New York Knicks basketball team.

31. While attending New York University (NYU), Ronson became a regular at downtown hip hop spots and made his name as a DJ on the New York club scene in 1993, charging $50 per job.

32. He soon became known for his diverse, genre-spanning selection.

33. Influenced by funk, the hip hop scene of New York and the more rock influence of the UK (all of which he incorporated in his sets) he attracted a wider audience.

34. He was soon a popular and sought after DJ in New York City, frequently booked for high profile events and private parties.

35. In 1999, Ronson was featured in an ad wearing Tommy Hilfiger denim in the recording studio for an ad campaign for the company.

36. Mark made the leap from DJ to producer after Nikka Costa's manager heard one of his sets and introduced the musicians.

37. Ronson produced Costa's song "Everybody Got Their Something", and Ronson soon signed a record contract with Elektra Records.

38. He had already produced tracks for Hilfiger ads and, in 2001, used the connection to have Costa's single "Like a Feather" used in an commercial.

39. Ronson's debut album, Here Comes the Fuzz, was released in 2003. Despite poor initial sales it was well received by critics.

40. As well as writing the songs on the album, Ronson created the beats, played guitar, keyboards, and bass.

41. The album featured performances from artists from diverse genres, including Mos Def, Jack White, Sean Paul, Nikka Costa, Nappy Roots and Rivers Cuomo.

42. The best known song from the album, "Ooh Wee", samples "Sunny" by Boney M and features Nate Dogg, Ghostface Killah, Trife Da God, and Saigon. It was featured that year in the movie Honey and its soundtrack. The song was later used in the movies Hitch and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.

43. Two weeks after releasing Here Comes the Fuzz, Elektra Records dropped him.

44. Ronson has since produced multiple songs on the albums of singers Lamya, Macy Gray, Christina Aguilera, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Robbie Williams.

45. In 2004, Ronson formed his own record label, Allido Records, a subsidiary of Sony BMG's J Records, along with his longtime manager Rich Kleiman.

46. The first artist he signed to Allido was rapper Saigon, who later left to sign with Just Blaze's Fort Knox Entertainment.

47. "Uptown Funk" was a worldwide commercial success, reaching the top 10 in nearly every country it charted; it spent fifteen weeks at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, fourteen weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and seven weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart.

48. In February 2015 the song won Ronson the Brit Award for British Single of the Year.

49. In 2015, footage of Ronson from the recording session of the Amy Winehouse hit single Rehab was featured in an acclaimed documentary film, Amy about the late singer.

50. Ronson created a video, along with Directors Gary Breslin and Jordan Galland: Circuit Breaker, which is an homage to video game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Source: Wikipedia.org