Britney Spears

Born to Jamie Spears, a building contractor, and Lynne Bridges, a grade school teacher, in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Britney Spears performed in local dance revues and church choirs as a young girl, and was auditioning for the Disney Channel's ''New Mickey Mouse Club'' by the time she was eight. Although she was too young to join the series at that time, a producer on the show introduced her to a New York agent; she subsequently spent three summers at the Professional Performing Arts School Center and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions, including 1991's pop hit ''Ruthless!'' along with actress Portman Natalie . In 1992, Britney Spears landed a spot on ''Star Search'' and although she won the first round, she was beaten by another contestant in the second. Spears then returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on the ''New Mickey Mouse Club'' and was accepted. She was featured for two years between the ages of eleven and thirteen during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Others on the show included Justin Timberlake and Joshua Chasez (who later became members of the pop group *NSYNC), Keri Russell (star of the TV show ''Felicity''), fellow pop singer Christina Aguilera, and actor Ryan Gosling.Before long, Spears had recorded a demo tape, which eventually landed in the hands of a Jive Records executive. She was quickly signed to their label and began touring American venues for a series of concerts sponsored by U.S. teen magazines before joining *NSYNC and becoming their opening act. It was at this time that Spears became romantically involved with Justin Timberlake.