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

On Tuesday, Brian Williams was suspended for six months as anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News."

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.