Justin Timberlake in 1998; in 2018. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic / Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Justin Timberlake has been in the spotlight since starring on “The Mickey Mouse Club” reboot at age 12.
He became a ’90s icon as a member of *NSYNC and later transitioned into a wildly successful solo career.
Timberlake has since dabbled in major film roles, become a father with his wife Jessica Biel, and produced four No. 1 studio albums.
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Justin Timberlake has been in the spotlight since starring on “The Mickey Mouse Club” reboot at age 12.

“I have some faint images from my childhood,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, “but no, I can’t really remember not being famous.”

Now 39 years old, Timberlake has an impressive resume: 10 Grammys, multiple starring film roles, a 4-year-old son, and a long career full of triumphs, controversies, and iconic moments.

Here’s a look back at Timberlake’s eventful life and biggest achievements.

Justin Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981 in Memphis, Tennessee.

“I have some faint images from my childhood,” he told THR, “but no, I can’t really remember not being famous.” @justintimberlake/Instagram
Timberlake told The Hollywood Reporter that he learned to sing in the Baptist church of Shelby Forest, Tennessee, where his father was the choir director.

After his parents divorced when Timberlake was in kindergarten, he moved to Memphis with his mom, whom he often calls his “best friend” in interviews.

“There’s nothing in this world that I’ve done that my mother does not know about,” he told Rolling Stone in 2001.

In 1992, he was the runner-up on “Star Search.”

He performed Alan Jackson’s No. 1 country hit “Love’s Got A Hold On You.” Star Search/YouTube
Eleven-year-old Timberlake — then going by his first and middle names, Justin Randall — had his first brush with fame on the storied talent search show.

He was beat by a young singer named Anna Nardona. According to CBS, Nardona didn’t even realize the Justin she beat was Justin Timberlake until decades later, when she was contacted by VH1 for a flashback special.

In 1993 and 1994, he starred on “The All-New Mickey Mouse Club.”

“The Mickey Mouse Club” originally aired on ABC in the ’50s, but was later rebooted on The Disney Channel. Britney MTV/Facebook
At 12 years old, Timberlake was introduced as a cast member of the famed Mickey Mouse Clubhouse alongside fellow future superstars like Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling — and even his future girlfriend Britney Spears.

“We were at the age when you just soak in everything,” Timberlake told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. “We were taking acting classes, music classes, dance classes. We were learning how coverage and editing and cinematography work. And being put in front of a live audience, learning how to engage the crowd to get a laugh. Honestly, it was like ‘SNL’ for children.”

After the show was canceled, Timberlake went back to school for a year, but admits he acted like a “delinquent” and said he’s glad he never made it to “regular high school.”

“I would’ve gotten arrested by now,” he told Rolling Stone in 2000. “I was kind of like Ferris Bueller.”

*NSYNC was formed in 1995.

Chris Kirkpatrick, J. C. Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, and Justin Timberlake. Fred Duval/FilmMagic
Former Mouseketeers Timberlake and J. C. Chasez were already writing songs and recording demos together when Chris Kirkpatrick came knocking to form a pop group.

As the legend goes, the three of them moved to Orlando; coincidentally ran into an old acquaintance, Joey Fatone, on Seventies night at the club Pleasure Island; brought in Jason Galasso before deciding he wasn’t the right fit; and finally replaced Galasso with Lance Bass, who they recruited from a high school in Mississippi, thanks to a connection with Timberlake’s vocal coach.

The boy band released their debut self-titled album in the US on March 24, 1998. Following a disappointing debut, it peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 after they performed on a Disney Channel concert special that summer.

Timberlake became the natural leader of the boy band.

*NSYNC performing in 1999. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Timberlake, 14 years old when the group formed and 17 when their debut album was released, was the youngest member by far. He took on lead vocals alongside Chasez and went on to shoulder much of the songwriting responsibilities.

In a 1998 feature in Rolling Stone, Chasez noted that each guy brought something different to the group, and Timberlake was “the all-American guy.”

“He’s restless, driven, polite and pleasant — especially pleasant, positive, and encouraging when coaching Chris on his vocals,” Rolling Stone reporter Touré wrote about Timberlake in 2001. He was the only member interviewed when *NSYNC nabbed one of the magazine’s “people of the year” distinctions.

Around this time, Timberlake began dating Britney Spears.

The two met on “The All-New Mickey Mouse Club.” Dave Hogan/Getty Images
Although Timberlake had been romantically linked to Britney Spears as early as 1998, he played it coy when asked about their relationship in 2000. (Timberlake later said they were together for four years.)

“Britney’s a good friend of mine; I’ve known her since I was 12,” he told Rolling Stone in 2000 when asked if they were dating. “I don’t like to comment on my personal life anymore. Everything gets blown out of proportion. I’ve been in the tabloids, and I don’t enjoy it.”

They stepped out as a couple, however, less than six months later at the MTV Video Music Awards.

“I think my girl is fine,” he told Rolling Stone a year later in 2001. “I scored. What can I say? The thing is, so many girls you meet in this business are so into themselves, and Britney is not. She’s as down-home as she was before she got into this. That’s the best thing about her. I got the cream of the crop, man!”

*NSYNC’s sophomore album shot to No. 1 upon its release on April 8, 2000.

“No Strings Attached” was *NSYNC’s second album out of three and the group’s most popular commercially. *NSYNC / Jive Records
After leaving RCA and counter-suing their management company, the group produced and released “No Strings Attached” largely without the help of a major record label.

“This is our record. The record company didn’t send anyone to us,” Chasez told Rolling Stone at the time. “It was a sticky situation. A lot of creative people we approached didn’t want to work with us. We didn’t have a contract saying that any of these songs would make it on the album when we did get a new deal. So the people who worked with us were straight up about the music. And that was amazing.”

“No Strings Attached” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 2.42 million copies in its first week. It held the record for the largest sales week for any album until Adele’s “25” was released in 2015.

Timberlake starred in the 2000 Disney Channel original movie “Model Behavior.”

“Sorry about the tight space! My other limo’s in the shop right now,” is an actual line of dialogue that Justin Timberlake delivers in this movie. Disney Channel
Timberlake played a male model named Jason Sharp, who was saving up for grad school so he could become an astronomer. Maggie Lawson played two strangers who looked identical, one a model (Jason’s girlfriend) and the other a high school student (Jason’s true love), who switch places.

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Spears and Timberlake famously coordinated all-denim looks at the 2001 American Music Awards.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake on January 8, 2001. Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
They cemented their status as a power couple — and their future as the perfect Halloween costume for couples — at the 2001 American Music Awards.

*NSYNC performed with Spears and Aerosmith for the 2001 Super Bowl halftime show.

The group assembled for the show, which took place on January 28, 2001, was truly iconic. Scott Gries/ImageDirect
*NSYNC kicked off the Super Bowl XXXV halftime show with a stirring rendition of their hit single “Bye Bye Bye.”

The boys were then joined by Aerosmith. Timberlake and Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler even had a dance-off. Finally, Spears showed up — followed by special guests Mary J. Blige and Nelly — to shut down the show.