Justin Timberlake

American musician who became famous as a member of the rock group 'N Sync, which included Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick.

Timberlake began singing and dancing at an early age. He appeared on Star Search at age 11 and sang country music. In 1992 he got his big break when he became a preteen host of Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club. In his two years there he met other notable Mouseketeers, JC Chasez, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears. He formed the band ‘N Sync (now styled *NSYNC) when he joined forces in Orlando with Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone, later adding the other members. ‘N Synch was perhaps the first real boy band. Despite their youth, Timberlake considered all members of the group serious musicians.

The group toured in Germany early in its history and remained little known in the United States until their return in 1998 when a Disney Channel special created a US interest. Timberlake skyrocketed to public attention, and young girls everywhere conferred "heartthrob" status on him. In 1999, he was chosen as Teen People Magazine’s "21 Hottest Stars Under 21." Timberlake and the group performed at the Super Bowl of 28 January 2001, singing the National Anthem and appearing in an alcohol awareness TV ad sponsored by Anheuser-Busch. As a member of *NSYNC, he expanded his repertoire by co-producing and co-writing tracks on their third album, Celebrity (2001). In November 2002, he released a solo album, Justified, an album that combines hip-hop, dance, and R&B. The album was a smashing success, and in May 2003, he joined former Mouseketeer Christine Aguilera for a tour "Justified & Stripped."

His talents are not restricted to singing. In 2000, he co-starred in the TV movie, Model Behavior with Kathie Lee Gifford. A year later, Elton John picked him to portray the young Elton in the ‘70s for the Elton John auto-biopic, This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore.