Josh Groban was born in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish American father of Russian/Polish descent and a Norwegian American mother. His big career break came in 1998, when he sang "The Prayer" with Celine Dion at the Grammy rehearsals. Groban so impressed Rosie O'Donnell that she invited him to appear on her daytime talk show. Then came a string of television appearances and a recording contract, and in 2001 he released his self-titled debut album, a collection of songs in English and Italian. That same year he appeared in a small role on the TV series Ally McBeal (starring Calista Flockhart) and made frequent appearances on talk and variety shows. He released Josh Groban in Concert in 2002, and his 2003 appearance on the PBS program Great Performances was a big hit, especially among fervent fans known as "Grobanites." In 2004 Groban released his second studio album, Closer, and continued to pop up on TV, including an appearance at the Super Bowl half-time show.