Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. was born on 28th January 1977 in Brooklyn, New York. Joey is a natural entertainer. Even as a small boy he had the special talent of always looking on the bright side. His love of music probably comes from his father, Joe Snr., who sang in a local doo-wop group, the Orions. Along with the rest of his family (mother, Phyllis, sister, Janine and brother, Steven) Joey regularly attended church and became involved in the acting guilds attached. By the age of seven he made his first appearance in a film - as an extra in 'Once Upon A Time In America', the gangster film starring Robert DeNiro, which was shot in the Brooklyn.

In his time at high school, because it was already clear to Joey that he wanted to pursue a career in show business, he opted for acting and music classes as his main subjects. When Joey was thirteen, the Fatone family moved to Orlando and he became involved in every theater opportunity the school had to offer - Shakespeare, musicals, one-act plays. In 1995 Joey got his high school diploma and had the agonizing decision of whether to go on to college or devote all his energies to performing.

Of course, he made the right decision. At the age of seventeen Joey was discovered at an audition for the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue at Universal Studios. Here he was able to not only demonstrate his acting and musical abilities but also to let his sense of humor run riot. His favorite role in this show was playing the teeth-baring werewolf, which was meant to scare the audience. And who should he meet at Universal Studios? Why, Chris Kirkpatrick, of course. They soon became firm friends and later, as we all know, formed *NSYNC.

In comparison to his band colleagues, this high-spirited young man with the charming smile is not a sports aficionado. He loves cooking! Pasta is his favorite but his real passion lies elsewhere. Joey is a devoted and passionate Superman fan (among his prized possessions are a Superman necklace and a 1966 vinyl album). This obsession began at an early age and led to a number frightening moments for his poor mother.

"He used to try to fly through windows," she says, "He had stitches from head to toe and now has scars all over."

One of his proudest moments was when Christopher Reeve, the actor who played Superman in the films, came to an *NSYNC show and Joey was able to get an autograph signed 'To one fan from another'.

The *NSYNC 'Superman' is a complete optimist! With his sunny, uncomplicated manner Joey is a real positive element in *NSYNC. With a good understanding of the seriousness of life, when Joey is asked what he would wish for if he was given three wishes his answer is, of course: "more wishes!". His role-model status is something he does not take lightly, however.

"We feel it's an honor and responsibility having influence on young people. People need to understand that everyone's human and makes mistakes. We're ready to accept that. All of us keep each other on the ground, and if I had a chip on my shoulder or a big head about this, my mom would kick my butt."

On stage Joey is the *NSYNC member who most willingly and actively seeks interaction with the girls in the audience. His infectious smile and fantastic charm really do make the girl's hearts beat faster. It is also amusing to notice that Joey is so busy flirting sometimes that he has to really step on it to keep up with the others. Maybe he seems confident now but at the time of his first kiss the situation was very different.

"My first kiss happened when I was pushed into a closet with a girl, like in the old movies. We didn't know how to kiss. It was the funniest thing - we just moved our mouths. I remember I was sweating like crazy, because I was so nervous. When we first got pushed into the closet, we were like, 'Hey, get us out!' but then we started kissing and the door opened and I was like, 'No, close the door'. I wanted to stay in there."

"The best thing about being in *NSYNC," he says, "is getting to travel and perform in front of thousands of people. It's a great feeling to touch so many lives out there. South Africa was a great trip. So was Asia and all around the US. Every place has a different thing that I remember. In Germany, the architecture was great. A lot of places in New York have good memories, so do Texas, Chicago. Everywhere. It's a lot of hard work. Not only do we dance, but we sing on top of it, so it's an aerobic exercise. It takes a lot of practice to take big gasps of air. The worst thing about all the work I would say is not enough sleep, and you don't see enough of the cities you're in. But the best thing is we get to meet a lot of our fans and perform in front of thousands and thousands of people."

Rumors suggest Joey will star with Lance in a romantic comedy 'On the Line' due to start shooting soon in Toronto. The two will play best friends with Joey's character helps Lance's character find the girl he believes is his soulmate.

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