Jan. 31: Singer and actor Justin Timberlake of N'Sync and "Socal Network" is 30 today.

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Did you know?


Justin Timberlake has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future 'N Sync bandmate JC Chasez.


Timberlake's first two solo albums made him one of the most commercially successful singers in the world, each selling in excess of 7 million copies.


Aside from music, he has also begun an acting career, while his other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.

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Justin Randall Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His mother runs an entertainment company called Just-in Time Entertainment. His first attempts at a singing career were country music songs on Star Search as "Justin Randall."

In 1993, Timberlake joined the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club. His cast-mates included future girlfriend and pop superstar Britney Spears, future tour-mate Christina Aguilera, and future bandmate JC Chasez. The show ended in 1994, but late in 1995 Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group that eventually became 'N Sync.

Timberlake and JC Chasez were the two lead singers of the popular 1990s boy band. The group formed in 1995, started its career 1996 in Europe, and hit it big in the United States in 1998 with the U.S. release of its debut album *NSYNC, which sold 11 million copies. The album included a number of hit singles, including "Tearin' Up My Heart."

The group signed with Jive Records. and in March 2000, 'N Sync released a long-awaited album, No Strings Attached, which became the fastest-selling album of all time with 2.4 million copies sold in its first week and produced a #1 single, "It's Gonna Be Me."

This was followed by the band's third album, Celebrity, which was the second-fastest selling album of all time. In 2002, after the completion of a "Celebrity Tour" and the release of "Girlfriend," the third single from Celebrity, the group decided to take time off, at which point Timberlake began work on his first solo album and the group went into a hiatus. The group sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, becoming the third-best selling boy band in history.

As a member of 'N Sync, Timberlake developed into a major celebrity in his own right in addition to achieving respect as a musician, since he was the writer or co-writer of all three singles from Celebrity. The rise of his own stardom and the general decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of 'N Sync.


In late 1999, Timberlake made his acting debut in the Disney Channel movie Model Behavior.

Timberlake's first "single" single, "Like I Love You," reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. he then released the album Justified in November 2002. The album sold fewer copies than previous 'N Sync efforts but debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart and eventually went on to sell more than three million copies in the U.S. and more than seven million copies worldwide.

The album also received critical acclaim, thanks to its heavy R&B influence provided by hip-hop producers The Neptunes and Timbaland. It spun off hits throughout late 2002 and 2003, including the top ten singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body."

After the Super Bowl controversy, where he exposed Janet Jackson's breast (in case you were living on another planet when it happened), Timberlake put his recording career on hold to act in several films, having starred in a few feature films earlier in his music career.

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The first was as a journalist in the thriller Edison Force, which received a direct-to-video release in July 2006. He also appeared in the films Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, Richard Kelly's Southland Tales, and voiced Prince Artie Pendragon in the animated film Shrek the Third in 2007. He also appeared as a young Elton John, in the video for John's song "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore."

He continued to record with other artists. After "Where Is the Love?" he collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas for a second time on the 2005 track "My Style" from their album Monkey Business. When recording the 2005 single "Signs" with Snoop Dogg, Timberlake discovered a throat condition. Nodules were subsequently removed from his throat.

In the summer of 2005, Timberlake started his own record company, JayTee Records. In May 2006, imberlake made a cameo in the video for Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's single "Promiscuous." 

Nite Runner" and "Falling Down" for Duran Duran's album Red Carpet Massacre. Also in 2007, Timberlake made an appearance on 50 Cent's third album, Curtis.

Timberlake continues to collaborate with other artists, and act in films. He recently starred in the film Social Network.


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