1 of 5

Eminem aka Marshal Mathers aka Slim Shady has turned 40.

The International rap superstar reaches the milestone age with an impressive 13 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award and a large business empire to his name.

Not one to shy away from controversy, the Missouri-born artist has managed to turn songs about dark subject matter into instant hits. In his tracks Cleaning out my Closet and Kim, he even talked about slitting his ex-wife's throat and killing his neglectful mother.

Widely respected in the hip hop industry, his lyricism earned him a spot on MTV's list of the ten best rappers of all time in 2006.

Not satisfied with having just a music career, Eminem has also tried his hand at acting.

He played Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr in the 2002 film 8 Mile and he also took the role of Billy Fletcher in the US series Crank Yankers.

He managed to accomplish all this while battling depression, drug addiction and facing various criminal charges.

To mark Eminem hitting the big Four Zero, IBTimes UK looks back at key moments in his life.