Justin Timberlake (born January 31, 1981, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.) is an American pop singer and actor who achieved fame as a member of the hugely successful boy band *NSYNC before establishing a career as a solo performer. He also acted in films and television shows, including memorable appearances as both host and musical guest on the late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live.
Early life
Timberlake’s parents, Randy and Lynn (née Bomar, later Harless) Timberlake, divorced when their son was very young. Timberlake’s grandfather was a Baptist minister, and his father was a bluegrass musician. Timberlake began singing in the church choir when he was eight years old. He appeared on the televised talent show Star Search at age 11, going by the name Justin Randall and singing a country music song. Even at such a young age, he was ambitious. In 2011 he told The Guardian, “If my parents hadn’t got me to those auditions, at some point I would have found a way myself. It wasn’t down to them.”
Along with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and future *NSYNC member J.C. Chasez, Timberlake launched his professional performing career in the early 1990s on the Disney Channel’s The All New Mickey Mouse Club. In 1996 he and Chasez were recruited for the male pop vocal quintet *NSYNC. The group’s self-titled debut, released in 1998, did well commercially after a slow start, and the band quickly followed up that same year with the holiday-themed album Home for Christmas. Its next effort, No Strings Attached (2000), became one of the fastest-selling albums in history, selling more than 14 million copies and featuring a string of hits, including the chart-topping “It’s Gonna Be Me.” Timberlake began his solo recording career in 2001 after the release of what was to be *NSYNC’s last album, Celebrity.
During his tenure with *NSYNC, Timberlake had cultivated his role as a songwriter, and his breakup with longtime love interest Spears provided the inspiration for a number of songs on his Grammy Award-winning (best pop vocal album) solo debut, Justified (2002), most notably “Cry Me a River” (best male pop vocal performance). In 2003 Timberlake was a guest performer on the Black Eyed Peas’ hit “Where Is the Love?” During the halftime performance of the 2004 Super Bowl, Timberlake was involved in a notorious “wardrobe malfunction” when by design he pulled off part of costar Janet Jackson’s top.
Timberlake’s second solo release, the Prince-influenced FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), features production work by Timbaland and Rick Rubin and earned four Grammy Awards, including best dance recording for “SexyBack,” which spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. During his early solo career, Timberlake was not always treated kindly by critics, but few would argue that his solo work, solidly in the vein of rhythm and blues (R&B) and blue-eyed soul, had not transcended his bubblegum dance-pop origins, and he sold millions of recordings in the process.
Having earned a reputation as an affable and versatile entertainer, Timberlake began to act in films. His first substantial roles were in the gritty dramas Alpha Dog (2006) and Black Snake Moan (2006). In 2010 he earned accolades for his portrayal of Internet entrepreneur Sean Parker, the cofounder of Napster and the founding president of Facebook, in The Social Network, a fictionalized account of Facebook’s origins. The same year, he provided the voice of Yogi Bear’s diminutive sidekick Boo Boo in Yogi Bear, a movie adaptation of the classic TV cartoon.
Timberlake subsequently starred in the racy romantic comedy Friends with Benefits (2011), the sci-fi thriller In Time (2011), and the online-gambling drama Runner Runner (2013). In addition, he took supporting roles in Bad Teacher (2011), Trouble with the Curve (2012), and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). For the animated film Trolls (2016), he provided the voice of Branch, one of the title characters, and cowrote the Oscar-nominated song “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”; he reprised the role in Trolls World Tour (2020) and collaborated on several of the film’s songs. In Woody Allen’s Wonder Wheel (2017), Timberlake portrayed a lifeguard on Coney Island during the 1950s who wants to become a playwright. In Palmer (2021) he starred as an former convict who befriends a gender-nonconforming boy. Timberlake gained additional notice for his frequent appearances on Saturday Night.
