Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson

Born: July 6 1975
Where: Queens, New York, USA

The gangsta rapper made his big screen debut as a streetfighter who unearths an international conspiracy in Get Rich Or Die Tryin'.

Born on the same day as President Bush, he was raised by his grandparents after his father left home and his mother was shot dead when he was eight and she was 23.

He originally wanted to be a boxer but fell back on rapping, causing a stir with the disc How To Rob An Industry Nigga before he had signed to a major label.

Three days before filming the video for his first single Thug Love - with Destiny's Child - he was shot in the street - an incident dramatised in Get Rich Or Die Tryin'.

He survived to find himself in the middle of a bidding war won by Eminem, who announced that 50 Cent was the only rapper "keeping it real".

Signed to Eminem's Shady Label his debut - also called Get Rich or Die Tryin' - sold 900,000 copies in the first week of release.

(however he has still continued to release street mixtapes despite being signed to a major label).

50 Cent - who doesn't smoke or drink - has a son - 25 Cent - and lives in boxer Mike Tyson's old £3m mansion in Connecticut.

His songs have featured in movies including Boiler Room, 8 Mile and Bad Boys II but in 2005 he made his acting debut in Get Rich Or Die Tryin.

He was subsequently named among Fade In Magazine's 100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know.