Niall Horan

Highest Rated: 63% One Direction: This Is Us (2013)

Lowest Rated: 63% One Direction: This Is Us (2013)

Birthday: Sep 13, 1993

Birthplace: Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland

Known in his hometown as the "Irish Justin Bieber," Niall Horan auditioned for "The X Factor" (ITV, 2004- ) as a solo act but was instead grouped with fellow contestants Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson to form the boy band One Direction. After coming in third on the reality show, they hit No. 1 with their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful," scored the hit follow-up "Gotta Be You," and released their blockbuster debut album, 2011's Up All Night. Showered with European awards, fan adulation and commercial success, One Direction then moved to conquer America with appearances on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) and "iCarly" (Nickelodeon, 2007-2012) that coincided with the chart-topping release of their album stateside. Representing a new era of boy bands that were less packaged and more approachable, One Direction, as well as Niall Horan, seemed poised to enjoy considerable success on the global stage.