Biography
Date of Birth
31 December 1981, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Birth Name
Justin Randall Timberlake
Nickname
JT
Height
5' 10¾" (1.8 m)
Mini Biography
Justin Randall Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Lynn (Bomar) and Randall Timberlake, whose own father was a Baptist minister. At the age of 11, he appeared on the show Star Search (1983), and even though he didn't win, it didn't dampen his ambitions. He also appeared on The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989), where his costars included Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Christina Aguilera and future band-mate JC Chasez. At age 14, Justin became a member of the boy band *NSYNC. In 1998, the group released their self-titled debut album. They became a big hit with fans and made a place for themselves in the music world with a succession of big-selling albums. In the beginning of 2002, Justin spent time working on and writing songs for his debut solo album. During this time, he broke up with his longtime girlfriend, Britney Spears. The release of the solo album, titled "Justified", came in November of 2002. Songs from his solo album include: "Like I Love You", "Cry Me A River" and "Rock Your Body".
Timberlake has branched out into an acting career, having most recently starred in The Social Network (2010), Friends with Benefits (2011), and Trouble with the Curve (2012).
Trivia
When he is unable to fall asleep, he sings himself to sleep.
Chosen as one of Teen People Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21". [1999]
He was born at 6:30 in the evening.
He and fellow *NSYNC member JC Chasez were both member of The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) in the early-mid 1990s.
Co-wrote "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" with JC Chasez from *NSYNC's Christmas album, "Home For Christmas".
Mother is Lynn Harless, manager of the all-girl group Innosense.
Boyfriend of his former The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) co-star, Britney Spears, from 1998 to 2002.
A 15-year-old *NSYNC fan filed a lawsuit against Timberlake, claiming that he verbally assaulted her. Justin allegedly snubbed fans in a St. Louis hotel after which the plaintiff shouted that she thought JC Chasez was cuter. When she admitted to a guard that she was the one who made the comment, the guard made her go upstairs with Justin. After that, Timberlake allegedly pushed her against a wall and shouted insults at her. [November 2000]
Collects sneakers.
His mom thought of the name *NSYNC, using the last letter of each original member's first name: justiN, chriS (Chris Kirkpatrick), joeY (Joey Fatone), jasoN (Jason Watkins sang bass prior to Lance Bass joining the group) and j.C. (JC Chasez).
*NSYNC was started when Justin was just 14 years old.
He founded The Justin Timberlake Foundation through the Giving Back Fund. The foundation's goals are similar to the Save the Music Foundation.
He collects sports jerseys.
He owns half a dozen Harley Davidsons, a Mercedes M Class, and two Mercedes Benz.
Sang at the Grand Ole Opry when he was ten years old.
Cites his greatest fears as dying unloved, snakes, sharks, spiders and falling unconscious at a concert from the stuffed animals fans throw on stage.
Named as the most eligible bachelor in America. [July 2002]
Used first and middle names (Justin Randall) for his appearances on Star Search (1983).
Has two half-brothers, Jonathan and Stephen.
Single "Cry Me a River" debuted at #2 in the UK singles chart (Feb. 2003).
Solo album, "Justified", reached no. 1 in the UK album chart (Feb 2003).
As of May 2003, his solo album "Justified" has gone double platinum.
Hosted the 2003 MTV Movie awards with actor Seann William Scott.
His third solo single, "Rock Your Body", debuted at #2 in the UK singles chart. [May 2003]
Won (his first) Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album for "Justified" [8 February 2004].
Won a Grammy for Best pop Male for "Cry Me A River" [Febuary 8, 2004].
As of February 2004, his debut solo album "Justified" has gone triple platinum.
Is a fan of Björk.
While touring in London, he met Coldplay lead singer and songwriter Chris Martin and struck up a close friendship. At the 2003 VMA awards he introduced the band's performance while calling them "the greatest band in the world.".
Toured with Fefe Dobson in the UK. [December 2003]
Was a member of the National Beta Club.
His ex-girlfriend's (Britney Spears) ex-husband Kevin Federline was a former background dancer for *NSYNC at the 2002 Grammy Awards and in Justin's 2002 VMA performance.
He and best friend Trace Ayala created a clothing line, "William Rast". Clothes became available for purchase from Kitson and Bloomingdales in November 2005. The name William Rast comes from Justin's grandfather, William Bomar, and Trace's grandfather, whose surname is Rast.
Is set to star in West End play "Resurrection Blues" in London starting February 2006. Kevin Spacey is producing.
His father Randall, a choir director at a Baptist church, is married to Lisa.
He had a younger half-sister, Laura Katherine, who died minutes after birth. She was the first child of his father, Randy Timberlake, and stepmother Lisa. It is sometimes falsely reported that she was his twin. He mentions her sometimes in the liner notes of *NSYNC albums. Has two younger half-brothers, Jonathan Perry Timberlake (born September 12, 1993) and Stephen Robert Timberlake (born August 14, 1998). Both are sons of his father and stepmother.
In his exclusive 20/20 (1978) interview, he told Barbara Walters that the "best burgers in the world" can be found at The General Store in Shelby Forest, Tennessee.
Mother and stepfather are Lynn Bomar and Paul Harless, respectively.
Broke his left foot in December 2002 during dance rehearsals.
Broke his thumb on stage in early 1997, when he slipped on a puddle of water that was a result of the audience being sprayed down due to extreme temperatures during the outdoor concert.
Was among the 130 guests at Christina Aguilera's wedding to Jordan Bratman.
Best friend is Trace Ayala, his personal assistant.
Is a fan of Kylie Minogue and Dannii Minogue.
Received his first UK #1 with his song "SexyBack" from new album "FutureSex/LoveSounds" in September 2006.
Winner of two MTV Europe Music Awards in 2006 for "Best Male Artist" and "Best Pop". He also hosted the show in Copenhagen, Danmark (2 November 2006).
Ranked in Golf Digest's "Top 100 in Music" (December 2006 issue) as tied for 15th place with Jason Scheff of Chicago and Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish, with a 6 handicap.
Collaborated with Duran Duran in 2006 for a song on the band's album. In November of that year, lead singer Simon Le Bon told The Associated Press the band had "collaborated in a writing and production manner on one of those tracks with Justin Timberlake.".
Was in a relationship with Cameron Diaz (April 2003-December 2006).
Justin's patrilineal line traces back to Francis Timberlake, who was, c. 1687, in London, England. Justin is a paternal grandson of Charles L. Timberlake and Bobbye Joice (Williams), and a maternal grandson of William Silas "Bill" Bomar and Sadie Lee (Timbs). He is of English (mostly), as well as Irish, Scottish, and Welsh, and distant Dutch, French, German, and Jersey (Channel Islander), ancestry.
Voted #2 in Elle (France) Magazine's "15 Sexiest Men" poll (June 2007).
Is a noted fan of country music.
Winner of four MTV Video Music Awards in 2007 for "Male Artist of the Year", "Quadruple Threat of the Year", "Best Director" and "Best Choreography in a Video".
Supports the English football team Manchester United FC "The Red Devils".
Girlfriend Jessica Biel accompanied him on his European Tour in 2007.
In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year at $20 million.
Was ranked #28 on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' the actors list. (2008).
Had the unwanted pleasure of being Ashton Kutcher's first victim on the TV show Punk'd (2003).
Owns a soul food restaurant called "Southern Hospitality" in Manhattan (Second Avenue at 79th Street).
Jason Seek was his former music teacher in 1994.
Attended E.E. Jeter Elementary School in Millington, Tennessee.
Was in a relationship with Jessica Biel (January 2007-March 2011).
His parents are divorced. He has two half-brothers from his fathers re-marriage with Lisa Perry: Jonathan (born c. 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.".
Appeared on the cover of GQ magazine three times: September '04, August '06 and March '09.
Indy car driver Dan Wheldon died after being involved in a 15-car accident during a race on October 16, 2011 in Las Vegas. Wheldon was sponsored by Justin's clothing line, "William Rast".
Married Jessica Biel in Italy on October 19, 2012.
He is a staunch liberal Democrat and a solid supporter of Barack Obama.
One of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World (2013).
In Canada busy at work filming his movie with Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Piper Perabo and Rap star/actor LL Cool J. [March 2004]
Currently touring in the UK with "Justified". [December 2003]
Collaborated with Townsend Bell to redesign the paint scheme for his IndyCar. Timberlake eventually selected a flat camouflage green for the car which was a big hit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for the Indianapolis 500. [April 2008]
On tour with Timbaland (aka Timbaland) for his FutureSex/LoveShow 2007 Tour. [February 2007]
On tour with Christina Aguilera for their 2003 "Justified-Stripped Tour". [May 2003]
Became a father for the 1st time at age 34 when his wife Jessica Biel gave birth to their son Silas Randall Timberlake on April 8, 2015.
Friends with Jimmy Fallon, Jonathan Demme, and Ellen DeGeneres.
Didn't invite his former *NSYNC band members- JC Chasez; Lance Bass; Chris Kirkpatrick; and Joey Fatone to his wedding to Jessica Biel.
Justin's "Say Something" one-take/one-camera video (featuring Chris Stapleton) required 17 musicians, a 60-people choir, five floors, two elevators and several microphones when it was shot live in the prestigious Bradbury Building in Los Angeles where Blade Runner (1982) was filmed. The elaborate video took 200 people weeks of planning and was the product of the French company La Blogothèque Productions (Paris) with direction by Arturo Perez Jr..
Became a father for the 2nd time at age 39 when his wife Jessica Biel gave birth to their son Phineas Timberlake in July 2020.
For over a decade, he was accused of sexism and misogyny regarding his treatment of former girlfriend Britney Spears and women. After the release of the "Framing Britney Spears" documentary by The New York Times, he issued a public apology on Instagram to both Spears and Janet Jackson (for his handling of the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl in 2004).
Trademarks:
His dancing skills
Short, curly hair
Quotes
[interview in Rolling Stone magazine about Britney Spears] I may not ever get over her. I really do still love that girl.
England is the first country that I've had a #1 album in, so it is now officially my home away from home.
[on the Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" incident] I am sorry if anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance.
I kiss people with my soul. I don't kiss them with my mouth.
[in 2002, about fame] All you can do as an artist is do what you think is an extension of you. You put down on paper . . . who you are. That's what being an artist is all about. And when it gets done, you don't look back at it and say, "Oh, I could have done that better".
[about girls] A lot of girls have cheated on me in the past, so it's hard for me to trust. But once I fall, I fall hard.
[about music] I think music will always be a big part of my life. I can't go five minutes without singing, sometimes unconsciously. And people stare at me, and I'm wondering why they're staring, and then I'm realizing that I'm belting out a tune.
[about the music industry] I can give you my personal opinion: Love the music, hate the business. It's a screwball business and there are a lot of players who will straight-up lie to you.
[about love] True love, to me, is when she's the first thought that goes through your head when you wake up and the last thought that goes through your head before you go to sleep.
I'm a perfectionist. I can't help it, I get really upset with myself if I fail in the least.
[on who he would date] Pretty is cool, but it's not really about looks for me. It's more about personality. I like a girl with a good sense of humor, who's humble and sensitive.
I don't feel guilty about success. You can't feel guilty about aspiring to be good at something.
Everyone wants to know about my spirituality, and it's like, Tthat's mine!"
When I'm not on stage, I'm kind of shy. If you see me and I don't say much, don't think I'm not taking in what you have to say. I'm just not a big talker.
[about *NSYNC] I don't regret anything that I've done with this group. I think that when people find something that they love to do they make sacrifices to do it.
[on making Bad Teacher (2011)]: After the first week of rehearsal and the first orgy, it all came together.
I think we created the only dry-humping scene in cinema history. There's nothing wrong with a good jean jam, but also the both of us felt collectively that we had a responsibility. It's really a public service announcement for safe sex.
"Golf" is the only four-letter word I don't say when I'm playing it.
[on Friends with Benefits (2011)] The bedroom scenes were funny because we got to have conversations and banter while we were in the middle of the act. I think the audience can feel more comfortable because everyone has been in those situations, but no one talks about them. So seeing a couple who aren't a couple actually talking about [sex] as it is happening made for a lot of funny, situational humor.
(2011, on *NSYNC's height of fame) Man, I could tell you a thousand stories. I remember girls running after the buses in the hundreds. We'd do an open-air festival in Germany and there'd be 60,000 people there. We'd finish playing, the band would be putting the gear up, and we would be trying to do a quick out, which is what they call it when you leave the stage before the band stops playing. We'd get on the bus and there would be 250 to 400 girls waiting to run after us. I distinctly remember Joey Fatone singing the theme song from The Goonies while this particular pack of girls was running. It was just crazy...I hate to disappoint you, but I was the youngest one in the group, so the other guys were getting more of that action, and they were protective of me. I think I was the one who cared about what we were doing onstage. My role was, we'd come offstage every night and get a DVD of the show, just like an athlete watching tape from a game. We'd get on the bus, and I'd go, "Okay, here's what we did right; here's what we did wrong," and we'd fix it for the next day. But yeah, the girl stuff definitely was a heavy part of it, and it would play with your mind. I remember looking down once-we were playing Madison Square Garden for an HBO special-and this girl put her arm out. She had a mural of me tattooed along her whole arm. I just remember looking at it and thinking, 'Holy shit, that's never going to come off'.
(2011) Honestly, when you're making a movie, you never say, "Oh, this one's going to suck and go straight to video". When you're in it, you think you're doing the best work you can do. You're surrounded by people who are working hard. Everybody's hopeful. It's only a year later when you realize, "Wait, what was that exactly?" If anything shifted for me, though, it was the realization of how important it is to work with smart people. That takes a lot of the guesswork out. Just being in the room with David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin for my first reading for The Social Network (2010), I knew things would be different - even though I felt I had totally botched the audition. I botch a lot of auditions. But, the next thing I knew, I was on the set. It was surreal. This may sound strange, but I don't have aspirations to be a movie star. I make movies because I enjoy the creative process. Just to work with people like Fincher and ÂSorkin or to trade lines with great actors has been more surreal than anything I've accomplished in my music career.
(2011) I feel like a rookie in the movie business, that's for sure. Maybe a little bit of an outsider, too, since I came to it from music. But I think that's fair. I don't know that I've done a huge body of work that would warrant my not feeling like that. Then again, this past year has certainly opened up a new chapter as far as acting, and I'm grateful for that.
(2011, on his work ethic) I think people sometimes don't pay enough attention to what they do. I've done well, but the reason is pretty simple: I've worked my ass off. Anything I've done well has taken many, many hours of preparation. And then the trick, of course, is making that work look invisible. The toughest thing a performer can do is make it look as if it comes easy. You have to devote yourself 100 percent when you're figuring stuff out, whether it's with sports or music-or movies, which has been the main focus for me lately.
(2011, on Friends with Benefits (2011)) I did go on a diet for that movie, which mostly came down to not drinking as much beer. And you know, beer is good, so that was hard. I'm pretty thin anyway, but I didn't want to look like a meathead. I was like, I'm about to be 30, and I'm going to be naked on camera. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to train pretty hard. In the end, I just did more cardio, and I pumped up the stuff I already do throughout the year, such as playing sports. I like basketball and golf and snowboarding, and I do them pretty fucking intensely.
(2011, on what he would do if he got 100 percent anonymity for one day) Oh God, probably just go for a walk somewhere. I'd go walk around Paris or Rome. Or if I was really anonymous, maybe I'd do something outrageous like commit arson or rob someone or find all those fuckers who wait outside my house and go outside their houses and stalk them. A day of anonymity would be cool, though. Just to go to a store and not be hassled.
(2011, on if he smokes marijuana) Absolutely...The only thing pot does for me is it gets me to stop thinking. Sometimes I have a brain that needs to be turned off. Some people are just better high.
[2011] I grew up in a small town, and because I started working when I was 10, I was kind of looked at as more of an oddity. I would sing at the talent shows at schools and go around town doing different things, but it was more like, "That kid's a freak." You hear a lot of stories about child prodigies, child actors or Âpeople whose parents pushed them really hard. But I was the one begging for the stage. That made me kind of stand out in good ways and in weird ways. Not a lot of 10-year-old Caucasian kids were running around Millington, Tennessee, singing Stevie Wonder and Al Green songs, which were the songs I felt most connected to.
(2011) The first half of my 20s I felt I had to achieve, achieve, achieve. I think a lot of men do this. I'm not saying just because I turned 30 I don't battle with this. I still battle with it. But in my 20s I had to do everything. I needed everybody to understand me and respect what I was doing. I remember putting out my second album [2006's FutureSex/LoveSounds]. When I put out the first song, "SexyBack," radio thought I was a joke. I couldn't let that go, so I started calling radio program directors. I'm pretty tenacious like that. I was like, "This is my record. Give it a chance." There wasn't any of my signature falsetto or anything. I'd say, "I know it doesn't sound like me, but just please give the record a two-week period or even a one-week period. Just let the music get out there. If the callback is good, keep playing it." I was that relentless. During the second half of my 20s I started to ask myself, What am I doing? What have I built, and how do I continue that for the next 10 years? For some reason, in the past year I've done so much work I feel as though it's backfired. I'm looking around now and I'm like, Where am I running? I've been running so hard for so long. I've seen the inside of more arenas than your average basketball player. Like I said, I've had that experience on tour sometimes when I think, I don't feel like going onstage. I have no energy right now. I'm sick, I barely have a voice. But you do it anyway. You feel obligated to go out because all those Âpeople showed up. You end up performing. But at some point in my life I wish I had learned to say no. From the beginning of my career, I was a guy who said yes all the time to everything.
(2011, on the height of boy bands) It was a time: the concerts, the fans, the music. Plus, it wasn't just us (N'Sync). It was that whole factory we came out of-us, the Backstreet Boys and Britney-we were all together. It was bigger than any one of us and bigger than any of the groups. Everybody was selling a gazillion records at the same time. You couldn't keep what we were doing on the shelves. It was bigger than bubblegum. Sometimes I think back on the time we did five nights at Giants Stadium. That was the moment I just looked around and thought, 'There's nowhere for this to go but down. It's never going to get bigger than this'.
[2011] Prince, who, to me, is the greatest musician who has ever lived. He keeps producing, keeps writing, keeps making unbelievable music-all because he's true to his passion...Everything he says, every note he sings, it's just like, man, that guy is so far ahead of the rest of us. One of my best experiences onstage was at his house during a party. Somebody came up to me and said, "Prince would love if you could sing something with the band." I said okay. I was kind of drunk, so I was like, "Let's do the Stones." Then we did "Miss You."
[2011] I know the movies I love, and I'd like to make movies like them. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Goonies (1985), Reds (1981), The Music Man (1962). Seeing Fight Club (1999) changed the way I watch movies. It was so much smarter than anything I'd ever seen before, which is why working with David Fincher was such a bucket-list move. Making movies that can touch people the way any of those films did would be all I could hope for.
[on Tony Scott] His movies made growing up more fun for me.
[on marriage] I think the mistake is that people commit to who that person is right then and not the person they're going to become. The art of staying together is changing together.
[on appearing nude in Friends with Benefits (2011)] It was fun, but I can't say I'm going to be butt-naked in a movie again. I only did it because I'm young now and everything's where its' supposed to be. I figured this is the time, before gravity gets the best of me.
Film is much more communal in both good and bad ways. Everyone talks about other people more, but then again no one in music gossips much because everyone's so incredibly narcissistic that they only want to talk about themselves.
Jimmy Fallon just can't help himself. He's a brilliant comedian. A talented musician. A spot-on impersonator. Jimmy has redefined and recharged late-night television with a genuine excitement and energy that gets under your skin. That's probably because watching you laugh might be the thing that makes Jimmy most happy. His lightning wit - mixed with a kindness you don't normally find in comedy - is what makes you feel so comfortable having him him in your home every night. And, no matter where the joke goes, the audience feels like they are in on it too. That's because Jimmy likes to share the moment. He can't help himself. And neither can we.
[on the backlash surrounding his and Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction incident] I probably got ten percent of the blame. I think America's probably harsher on women, and I think America is, you know, unfairly harsh on ethnic people.
What goes around, goes around, goes around comes all the way back around.
