Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he appeared in the television shows Star Search and The New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as the lead singer and youngest member of the boy band ‘N Sync, whose launch was financed by Lou Pearlman.
During the group’s hiatus, Timberlake released his solo studio albums Justified (2002) and FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006); the former spawned hits “Cry Me a River” and “Rock Your Body”, while the latter debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles “SexyBack”, “My Love”, and “What Goes Around… Comes Around”. With each album exceeding sales of seven million copies worldwide, he was established as one of the most commercially successful singers. From 2007 through 2012, Timberlake focused on his acting career, effectively putting his music career on hiatus; he held starring roles in the films The Social Network, Bad Teacher, In Time and Friends with Benefits.
In 2013, Timberlake resumed his music career with his third and fourth albums The 20/20 Experience and The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2. The former became one of the best-selling records of the year and spawned hits “Suit & Tie” and “Mirrors”, while the latter is preceded by lead single “Take Back the Night”. Timberlake’s work has earned him six Grammy Awards and four Emmy Awards. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.
Early life:
Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee, to parents Lynn Harless (née Bomar) and Randall Timberlake. He grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington. His paternal grandfather, Charles L. Timberlake, was a Baptist minister, and Timberlake was raised Baptist, though now considers himself more “spiritual than religious”. Timberlake’s parents divorced when he was three; his mother remarried when he was five. Timberlake’s father has two children from his second marriage to Lisa Perry, Jonathan (born 1993) and Steven Robert (born August 14, 1998). His half-sister Laura Katherine died shortly after birth on May 14, 1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album *NSYNC as “My Angel in Heaven.” At the age of 11, Timberlake appeared on the television show Star Search, performing country music songs as “Justin Randall.” In 1993 and 1994, he was a cast member in The Mickey Mouse Club, where his castmates included future girlfriend and pop superstar Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, future bandmate JC Chasez, and future movie actor Ryan Gosling. In 1995, Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group, organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman, that eventually became ‘N Sync.
Career:
1995-2004: ‘N Sync, Justified and the Super Bowl:
The boy band ‘N Sync formed in 1995, and began its career in 1996 in Europe; Timberlake and Chasez served as its two lead singers. In 1998, the group rose to prominence in the United States with the release of their debut studio album *NSYNC, which sold 11 million copies and included hit single “Tearin’ Up My Heart”. Their second album No Strings Attached (2000) sold 2.4 million copies in the first week, and included a #1 single, “It’s Gonna Be Me”. ‘N Sync’s third album Celebrity (2001) was also financially successful. Upon the completion of the Celebrity Tour, the group went into hiatus in 2002. In its lifetime, ‘N Sync was internationally famous and performed at the Academy Awards, the Olympics, and the Super Bowl, as well as selling more than 50 million copies worldwide, becoming the third-best selling boy band in history.
In late 1999, Timberlake made his acting debut in the Disney Channel movie Model Behavior. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model. It was released on March 12, 2000. The rise of his own stardom and the general decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of ‘N Sync. Band member Lance Bass was openly critical of Timberlake’s actions in his memoir Out of Sync. Chasez also stated several times that the reunion will probably never happen, and he went on to repeat this statement in 2011 and 2012. Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone, however, have said that a reunion is possible, with both saying that anything could happen in the future.
In August 2002, Timberlake performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, where he premiered his debut solo single “Like I Love You”; it peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut solo studio album Justified was released in November and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 439,000 copies, fewer than previous ‘N Sync releases. It went on to sell over three million copies in the U.S. and more than seven million copies worldwide. Its R&B influence, provided by hip-hop producers The Neptunes and Timbaland, was complimented by music critics. The album spawned the top 10 singles “Cry Me a River” and “Rock Your Body”. In summer 2003, Timberlake and Christina Aguilera headlined the Justified/Stripped Tour. Later that year he recorded a song “I’m Lovin’ It”, used by McDonald’s as the theme to its “I’m Lovin’ It” campaign. The deal with McDonald’s earned Timberlake an estimated $6 million. A tour titled Justified and Lovin’ It Live was included with the deal. Timberlake was featured on Nelly’s song, “Work It”, which was remixed and included on Nelly’s 2003 remix album.
In February 2004, during the halftime show of the Super Bowl XXXVIII broadcast on the CBS television network, Timberlake performed with Janet Jackson before a television audience of more than 140 million viewers. At the end of the performance, as the song drew to a close, Timberlake tore off a part of Jackson’s black leather costume in a “costume reveal” meant to accompany a portion of the song lyrics. According to CBS, “both Jackson and Timberlake had confirmed they planned it ‘independently and clandestinely’ without informing anyone.” Part of the costume detached, and Jackson’s breast was briefly exposed. Timberlake apologized for the incident, stating he was “sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl….” The phrase “wardrobe malfunction” has since been used by the media to refer to the incident and has entered pop culture. Timberlake and Jackson were threatened with exclusion from the 2004 Grammy Awards unless they agreed to apologize on screen at the event. Timberlake attended and issued a scripted apology when accepting the first of two Grammy Awards he received that night (Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Cry Me a River”). He had also been nominated for Album of the Year for Justified, Record of the Year for “Cry Me a River”, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Where Is the Love?” with The Black Eyed Peas.
2004-07: Acting debut and FutureSex/LoveSounds:
After the Super Bowl controversy, Timberlake put his recording career on hold to act in several films, having starred in a few feature films earlier in his music career. The first role he took during this time was as a journalist in Edison Force, filmed in 2004 and received a direct-to-video release on July 18, 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, released on May 18, 2007. He also appeared as a young Elton John, in the video for John’s song “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore”. Timberlake was considered to play the role of Roger Davis in the film version of the rock musical Rent, but director Chris Columbus had insisted that only the original Broadway members could convey the true meaning of Rent.
He continued to record with other artists. After “Where Is the Love?”, he again collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas 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 an operation that took place on May 5, 2005. He was advised not to sing or speak loudly for at least a few months. In 2005, he began his own record company, JayTee Records. He made a cameo in the video for Nelly Furtado and Timbaland’s single “Promiscuous”, released on May 3, 2006.
Timberlake released his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, on September 12, 2006. The album, which Timberlake created from 2005 to 2006, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 684,000 copies its first week. It is the biggest album for pre-orders on iTunes, and beat Coldplay’s record for the biggest one-week sales of a digital album. The album was produced by Timbaland and Danja (who produced a bulk of the album), will.i.am, Rick Rubin and Timberlake himself, and features guest vocals by Snoop Dogg, Three 6 Mafia, T.I. and will.i.am. A studio representative described it as being “all about sexiness” and aiming for “an adult feel”.
The album’s lead single, “SexyBack”, was performed by Timberlake at the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for seven consecutive weeks. “My Love”, the album’s second single, also produced by Timbaland and featuring rapper T.I., reached number one on the Hot 100, as did third single “What Goes Around… Comes Around”. The song is reported to have been inspired by the break-up of his childhood friend and business partner, Trace Ayala, with actress Elisha Cuthbert. In October 2006, Timberlake said that he would focus on his music career rather than his film roles, specifying that leaving the music industry would be a “dumb thing to do at this point”. He was the special guest performer at the 2006 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for being where he sang SexyBack. In January 2007, Timberlake embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour. “Summer Love/Set the Mood Prelude” was the fourth U.S. single off the album, and the next single in the UK was “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude”. The song “Give It to Me”, a Timbaland single on which Timberlake guests with Nelly Furtado, reached the Hot 100 number-one spot.
In February 2008, Timberlake was awarded two Grammy Awards. At the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony, he won the Male Pop Performance Award for “What Goes Around…Comes Around”, and the Dance Recording Award for “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows”.
2007-12: Musical hiatus and focus on acting:
The song “4 Minutes”, was first played by Timbaland at Philadelphia’s Jingle Ball on December 17, 2007. When released on March 17, 2008, “4 Minutes” was revealed to be a duet between Timberlake and Madonna, with backing vocals by Timbaland. It was lead single from Madonna’s eleventh studio album Hard Candy, which featured four other song-writing collaborations with Timberlake. The single was an international hit, topping the charts in over 21 countries worldwide. Timberlake also appears in the music video, which was directed by Jonas & François. On March 30, 2008, Timberlake performed the song at Madonna’s Hard Candy Promo Show at Roseland Ballroom in New York City. On November 6, 2008, Timberlake performed the song with Madonna on the Los Angeles stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour.
Around June 2007 Timberlake co-wrote, produced and provided vocals for the songs “Nite Runner” and “Falling Down” for Duran Duran’s album Red Carpet Massacre, released on November 13, 2007. “Falling Down” had been released as a single in the UK on the previous day. Also in 2007, Timberlake made an appearance on 50 Cent’s third album, Curtis. Timberlake, along with Timbaland, is featured on a track called “Ayo Technology”, which was the album’s fourth single. Also, another possible collaboration was to occur with Lil Wayne for his album Tha Carter III with Nelly Furtado and Timbaland. With the wrapping up of the FutureSex/LoveSounds tour of Australasia and the Middle East in November 2007, Timberlake resumed his film career. Projects underway early in 2008 were starring roles in Mike Myers’ comedy The Love Guru (released June 20, 2008) and Mike Meredith’s drama The Open Road (released August 28, 2009). In March 2008 it was announced that he was to be an executive producer in an American adaptation of the hit Peruvian comedy My Problem with Women for NBC. On November 20, 2008, TV Guide reported that Timberlake’s next single, “Follow My Lead”, which also featured vocals by Timberlake’s protégée, former YouTube star Esmée Denters, would be available for exclusive download through Myspace. All proceeds would go to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a charity dedicated to improving pediatric care for sick children.
In 2008, Timberlake stated that he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Later that year, a collaboration between Timberlake and T.I., “Dead and Gone” featured on T.I.’s sixth studio album, Paper Trail, and was released as its fourth single late in 2009. In November 2008, it was confirmed that Timberlake would make a guest appearance and produce some tracks on R&B/pop singer Ciara’s upcoming album Fantasy Ride due out May 5, 2009. Timberlake featured on Ciara’s second single “Love Sex Magic”, the video being shot on February 20, 2009. The single became a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in numerous countries and peaking at number one in several countries including Taiwan, India, and Turkey. The single was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Timberlake and his production team The Y’s, along with Mike Elizondo, produced and co-wrote the song “Don’t Let Me Down” for Leona Lewis’s second studio album, Echo, released (in the US) on November 17, 2009. Timberlake also co-wrote and performed on “Carry Out”, the third single from Timbaland’s album Shock Value II, released on December 1, 2009.
Timberlake was given Sexiest Man titles by Teen People and Cosmopolitan magazines. On February 17, 2009, Timberlake was named the “Most Stylish Man in America” by GQ magazine. In 2011, he ranked No. 46 on AskMen’s annual rundown of the 49 Most Influential Men. From 2010, Timberlake increased his acting work. He played Sean Parker, the founder of Napster, in the acclaimed film The Social Network (2010). He also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on Sep 12, 2010. In 2011, he starred alongside Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher and then alongside Mila Kunis in Friends with Benefits, and played Will Salas, the protagonist of In Time, a science fiction film by Andrew Niccol. He provided a feature and appeared in the music video for the song Motherlover from The Lonely Island’s second album Turtleneck & Chain, and directed and made a cameo in the FreeSol music video “Hoodies On, Hats Low” which was released in August 2011. In July 2011 United States Marine Kelsey De Santis uploaded a YouTube video asking Timberlake to be her date to the United States Marine Corps birthday ball; they attended the event on November 13, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia.
2013: The 20/20 Experience:
Timberlake began work on his third studio album The 20/20 Experience in June 2012, with “no rules and/or end goal in mind”. He publicly announced his return to the music industry in January 2013, releasing the album’s lead single “Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z later that month. After four years not performing in concert, Timberlake appeared the night before the 2013 Super Bowl and performed during the “DirecTV Super Saturday Night”, on February 2 in New Orleans. On February 10, he performed “Suit & Tie” with sepia-toned lighting at the 55th Grammy Awards, with Jay-Z joining him from the audience. The 20/20 Experience was released on March 19 through RCA Records due to the disbandment of Jive Records. The album debuted at number one on the charts by moving just over 980,000 copies. Timberlake also appeared on Jay-Z’ twelfth studio album Magna Carta… Holy Grail on three songs including: “Holy Grail”, “BBC” (along with Nas, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams and Beyoncé Knowles) and “Heaven”. Timberlake’s fourth studio album The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2 will be released on September 30, 2013. Its lead single “Take Back the Night” was released on July 12, 2013.
Personal life:
Timberlake is also a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party, and an outspoken supporter of President Barack Obama1.
In early 1999, Timberlake began dating fellow former The New Mickey Mouse Club cast member and recording artist Britney Spears. Their high-profile relationship ended abruptly in March 2002; the breakup influenced the lyrics and theme of Timberlake’s hit “Cry Me a River”. In April 2003, he began dating actress Cameron Diaz soon after they met at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. After much speculation of breakups throughout their relationship, the couple split in December 2006, shortly after Diaz introduced Timberlake as the evening’s musical guest on Saturday Night Live. In January 2007, they denied allegations of an alleged affair between Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson, with whom he had shot the music video for his song “What Goes Around… Comes Around”.
In January 2007, Timberlake began dating actress Jessica Biel, with whom he had been photographed on multiple occasions; the couple initially refrained from publicizing their relationship. Timberlake and Biel separated in March 2011; he later proposed to her in the mountains of Jackson, Wyoming in December. The couple married on October 19, 2012 at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Fasano, Italy.
Artistry:
During the production of FutureSex/LoveSounds, Timberlake was interested in rock music. This inspiration was used in his approach in recording the songs, rather than in composing them. Timberlake reveals, “I wanted to sing the song like a rock and roll singer, not an R&B singer.” On the influences he drew from, he said that if Justified was “characterized” by Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, FutureSex/LoveSounds is more like David Bowie and Prince. Other influences include late INXS-frontman Michael Hutchence,Arcade Fire, David Byrne, The Killers, The Strokes, and Radiohead.
Unlike his previous record that was intended to focus on R&B and pop genres,FutureSex/LoveSounds is less concentrated on one particular sound, thus representing a wider range. Timberlake explains, “It’s more broad as far as the styles I wanted to mix in to my own type of thing.” A musically “complex” album, FutureSex/LoveSounds is a fusion of rap, rock, funk, soul, gospel, new wave, opera, and world music.Entertainment Weekly noted that the album’s sound is a “sonic departure” from both ‘N Sync and Justified. Although “What Goes Around” sounds similar to Justified, Timberlake admitted that it is the only song in the new album to have such similarity.
Other ventures:
Television work:
Near the end of 2002, Timberlake was the first celebrity to appear on Punk’d, a “candid camera” type show created by Ashton Kutcher to trick celebrities. Timberlake, who cried during the episode, later admitted to being under the influence of marijuana when he was pranked. Three episodes later, he set up Kelly Osbourne to be “punk’d”, thus making him the first celebrity to appear on the show more than once. Timberlake later spoofed Ashton Kutcher and Punk’d in a 2003 episode of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Timberlake hosted many music events, including the European MTV Music Awards in 2006. On December 16, 2006, Timberlake hosted Saturday Night Live, doing double duty as both host and musical guest for the second time. During this appearance, he and Andy Samberg performed an R&B song for a skit titled “Dick in a Box”, which some radio stations have aired as an unofficial single from Timberlake and has become one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. The song was later featured on The Lonely Island’s debut album Incredibad. Timberlake appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s debut as host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on March 2, 2009. Timberlake is the executive producer on the MTV reality series The Phone, which premiered on April 21, 2009. According to People Magazine, the series “thrusts contestants into a heart-stopping action adventure worthy of a summer blockbuster. In six hour-long episodes, a mysterious stranger on the phone invites four strangers into the dangerous game. If they accept, they’re paired into two teams and dared to perform physical and mental challenges reminiscent of Matt Damon’s The Bourne Identity or Shia LaBeouf’s Eagle Eye.”
Business ventures:
Timberlake has co-owned or provided celebrity endorsement for three restaurants in the United States: “Chi” opened in West Hollywood, California in 2003, and “Destino” and “Southern Hospitalty” in New York opened in 2006 and 2007, respectively. He also has his own brand of tequila called 901; the name comes in part from the area code of his hometown of Memphis. In 2005, Timberlake launched the William Rast clothing line with childhood friend Juan (“Trace”) Ayala. The 2007 line contained cord jackets, cashmere sweaters, jeans and polo shirts. The pair reports inspiration from fellow Memphis native Elvis Presley: “Elvis is the perfect mixture of Justin and I,” Ayala says. “You can go back and see pictures of him in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat and a nice button-down shirt, but then again you can see him in a tux and a collared shirt with rhinestones on it and slacks. We like to think ‘If he was alive today, what would he be wearing?'” Target has announced that a William Rast collection, including denim, outerwear and sportswear for men and women, would launch in December and be available for a month. An avid amateur golfer, in 2007 Timberlake purchased the run-down Big Creek Golf Course in his home town of Millington, Tennessee, which he redeveloped as the eco-friendly saying, “I buy a lot at Walmart.”Intelligencer/Posts, New York magazine, June 11-18, 2012, p. 20 Mirimichi Golf Course at a cost of some $US16 million. It was reopened on July 25, 2009 but closed again on January 15, 2010 for further improvements expected to take six months. In October 2011, Timberlake received the Futures Award at the Environmental Media Awards for his green-conscious golf course. Timberlake and Jessica Biel are minority owners of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Timberlake provides celebrity endorsement for many commercial products, this aspect of his business being managed by IMG Sports & Entertainment since April 2008. Major endorsements in 2009 included Sony electronic products,Givenchy’s men’s fragrance “Play”,Audi’s “A1”,Callaway Golf Company products, and in 2011, Myspace. In 2012, he hosted Walmart’s annual shareholders meeting
Philanthropy:
Timberlake has been active in several charitable pursuits, initially through ‘N Sync’s “Challenge for the Children” aimed at a range of charities, and since 2001 through his “Justin Timberlake Foundation,” which initially funded music education programs in schools, but now has a much broader agenda. In October 2005, the Grammy Association presented Timberlake with an award for his humanitarian efforts in Tennessee, alongside writer/director Craig Brewer, also a Memphis native.
In November 2007, he donated A$100,000 from takings from his Australian tour to Wildlife Warriors founded by Steve Irwin. On March 23, 2008, he donated $100,000 to the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum and another $100,000 to the Memphis Music Foundation.
On November 12, 2007, the PGA Tour announced that Timberlake, an avid golfer who plays to a 6 handicap, would become the host of the tour’s Las Vegas tournament starting in 2008. With Timberlake’s agreement to host the tournament, its name was changed to the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He played in the celebrity pro-am on the day before the competitive tournament and hosted a charity concert during the week of the tournament. The activity was a success, and was repeated in 2009. A review of the value of celebrities to fundraising concluded that Timberlake’s contribution to Shriners Hospitals for Children was the single most valuable celebrity endorsement in the US during 2009, and worth over $US9 million.
Filmography:
Main article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Timberlake_videography
A selection of theatrical release and feature films.
Year
Film
Character
Notes
2005
Edison
Joshua Pollack
Released direct-to-video in the U.S., as Edison Force in 2006.
2006
Alpha Dog
Frankie “Nuts” Ballenbacher
Story based on the Murder of Nicholas Markowitz
2006
Southland Tales
Private Pilot Abilene
Also served as Narrator
2006
Black Snake Moan
Ronnie Morgan
2007
Shrek The Third
King Arthur ‘Artie’ Pendragon
Voice roll
2008
The Love Guru
Jacques “Le Coq” Grandé
2009
The Open Road
Carlton Garrett
Limited Release
2010
The Social Network
Sean Parker
– Won 3 Academy Awards out of 8 nominations,
– 2011 Teen Choice Awards – Choice Movie: Scene Stealer Male (nominated)
2010
Yogi Bear
Boo-Boo Bear
Voice role,
2011 Teen Choice Awards – Choice Movie: Animated Voice (nominated)
2011
Bad Teacher
Scott Delacorte
2011 Teen Choice Awards – Choice Movie: Actor Comedy – (Won)
2011
Friends With Benefits
Dylan Harper
2011 Teen Choice Awards – Summer: Summer Movie Star — Male (nominated)
2011
In Time
William “Will” Salas
2012
Trouble with the Curve
Johnny Flanagan
2013
Runner, Runner
Richie Furst
(completed) Scheduled release date: Sept. 27, 2013
