Justin Timberlake Biography

Justin Timberlake made the leap from boy band singer to Sinatra-style musical alpha male in the early 2000s. He was first among equals in the 1990s teen band *NSYNC, singing lead on many tracks of the band's multi-platinum albums, including *NSYNC (1998), No Strings Attached (2000) and Celebrity (2001). His charisma and good looks made him a popular favorite with female fans. (His popularity was helped by his on-again, off-again romance with pop songstress Britney Spears.) Justin Timberlake went solo with the 2002 album Justified, which established him as a hunky urban leading man. Justified won Grammy Awards for best pop vocal album and best male pop vocal performance for the single "Cry Me A River." His second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, came out in 2006 and had a stronger R&B tilt; it included the hit single "SexyBack" and established him as a fashion plate as well as a singer. That same year he co-starred in two feature films, Black Snake Moan (with Christina Ricci) and Alpha Dog (with Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone). Meanwhile he remained a tabloid favorite thanks to his romances with actresses Cameron Diaz (2003-06) and Jessica Biel (starting in 2007). Timberlake launched his own label, Tennman Records, in 2008 and continued a steady stream of concert performances, TV appearances, and album guest shots.  His other films include The Social Network (2010, as high-tech rebel Sean Parker), Bad Teacher (2011, with Diaz) and Friends With Benefits (2011, with Mila Kunis).