The incredible story of Brian Williams' rise to stardom - and how it all came crashing down

The network's announcement comes after Williams was forced to apologize and recant his story about being on board a helicopter forced down by RPG fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

But before Williams' news career was called into question last week, the 55-year-old was known as America's most-trusted anchor.

Brian Williams' unlikely road to fame >

Up until last week, Williams was the Emmy-winning anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News." But TV news was initially an industry he struggled to enter after dropping out of college.

Recently earning a $10 million annual salary, Williams went bankrupt in his early 20s after "a failed experiment in local news."

It wasn't until a news director in Washington, D.C., took a chance on him that Williams resumed his on-air career years later.

MediabistroTV spoke to Williams about his big break and success after failure.