Ever since he appeared on 'American Idol' during Season 8, Adam Lambert has managed to create his own niche of pop music, which has transformed into a huge pop star thanks to the overwhelming response from his army of Glamberts. But before he was a pop-rock superstar, what was he up to?

Lambert was born in Indianapolis, Ind., on Jan. 29, 1982 to his parents, mother Leila Mitchel, an interior designer, and father Eber Lambert, who worked as a program manager for a wireless broadband company. Lambert has a younger brother, Neil, and was raised Jewish. His family moved to the suburbs of San Diego, Calif., when Lambert was just a kid.

It's really no surprise that as a child and teenager, the always exuberant and wonderfully over-the-top Lambert loved performing in theatrical productions. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, Lambert took vocal lessons and acted in plays like 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown' and 'The Pirates of Penzance.' He also acted professionally with a local theater company prior to graduating from Mount Carmel High School in 2000. The 'If I Had You' crooner went on to attend college in Orange County, but dropped out to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

After landing a gig entertaining guests on cruise ships, Lambert moved on to become a successful theater actor. Throughout his early 20s, Lambert resided in the Los Angeles area and acted in a variety of plays, including musicals like 'Hair,' 'The Ten Commandments: The Musical' and 'Wicked.' This era in Lambert's life also saw his performing as the frontman of the Citizen Vein, where he got caught up in the wild lifestyle that often comes with rock 'n' roll.

However, unlike so many struggling actors and musicians, Lambert was able to make a name for himself on Season 8 of 'Idol.' As you probably know, Lambert was the runner-up that season, beat out by Kris Allen, but has gone on to release chart-topping singles like 'Whataya Want From Me,' which impacted the Top 10 and also earned the singer a Grammy nod. Nowadays, he's busy recording more and more new material -- oh, and getting requests from band's like Queen to act as their lead vocalist... you know, no big deal or anything.