Britney Spears' Life in Photos: A Timeline of the Star's Rise, Fall and Comeback

When she was eight, Spears' mother brought her to an audition for The Mickey Mouse Club, though Britney was too young to be cast. For the next four years, Spears lived part-time in New York with her mom, doing commercial work, playing the lead in the Broadway play Ruthless and performing on Star Search. When she was twelve, Spears finally did join the Mickey show, where she starred alongside Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake.