William Frederick Durst is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released six studio albums.
Durst was born Frederick Allen Mayne III in Jacksonville, Florida, but soon moved to Orlando and then a farm in Cherryville, North Carolina, at one year old. His mother Anita had him rechristened as William Frederick Durst after remarrying Bill Durst, a local police officer. Shortly after, Durst's parents had another child, his half-brother Cory Durst. In the fifth grade, he moved to Gastonia, North Carolina, where he graduated from Hunter Huss High School. As a child, Durst was bullied, which he incorporated into his music. At the age of 12, Durst took an interest in breakdancing, hip hop, punk rock, and heavy metal. He began to rap, skate, beatbox, and DJ. Leaving the Navy after two years (1988–1990), Durst moved back to Jacksonville with his father where he worked as a landscaper and a tattoo artist while developing an idea for a band that combined elements of rock and hip-hop.
