Foursome may refer to:

Foursome (group sex), group sex involving four people of any gender combination

''Foursome'' (TV series), an American adult reality dating series on Playboy TV

Foursome (golf), a type of match in the sport of golf

Foursome of Nine Dragon Island, a set of four fictional characters featured within the famed ancient Chinese novel ''Investiture of the Gods''

name	Justin Timberlake
background	solo_singer
birth name	Justin Randall Timberlake
birth date	January 31, 1981
birth place	Memphis, Tennessee, United States
instrument	Vocals, keyboards, guitar, beatboxing
origin	Shelby Forest, Tennessee, United States
genre	Pop, dance, R&B;
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, businessman
years active	1993–present
label	Jive
associated acts	'N Sync, The Y's, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado
website	}}

Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on ''Star Search'', and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series ''The New Mickey Mouse Club'', where he met future bandmate JC Chasez. Timberlake became famous in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the boy band 'N Sync, whose launch was financed by Lou Pearlman.

In 2002, he released his debut solo album, ''Justified'', which sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. The album was a commercial success, spawning the hits "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body". Timberlake continued his success with his second solo album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006), debuting at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and produced the US number-one hit singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around".

Timberlake has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards, and his first two albums made him one of the most commercially successful singers in the world, each selling in excess of 7 million copies. He also has an acting career, while his other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.

Early life

Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lynn Harless (née Bomar) and Randall Timberlake. Timberlake is of English descent, and has also claimed unconfirmed American Indian ancestry. 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 in 1985, and both have remarried. His mother, who now runs an entertainment company called Just-in Time Entertainment, remarried to Paul Harless, a banker, when her son was five. His father, a choir director at a Baptist church, has two children, Jonathan (born c. 1993) and Steven Robert (born August 14, 1998), from his second marriage to Lisa Perry. Timberlake's 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." Timberlake grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington. His first attempts at a singing career were country music songs on ''Star Search'' as "Justin Randall."

In 1993, Timberlake joined the cast of ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. His castmates included future girlfriend and pop superstar Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, and future bandmate JC Chasez. The show ended in 1994, but late 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.

Music career

1995–2002: 'N Sync

Timberlake and JC Chasez were the two lead singers of the popular 1990s boy band 'N Sync. The group formed in 1995, started its career 1996 in Europe, and hit it big in the United States in 1998 with the U.S. release of its debut album ''*NSYNC'', which sold 11 million copies. The album included a number of hit singles, including "Tearin' Up My Heart". For the next two years, encouraged by similar developments with the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync engaged in a lengthy legal battle with manager Lou Pearlman. Eventually the band signed with Jive Records. In March 2000, 'N Sync released a long-awaited album, ''No Strings Attached'', which became the fastest-selling album of all time with 2.4 million copies sold in its first week and produced a #1 single, "It's Gonna Be Me". The release was followed by the band's third album, ''Celebrity'', which was the second-fastest selling album of all time. In 2002, after the completion of a ''Celebrity Tour'' and the release of "Girlfriend", the third single from ''Celebrity'', the group decided to take time off, at which point Timberlake began work on his first solo album and the group went into a hiatus. 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.

As a member of 'N Sync, Timberlake developed into a major celebrity in his own right in addition to achieving respect as a musician, since he was the writer or co-writer of all three singles from ''Celebrity''. 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 has stated that he believes the group is finished, and is openly critical of Timberlake's actions in his memoir ''Out of Sync''. On the other hand, Chris Kirkpatrick remarked in August 2008 that the five remain friends, and he believed a reunion was possible: he repeated that opinion in October 2009. In September 2008, Bass also made conciliatory comments.

2002–04: ''Justified'' and Super Bowl

In August 2002, after months of recording ''Justified'', his debut solo album, Timberlake performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. He premiered his first single, "Like I Love You", a sparse dance track produced by The Neptunes. The song reached #11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Following the single, Timberlake released ''Justified'' on November 5, 2002. The album sold fewer copies than previous 'N Sync efforts. It debuted at #2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, selling 439,000 copies in its first week of release. It eventually went on to sell more than three million copies in the U.S. and more than seven million copies worldwide. The album also received critical acclaim, thanks to its heavy R&B; influence provided by hip-hop producers The Neptunes and Timbaland. It spun off hits throughout late 2002 and 2003, including the top ten singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body". Timberlake supported the album by co-headlining the Justified/Stripped Tour with Christina Aguilera in the summer of 2003. At the end of the year, Timberlake recorded a song entitled "I'm Lovin' It". It was 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 entitled Justified and Lovin' It Live was included with the deal as well. 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. As a result of the controversy, 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. In 2004 American Idol judge Simon Cowell described Timberlake in People Magazine as "just some white kid who's tried to act black over the last several years".

2004–06: Collaborations and acting

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 the thriller ''Edison Force'', which was 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 the summer of 2005, Timberlake started his own record company, JayTee Records.

Timberlake made a cameo in the video for Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's single "Promiscuous", released on May 3, 2006.

2006–07: ''FutureSex/LoveSounds''

Timberlake released his second solo album, ''FutureSex/LoveSounds'', on September 12, 2006. The album, which Timberlake created in 2005, 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 Interlude". 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, Timberlake won the ''Male Pop Performance'' Award for "What Goes Around...Comes Around", and the ''Dance Recording'' Award for "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows".

2007– present

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 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 Esmee 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 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.

In 2010, Timberlake played the role of Napster founder Sean Parker in the acclaimed film ''The Social Network''. He also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on Sept. 12, 2010.

In 2011, he starred alongside Cameron Diaz in ''Bad Teacher'' and then alongside Mila Kunis in ''Friends with Benefits''. He directed and made a cameo in the Free Sol music video "Hoodies On, Hats Low" which was released in August 2011.

Other 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 has 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 entitled "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. On May 9, 2009, he appeared in another SNL Digital Short opposite Samberg, Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson entitled "Motherlover", a quasi-sequel to "Dick in a Box".

Timberlake appeared on Jimmy Fallon's debut as host of ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' on March 2, 2009.

In 2004, ABC hired Timberlake to write a song for its NBA coverage.

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''."

Other ventures

Business

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.

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.

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 Mirimichi Golf Course at a cost of some $US16 million. It was reopened on 25 July 2009 but closed again on 15 January 2010 for further improvements expected to take six months.

Charitable causes

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 $A100,000 from takings from his Australian tour to Wildlife Warriors founded by the late 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.

Personal life

thumb|left|upright|Timberlake golfing in 2006.Early in 1999, Timberlake began what eventually became a high-profile celebrity relationship with fellow pop singer Britney Spears, with whom he had worked on the ''New Mickey Mouse Club''. This ended abruptly in March 2002. Lynn Harless says as a mother she too was devastated regarding the break-up, but to this day speaks warmly of Spears, "Britney grew up on my living room floor. I still love her to death. They (Justin and Britney) were together 10 or 11 years and had, from day one, instant chemistry between them. She's a sweet girl. I just hate what she's going through now." The breakup influenced the lyrics and theme of Timberlake's hit "Cry Me a River", one of the most popular singles from ''Justified''.

Post-Spears, Timberlake has generally refused to discuss his personal life with the media, as a result of which his relationships have been the subject of much speculation in the tabloid and celebrity press. He was involved with singer-actress Stacy Ferguson prior to 2001. He was romantically linked with actress-dancer Jenna Dewan (in mid-2002) and actress-singer Alyssa Milano (between September and October 2002). Timberlake began dating actress Cameron Diaz soon after they met at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in April 2003. Regular rumours of break-ups reported in the tabloid press were either ignored or occasionally denied. On the December 16, 2006 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', Diaz introduced Timberlake as the night's musical guest, and the couple officially split shortly afterwards. After the tabloid press alleged an affair between Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson, with whom he had shot the video for his single "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude", Diaz and Timberlake issued a joint statement on January 11, 2007:

}}

Later in January 2007 Timberlake was linked to Jessica Biel when pictures surfaced of the two snowboarding in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival. On May 12, 2007 romantic pictures of Timberlake and Biel on multiple dates were published. In the August 9–15, 2008 edition of ''Heat'' magazine, when Timberlake was asked to describe his perfect woman, he replied "About 5ft.7in.-5ft.8in., nice butt, Midwestern American, kind-of-German last name, green eyes, big pouty lips, fair skin, ahhh....sinewy bod..." However, during an appearance on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' on June 11, 2008 when Jay Leno questioned him about anything related to rumors of engagement and pregnancy, Timberlake jokingly responded that he "is engaging in a conversation with Leno" and "everybody in general can get pregnant." After four years together, the couple split in March 2011.

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.

Timberlake is also a fan of English Football Club Manchester United.

Discography

Studio albums

2002: ''Justified''

2006: ''FutureSex/LoveSounds''

Extended plays

2003: ''Justin & Christina''

DVDs

2003: ''Justified: The Videos''

2003: ''Live from London''

2007: ''Futuresex/Loveshow – Live from Madison Square Garden''

Tours

;Headlining

Justified and Lovin' It Live (2003-04)

FutureSex/LoveShow (2007)

;Co-headlining

Justified/Stripped Tour (2003) (with Christina Aguilera)

Filmography

Film
! Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
		Valet
''Model Behavior''	Jason Sharpe	TV film
2001		Make-up artist	Uncredited cameo
2005		Josh Pollack
	''Alpha Dog''	Frankie Ballenbacher
	Ronnie
	''Shrek the Third''	Artie Pendragon	Voice role
''Southland Tales''	Pvt Pilot Abilene
2008	''The Love Guru''	Jacques "Le Coq" Grande
2009	''The Open Road''	Carlton Garrett
	''Shrek Forever After''	Artie Pendragon	Voice role, deleted scene
''The Social Network''	Sean Parker
	Boo-Boo Bear	Voice role
	''Bad Teacher''	Scott
	Dylan
	Will Salas	Post-production
Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
1993–1995	''The Mickey Mouse Club''	himself
1999	''Touched by an Angel''	Street performer
2005–present	''Saturday Night Live''	Himself/Several roles	Four episodes

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Justin Timberlake

Honorific nicknames in popular music

List of best-selling music artists

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Actors from Tennessee Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American businesspeople Category:American Christians Category:American dance musicians Category:American dancers Category:American film actors Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American voice actors Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Beatboxers Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:Hip hop singers Category:BRIT Award winners Category:American people of English descent Category:Emmy Award winners Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Jive Records artists Category:Mouseketeers Category:Musicians from Tennessee Category:'N Sync members Category:People from Memphis, Tennessee Category:Sony BMG artists Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Blue-eyed soul musicians

als:Justin Timberlake ar:جستين تيمبرلك az:Castin Timberleyk bg:Джъстин Тимбърлейк ca:Justin Timberlake cs:Justin Timberlake cbk-zam:Justin Timberlake cy:Justin Timberlake da:Justin Timberlake de:Justin Timberlake et:Justin Timberlake el:Τζάστιν Τίμπερλεϊκ es:Justin Timberlake eo:Justin Timberlake fa:جاستین تیمبرلیک fr:Justin Timberlake ga:Justin Timberlake ko:저스틴 팀버레이크 hy:Ջասթին Թիմբեռլեյք hi:जस्टिन टिम्बरलेक hr:Justin Timberlake id:Justin Timberlake is:Justin Timberlake it:Justin Timberlake he:ג'סטין טימברלייק jv:Justin Timberlake ka:ჯასტინ ტიმბერლეიკი sw:Justin Timberlake la:Iustinus Timberlake lv:Džastins Timberleiks lt:Justin Timberlake li:Justin Timberlake hu:Justin Timberlake ms:Justin Timberlake my:ဂျပ်စတင် တင်ဘာလိတ်ခ် nl:Justin Timberlake ja:ジャスティン・ティンバーレイク no:Justin Timberlake pl:Justin Timberlake pt:Justin Timberlake ro:Justin Timberlake ru:Тимберлейк, Джастин sc:Justin Timberlake sq:Justin Timberlake simple:Justin Timberlake sk:Justin Timberlake sl:Justin Timberlake sr:Џастин Тимберлејк fi:Justin Timberlake sv:Justin Timberlake tl:Justin Timberlake ta:ஜஸ்டின் டிம்பர்லேக் th:จัสติน ทิมเบอร์เลค tr:Justin Timberlake uk:Джастін Тімберлейк vi:Justin Timberlake zh:賈斯汀·提姆布萊克

birth name	Jillian Leigh Murray
birth date	June 04, 1984
birth place	Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	2003–present }}

Jillian Leigh Murray (born June 4, 1984) is an American Actress. She perhaps best known for her role as Portlyn on ''Sonny With a Chance'' (2009) and for her as Heather in ''An American Carol'' (2008).

Life and career

Murray was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. In 2003, Murray made her film debut in the independent movie ''Deep Toad'' as Natashia. She was later cast in ''Fifty Pills'' as Jayne, followed by ''Legacy'' also known as ''Pretty Little Devils''.

Her first leading role was ''The Fun Park''.

In 2009, Murray was Gwen Adams in the romantic comedy ''American High School''. She later played Heather in ''An American Carol''. Murray was in ''The Graves'' playing Abby Graves. She is also in ''Forget Me Not'' playing Lex Mitchell.

Murray has recently starred in the Disney series ''Sonny With a Chance'' playing Portlyn.

Murray is in ''Cougar Hunting'' playing the lead Penelope (Lara Flynn Boyle's daughter).

In 2010, she was in ''Wild Things: Foursome'' playing Brandi Cox.

Filmography

2003: ''Deep Toad'' as Natashia

2005: ''Fifty Pills'' as Jayne

2005: ''One Night With You'' as Brianna

2006: ''Drake and Josh'' as Drake's girl (2 episodes)

2006: ''The Fun Park'' as Megan Davis

2007: ''Mass Effect'' as Liara T'Soni (Body and Face only)

2008: ''Pretty Little Devils'' as Megan Woods (a.k.a ''Legacy'')

2008: ''Knuckle Draggers'' as Amy

2008: ''American High School'' as Gwen Adams

2008: ''An American Carol'' as Heather

2008: ''Forget Me Not'' as Lex Mitchell

2008: ''The Graves'' as Abby Graves

2009: ''Cougar Hunting'' as Penelope

2009: ''Sonny With a Chance'' as Portlyn (4 episodes)

2010: ''Wild Things: Foursome'' as Brandi Cox

2010: ''Visible Scars'' as Stacy

2010: ''Slash'' as N/A

2010: ''The Jace Hall Show'' as Herself (Various episodes)

2010: ''Mass Effect 2'' as Liara T'Soni (Body and Face only)

2011: ''Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown'' as Eve

2011: MTV's''Awkward'' as Jenna Plus/ Olivia

2012: ''The Graves 2: Return to Skull City'' as Abby Graves

2012: ''Mass Effect 3'' as Liara T'Soni (Body and Face only)

External links

Official MySpace

Category:1984 births Category:Actors from Pennsylvania Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Reading, Pennsylvania

es:Jillian Murray fr:Jillian Murray pl:Jillian Murray sv:Jillian Murray

name	Saif Ali Khan
birth date	August 16, 1970
birth place	New Delhi, India
occupation	Film actor, producer
yearsactive	1992–present
spouse	Amrita Singh (1991–2004)
partner	Kareena Kapoor (2007–present) }}

Saif Ali Khan (, ; born 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor in Bollywood films. He is the son of the Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and the actress Sharmila Tagore. He has two sisters; Saba Ali Khan and actress Soha Ali Khan. He is the heir apparent to both royal houses of Bhopal and Pataudi.

Khan made his debut in 1992 with ''Parampara''. He had his first major success with the 1994 films ''Main Khiladi Tu Anari'' and ''Yeh Dillagi''. After going through several years of decline in the 1990s, he rose into prominence with his performance in ''Dil Chahta Hai'' (2001), which marked his professional turning point. His performance in Nikhil Advani's ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' (2003) won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, and he won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Hum Tum'' (2004). He then had commercial success with films like ''Salaam Namaste'' (2005), ''Race'' (2008) and ''Love Aaj Kal'' (2009), and starred in critically acclaimed projects such as ''Parineeta'' (2005) and ''Omkara'' (2006). These accomplishments have established Khan as one of Bollywood's most successful and talented actors. In 2009, Khan branched out into film production with his company Illuminati Films.

Early life

Saif Ali Khan has Muslim Pashtun ancestry through Nawabs of Pataudi lineage from his father's side and Hindu Bengali Tagore ancestry from his mother's side. His paternal grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, was the Nawab of Pataudi as well as an accomplished cricketer who played for England and then for India as the captain of the team. His paternal grandmother was Sajida Sultan, Begum of Bhopal and his great-uncle was Pakistani general Nawabzada Sher Ali Khan Pataudi. His father is Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the ninth Nawab of Pataudi and a former captain of the Indian cricket team.

Khan has two sisters Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan. Khan's mother is Sharmila Tagore, a Bengali Indian film actress and a member of Bengal's Tagore family. She is also the head of the Indian film censorship board and the grand-niece of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore converted to Islam from Hinduism after her marriage to Khan's father, and changed her name to Begum Ayesha Sultana. Khan spent his childhood in a Muslim atmosphere, reading the Quran, with his grandmother being the centre of his religious education. Khan says that "Religion played a major role in my upbringing." Khan also states that his family is "cool or rather massively open–minded about religious matters." For example, he acknowledges that his daughter is born into a Muslim family, however he states that he will not decide her religion for her.

Initially Khan studied at the Lawrence School Sanawar and later attended Lockers Park School in Hertfordshire. He followed in his father's footsteps by attending Winchester College, an independent school for boys in the UK. Khan can speak his native languages of Hindi and Bengali fluently, as well as English.

Career

In 1993, he won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for ''Aashiq Awara''. His breakthrough role came in 1994 with ''Yeh Dillagi'' starring opposite Kajol and Akshay Kumar which was his first major hit. Khan went on to star in many films but they failed at the box office. He only had success with multi-starrer hits like ''Main Khiladi Tu Anari'' (1994), ''Imtihaan'' (1995), ''Kachche Dhaage'' (1999) and ''Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United'' (1999). After some box office failures he had a hit with the film ''Kya Kehna'' (2000).

His acting career, more or less, went through a relative slump until 2001, when he was cast in Farhan Akhtar's contemporary drama ''Dil Chahta Hai''. He received much acclaim for his role as Sameer with critic Taran Adarsh calling it ''his career-best performance''. The success of this film firmly established Saif as one of the industry's most bankable stars.

He has since had many box office successes, starting with Nikhil Advani's drama ''Kal Ho Na Ho'' (2003), co-starring alongside Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta. The film, set in New York, starred Saif as Rohit, Zinta's best friend, who later realises that he loves her. The film was the second top-grossing film of the year, and Khan's performance was praised by critics. He won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, as well as other awards in that category in other award ceremonies. Khan followed it with the leading role in Kunal Kohli's romantic comedy ''Hum Tum'' (2004), his first collaboration with Yash Raj Films. The film follows the encounters of the two main characters until they, after several years and various meetings, become friends and finally fall in love. Khan played the role of Karan Kapoor, a young cartoonist and womaniser whose relationship with Rhea Prakash, played by Rani Mukerji, changes his perception of women and life. Khan's performance was applauded by both critics and audiences. He won the Best Comedian award at the Filmfare, and was conferred the coveted National Film Award for Best Actor in 2005. Khan's next project with the Yash Raj Films production, ''Salaam Namaste'' (2005), became India's top-grossing film in the overseas market. The film, which was the first Indian film to be entirely shot in Australia, starred Khan and Preity Zinta as a contemporary cohabiting Indian couple. He was also noted for his performance in a negative role in Ram Gopal Verma's ''Ek Hasina Thi'' (2004) and for his role of Shekhar Rai in Pradeep Sarkar's ''Parineeta'' (2005), an adaptation of the 1914 Bengali novella, Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

In 2006 Khan played the protagonist in the English-language art film, ''Being Cyrus''. His role as Cyrus got him positive reviews. In that same year, he went on to receive major acclaim for his portrayal of Iago in the Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, ''Omkara''. Rediff.com stated, "Omkara marks Saif's emergence into the very forefront of his acting peers, and we gleefully applaud". ''Variety'' film critic Derek Elley called his performance "powerhouse" and further wrote, "It's Khan's movie through and through, in a performance of rugged, contained malevolence which trades on his previous screen persona as a likable best friend as well as his stint as the manipulative outsider in 'Being Cyrus'. It's smart casting, superbly realized." For his work, Khan earned the awards for Best Actor in a negative role at the Star Screen, Filmfare, Zee Cine and IIFA Awards.

Khan next acted in ''Eklavya: The Royal Guard'' (2007), co-starring alongside his mother for the second time since ''Aashiq Awara'' (1993). The film was India's official entry to the Oscars, and Khan's performance as Harshwardhan was appreciated by critics. Taran Adarsh commented, "watching him emote with amazing precision makes you realise the giant strides he has taken as an actor". He next appeared alongside Rani Mukerji in the family drama, ''Ta Ra Rum Pum'' (2007). Directed by Siddharth Anand, the film went on to become a box office success.

In 2008, Khan first starred in the Abbas-Mustan thriller ''Race'', which went on to do well at the box office. This was followed by two projects produced by Yash Raj Films, ''Tashan'' and ''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic'', both of which were not successful.

In 2009, Khan produced and starred in ''Love Aaj Kal''. The film, directed by Imtiaz Ali, was a critical and commercial success. He then starred in the thriller ''Kurbaan'' along with Kareena Kapoor in which he played a terrorist. The following year, Khan was awarded the Padma Shri, which is the fourth highest civilian award given by the Government of India

Khan turned producer when he setup his production company called Illuminati Films in 2009. His first film, ''Love Aaj Kal'' was directed by Imtiaz Ali and featured Deepika Padukone opposite him. Upon release, the film was critically and commercially successful. Khan's second film production, ''Agent Vinod'', will be directed by Sriram Raghavan.

Personal life

Khan married actress Amrita Singh in October 1991. After thirteen years of marriage and two children (son Ibrahim Ali Khan and daughter Sara Ali Khan), the couple divorced in 2004. His children live with their mother. Khan is currently dating actress Kareena Kapoor.

In 1998, Khan was charged with poaching two blackbucks in Kankani during the filming of ''Hum Saath Saath Hain'' along with co-stars Salman Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam. The charges were dropped soon after Khan was acquitted.

On 18 February 2007, Khan was hospitalised at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai due to experiencing chest pain while rehearsing for his performance at the Stardust Awards, to be held that night. After hospitalization, he stated he would quit smoking.

In October 2009 Khan publicly spoke of his relationship with Kareena Kapoor and the prospect of marriage stating, that in his opinion people said that marriage does not affect one's career but in fact it does and that today the whole definition of marriage has changed. He said, that he and Kareena were so well connected, so close that marriage is just a stamp of validation for the society.

Commitments

In 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, Khan performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Khan took part in two major world tours. He was part of a troupe that included Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra, which went on the ''Temptations 2004'' world tour.

In 2006, Khan toured again, participating and performing in ''Heat 2006'' concert around the world, along with Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.

In 2006, Khan appeared along with various other Bollywood actors at the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture along with Rani Mukerji, and Aishwarya Rai on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in Delhi.

Awards and nomination

Filmography

Actor

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 1992 || ''Parampara'' || Pratap Singh || |- |rowspan="2"| 1993 || ''Aashiq Awara'' || Jimmy/Rakesh Rajpal || Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut |- | ''Pehchaan'' || Karan Verma || |- |rowspan="5"| 1994 || ''Imtihaan'' || Vicky || |- | ''Yeh Dillagi'' || Vikram 'Vicky' Saigal || |- | ''Main Khiladi Tu Anari'' || Deepak Kumar || Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor |- | ''Yaar Gaddar'' || Jai Verma || |- | ''Aao Pyaar Karen'' || Raja || |- | 1995 || ''Surakshaa'' || Amar/Prince Vijay || |- |rowspan="4"| 1996 || ''Ek Tha Raja'' || Sunny || |- | ''Bambai Ka Babu'' || Vikram (Vicky) || |- | ''Tu Chor Main Sipahi'' || Raja/King || |- | ''Dil Tera Diwana'' || Ravi Kumar || |- |rowspan="2"| 1997 || ''Hamesha'' || Raja/Raju || |- | ''Udaan'' || Raja || |- |rowspan="2"| 1998 || ''Keemat: They Are Back'' || Ajay || |- | ''Humse Badhkar Kaun'' || Sunny || |- |rowspan="5"| 1999 || ''Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan'' || Raju Tarachand || |- | ''Kachche Dhaage'' || Dhananjay "Jai" Pandit|| Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor |- | ''Aarzoo'' || Amar || |- | ''Biwi No.1'' || Deepak || |- | ''Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United'' || Vinod || |- | 2000 || ''Kya Kehna'' || Rahul Modi || |- |rowspan="3"| 2001 ||''Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega'' || Rahul Kapoor || |- | ''Dil Chahta Hai'' || Sameer || Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role |- | ''Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein'' || Rajiv "Sam" Saamra || |- | 2002 || ''Na Tum Jaano Na Hum'' || Akshay || |- |rowspan="3"| 2003 || ''Darna Mana Hai'' || Anil Manchandani || |- | ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' || Rohit Patel || Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor Filmfare Award for Motorola "Moto Look of the Year" |- | ''LOC Kargil'' || Capt. Anuj Nayyar || |- |rowspan="2"| 2004 || ''Ek Hasina Thi'' || Karan Singh Rathod || |- | ''Hum Tum'' || Karan Kapoor || National Film Award for Best Actor Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role |- |rowspan="2"| 2005 || ''Parineeta'' || Shekhar Ray || Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor |- | ''Salaam Namaste'' || Nikhil "Nick" Arora || |- |rowspan="2"| 2006 || ''Being Cyrus'' || Cyrus Mistry || English film |- | ''Omkara'' || Ishwar "Langda" Tyagi || Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role |- |rowspan="4"| 2007 || ''Eklavya: The Royal Guard'' || Harshwardhan || |- | ''Nehlle Pe Dehlla'' || Jimmy || |- | ''Ta Ra Rum Pum'' || Rajveer Singh (RV) || |- | ''Om Shanti Om'' || Himself || Special appearance in song ''Deewangi Deewangi'' |- |rowspan="5"| 2008 || ''Race'' || Ranvir "Ronnie" Singh || |- | ''Tashan'' || Jimmy Cliff || |- | ''Woodstock Villa'' || Himself || Special appearance |- | ''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic'' || Ranbeer Talwar || |- | ''Roadside Romeo'' || Romeo || Voice |- |rowspan="3"| 2009 || ''Sanam Teri Kasam'' || Vijay Verma || |- | ''Love Aaj Kal'' || Jai Vardhan Singh/ Young Veer Singh || Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor |- | ''Kurbaan'' || Ehsaan Khan/Khalid || |- |rowspan="2"| 2011 || ''Aarakshan'' ||Deepak Kumar || |- | ''Agent Vinod'' || Agent Vinod || Filming |- | 2012 || ''Cocktail''|| || Filming |}

Producer

''Love Aaj Kal'' (2009)

''Agent Vinod'' (2011)

See also

List of Indian Actors

References

External links

Category:Old Sanawarians Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Old Wykehamists Category:Indian Muslims Category:People from Delhi Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:National Film Award winners Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian film producers Category:Bengali people Category:Indian people of Afghan descent

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Position	Defensive tackle
Number	74
Birth date	September 15, 1940 Logan, Utah
Death date	March 11, 2010Duarte, California
Debutyear	1962
Debutteam	Los Angeles Rams
Finalyear	1976
Finalteam	Los Angeles Rams
Draftyear	1962
Draftround	1
Draftpick	3
Afldraftyear	1962
Afldraftround	1
Afldraftpick	2
College	Utah State
Teams	Los Angeles Rams (1962–1976)
Highlights	14× Pro Bowl (1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975) 6× First-team All-Pro selection (1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970) 3× Second-team All-Pro selection (1965, 1973, 1974) NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1970s All-Decade Team NFL 1960s All-Decade Team 1974 Bert Bell Award 1968 Pro Bowl MVP 1962 NFL Rookie of the Year 1961 Outland Trophy 2× All-American (1960, 1961) St. Louis Rams #74 Retired
Stat1label	Games
Stat1value	208
Stat2label	Sacks
Stat2value	94
Stat3label	Interceptions
Stat3value	1
Nfl	OLS103822
Hof	168
Collegehof	60060}}

Merlin Jay Olsen (September 15, 1940 – March 11, 2010) was an American football player in the National Football League, NFL commentator, and actor. He played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 14 of those seasons, a current record shared with Bruce Matthews. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. As an actor he portrayed the farmer Jonathan Garvey on ''Little House on the Prairie''. After leaving that series, he starred in his own NBC drama, ''Father Murphy'', playing the title role of a foster dad posing as a traveling priest.

Early life

Born to Lynn Jay and Merle Barrus Olsen in Logan, Utah, the second of nine siblings and the first-born son, Merlin Olsen had three brothers and five sisters: Colleen, Clark, Lorraine, Gwen, Phil, Winona, Ramona, and Orrin.

College

Olsen attended Utah State University where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and was a three-year letterman in football as a defensive tackle. He graduated from the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at USU with a bachelor's degree in Finance in 1962 and a master's degree in Economics in 1971. He later received an honorary doctorate degree in business from the Huntsman School. In football, as a senior, he was a consensus All-American selection (making the vast majority of All-America teams) and was the winner of the Outland Trophy. After Olsen's junior year of 1960 he was also named All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and Newspaper Enterprise Association. He was also All-Conference in both 1960 and 1961. Olsen and Utah State were in the 1960 Sun Bowl, losing to New Mexico State, 20–13. Led by Olsen, the Aggie defense held the New Mexico State Aggies to just 44 rushing yards on 32 carries.

The Aggie defense Olsen anchored as a senior gave up an average of 50.8 rushing yards (which led the nation), 88.6 passing yards, and 139.4 total yards which all still stand as school records for defense. The 1961 Aggie defense gave up an average 7.8 points a game, which is second in team history behind Olsen's 1960 team, which allowed 6.5 points per game. Additionally, the Aggie defense held four opponents to less than 100 total yards. One, the University of Idaho, was held to a school-record 23 total yards, with the Aggies winning 69–0.

The Aggies, not known as a national power football program, finished 10th in both the AP and UPI post-season polls, the only time that has occurred in school history. The Aggies had a combined 18–3–1 record during Olsen's junior and senior seasons under coach John Ralston and were conference champions those two seasons as well.

Awards and honors

Olsen played in the East-West Shrine Game in 1961 and in 2003 was voted to the game's Hall of Fame. He also played in the Hula Bowl after his senior season and was voted MVP of the game.

Olsen is a member of the State of Utah’s Sports Hall of Fame, the Utah State University Sports Hall of Fame and USU’s All-Century Football Team. In 2000, he was selected by ''Sports Illustrated'' as one of the State of Utah’s Top 50 Athletes of the Century. He was voted to the All-Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1969, he was voted to the Newspaper Enterprise Association All-Time All-America team with collegiate greats such as Bronco Nagurski, Red Grange, Jim Thorpe, and O. J. Simpson, among others.

In 2008, Olsen was named to the 75th Anniversary All-Sun Bowl Team to commemorate the Sun Bowl Association's Diamond Anniversary.

Utah State University announced the intention to name its football field after Olsen during a ceremony in Logan during halftime of the USU-St. Mary’s basketball game on December 5, 2009. HOF Sculptor Blair Buswell is creating a bronze sculpture that will sit at the entrance to Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium.

Olsen also was a three-time academic All-American at Utah State and graduated summa cum laude in 1962 with a degree in finance.

NFL

Coming out of college, Olsen had offers from both Los Angeles of the NFL and the Denver Broncos of the rival American Football League. He chose the security of the NFL and signed with the Rams. Olsen's first contract was for around $50,000 for two years, plus a signing bonus. It was 1962, and the average football player salary at the time was around $12,000 a year. He was the first USU Aggie to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft.

Olsen played professionally (from 1962 to 1976) for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. A leading defensive star of his era, he missed only two games in his 15-season NFL career. He was named the NFL's Rookie of the Year in 1962 and was First-team All-Pro in 1964, and 1966 through 1970. He was voted Second-team All-Pro in 1965, 1973 and 1974.

Olsen almost ended up on offense, but was later moved to the defensive line after a few experiments in practice. Soon he became part of one of the best front fours in NFL history. Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy joined Olsen on the defensive line in 1963 that was nicknamed "The Fearsome Foursome". He was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week for week 12 in 1965. Olsen scored his first touchdown in that game.

Throughout the 1960s, this quartet terrorized opposing offenses. Olsen's play helped the Rams to the playoffs in 1967 and 1969. He was voted the club's Outstanding Defensive Lineman from 1967–70 by the Los Angeles Rams Alumni. In week 14, 1967, Olsen and the rest of the Fearsome Foursome were named the AP NFL Defensive Players of the Week for their performance against the Baltimore Colts. In the 1970s, Olsen continued his dominant play at defensive tackle and his eleven sacks in 1972 were second on the team. After week 8 in 1972, Olsen was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career.

The Rams won the NFC West crown in 1973 through 1976 thanks in part to the play of Olsen. They ranked first in the NFL in run defense in 1973 and 1974 and finished second in sacking opposing passers both years. In 1973 Olsen was voted the NFLPA NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year and the next season, 1974, he was the recipient of Bert Bell Award as the NFL MVP as voted by the Maxwell Club. Olsen accepted the award "on behalf of all who toil in the NFL trenches".

Three of the Olsen brothers, Merlin, Phil, and Orrin, played in the NFL, with Merlin and Phil Olsen playing together for the Rams from 1971–1974. A nephew, Hans, son of his brother, Clark, also played professional football. In 1975 and 1976, the Rams defense finished second in the NFL against the run while ranking in the top five in sacking opposing quarterbacks and compiling a 22-5-1 record over those two seasons.

Olsen's last game was the NFC Championship game in 1976 at Bloomington, Minnesota. The Vikings took advantage on a freak play early in the game. A blocked field goal returned 90 yards for a touchdown shocked the Rams in the first quarter. The defense was later victimized by a couple of big plays by the Vikings. The Rams came up short, losing 24–13, bringing the storied career of the Rams finest defensive tackle to an end.

Olsen made the Pro Bowl a record 14 times throughout his career, only missing it in his final year. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, he was ranked number 25 on ''The Sporting News''' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

Seasonal Sack Totals 1962 (3.5), 1963 (3.5), 1964 (7), 1965 (6), 1966 (4), 1967 (3.5), 1968 (9), 1969 (11), 1970 (8.5), 1971 (4), 1972 (10), 1973 (7), 1974 (3.5), 1975 (7.5), 1976 (3). Career Total (127)

Post-retirement

Olsen enjoyed continued success after the NFL as a broadcaster, actor and businessman.

Broadcaster

Olsen served as a television color commentator, teaming with Dick Enberg on NBC's coverage of the AFC throughout the 1980s. He and Enberg also teamed for the Super Bowl XXIII, Rose Bowl Game broadcast beginning with the 1980 Rose Bowl through the 1988 Rose Bowl. In 1989, Olsen was replaced by Bill Walsh as NBC's lead NFL color commentator. For the 1989 season, Olsen worked with Charlie Jones on NBC's broadcasts. In 1990 and 1991, he moved to CBS Sports doing NFL games with Dick Stockton.

Actor

Olsen developed a successful career as an actor. When ''Little House on the Prairie'' actor Victor French left to star in his own comedy ''Carter Country'' in 1977, Olsen was tapped to play Michael Landon's new sidekick Jonathan Garvey for several years. One memorable quote from Merlin during the series, "I don't know nothin' bout football!" was when Charles and Jonathan were to coach a boys football team. A couple of years later, Landon cast Olsen as the eponymous ''Father Murphy'', which lasted for two seasons.

In the ''Highway to Heaven'' episode 2.12 ("The Good Doctor"), the main character Alex tells Mark Gordon (Victor French) that "All I could see was the flowers and the beard. I thought you were Merlin Olsen." This is an inside joke since all three actors, Merlin Olsen, Michael Landon, and Victor French were in the TV series ''Little House On the Prairie'' together several years earlier.

Olsen's last acting work was in the short-lived 1988 TV series ''Aaron's Way'', in which he played the lead role. He was also in the John Wayne movie ''The Undefeated'' as Little George along with teammate Roman Gabriel.

Pitchman

Olsen was also the commercial spokesman for FTD Florists for many years. A part-time resident of the Coachella Valley, Olsen was the longtime radio and television spokesman for Palm Desert-based El Paseo Bank.

Olsen also appeared in many Sigma Chi fraternity promotional campaigns; Merlin, along with his brother Phil, was a Life Loyal Sig, Significant Sig (given to members for distinguishing acts outside the fraternity) and a member of the Order of Constantine (given for service to the Fraternity). Olsen donated one of his cleats, which were bronzed, to be used during the annual football rivalry between two Las Vegas high schools, Eldorado High School and Chaparral High School, which both opened in 1973. Each year, Olsen presented the "trophy" in the ceremony at the rivalry game.

Olsen often co-hosted the Children's Miracle Network telethons, a humanitarian organization founded in 1983 by Marie Osmond and John Schneider.

Awards

He was named the Walter Camp Man of the Year in 1982 and Athlete of the Century for the state of Utah. During halftime of a basketball game between Utah State, Olsen's alma mater, and Saint Mary's on December 5, 2009, it was announced that the turf inside Romney Stadium, home stadium for Utah State's football program, would be named Merlin Olsen Field in Olsen's honor. Because of Olsen's illness, Utah State decided not to wait until the 2010 football season to hold the ceremony; he was able to attend the game, but did not speak. A sculpture of Olsen was unveiled in a plaza south of the stadium during an official dedication ceremony in Fall 2010. Olsen was voted to the California Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2010, along with Bill Walton, Dwight Stones, and Jim Otto, among others.

Personal life

He married Susan Wakley on March 30, 1962, and they had three children: Kelly, Jill, and Nathan, and four grandchildren. Olsen was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mesothelioma diagnosis and death

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009, and underwent three courses of chemotherapy. In December 2009 he filed a lawsuit against NBC Studios, NBC Universal, and 20th Century Fox for allegedly exposing him to the asbestos which he claimed had caused his cancer. Olsen died on March 11, 2010 at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, aged 69.

See also

List of NFL on NBC commentator pairings

References

External links

Pro Football Hall of Fame page

Pro Football Reference Profile

Merlin Olsen's football cards

Los Angeles Times Cover Story March 11, 2010

Lasting Tribute to Merlin Olsen

Goldstein, Richard."Merlin Olsen, Football Star, Commentator and Actor, Dies at 69" ''The New York Times'', March 12, 2010

Category:1940 births Category:2010 deaths Category:Cancer deaths in California Category:Deaths from mesothelioma Category:People from Los Angeles County, California Category:People from Logan, Utah Category:American football defensive tackles Category:Utah State Aggies football players Category:Los Angeles Rams players Category:Western Conference Pro Bowl players Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Category:National Football League announcers Category:Canadian Football League announcers Category:College football announcers Category:Utah State University alumni

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