Tyra Banks

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Tyra Banks

Born: December 4, 1973 (age 33)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation: Talk show hostess, supermodel, author, actress

Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an African-American supermodel, television personality, author, actress, singer, executive producer, and talk show host. She is well known for her role as the host and judge of the reality television show America's Next Top Model. Banks is widely recognized as one of the world's premier fashion models,[citation needed] and was one of the original Victoria's Secret Angels.

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[edit] Early life

Tyra Banks was born in Los Angeles, California to Don Banks and Carolyn London. She was raised in Inglewood, California with her brother Devin, and attended Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girls, independent Catholic private school in Los Angeles. Growing up, she was very thin and often teased; she was considered to be "ugly." Banks later said that this was a very difficult time for her and she developed a "very strong self-image problem."

In 1991, Banks was about to begin her freshman year at Loyola Marymount University when Elite Model Management gave the 17-year-old her first modeling job. But Banks began modeling at age 5. Prior to this entry into the fashion world, Banks had been rejected several times for modeling assignments. Some had fallaciously noted some drawback to Banks' high forehead. In fact, she states that she did not consider her first job to be the start of a long career in fashion: "An agent saw pictures of me and said that I was the only girl she wanted to take back to Paris... I didn't leave thinking I was going to be some big fashion model. I just wanted to make money for college." [1]

[edit] Career

[edit] Fashion modeling

Banks' career took off when she made the move from high-fashion to a commercial market. She was the first African-American to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, but is most noted for her work as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, Victoria's Secret model, and talk-show hostess. In 1997 she won the prestigious Michael Award for "Supermodel of the Year". Banks has done runway shows in Paris, Milan, and the U.S. and has been featured in many magazines, television commercials, and on billboard advertisements. Her modeling credits include runway and/or print work for Cover Girl, Swatch, Pepsi, Nike, Inc., XOXO, LensCrafters, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint-Laurent, Chanel, Escada, Anna Sui, Liz Claiborne, and Richard Tyler. Banks has appeared on many international magazines, including the covers of Vogue, ELLE, Amica, ELLEgirl, L'Officiel, Harper's Bazaar, Photo, Cosmopolitan, and Sports Illustrated.

Banks stood out from the stick-thin waiflike models who were in Vogue when she first entered the modeling industry, and had to work hard to persuade modeling agencies to take a chance on her more voluptuous physique. To give herself more options, Banks decided to branch out from high fashion into the commercial fashion industry. She later commented: " I told my agency to call Victoria's Secret, and I told them to call Sports Illustrated... I said [that] my body is changing, and seamstresses are calling me 'grosso' in Italian, and I know what the hell that means. And I'm not about to starve."

Banks addressed her physique in an interview with The Sun, saying, "I am totally against plastic surgery. A lot of people think I have breast implants because I have the biggest boobs in the business. But I was a 34C when I was 17… They stay up when I wear a push-up bra. But if people could see me when I come home and take off my bra, how could they think these are fake?". She is known for being proud of her more curvaceous body type, and once commented, "Some models are quite flat-chested so they can run around without bouncing. I can't […] Black women don't have the same body image problems as white women. They are proud of their bodies. Black men love big butts, and they cannot lie."

Despite her phenomenal success as a supermodel, Banks began venturing from modeling to becoming a so-called media "personality" after 2000. She is the hostess, head judge, and an executive producer of the UPN (now the CW) television show America's Next Top Model. She also receives executive producer credits for all ANTM spinoffs. Banks also enjoyed a brief stint as a recording artist and during season two of America's Next Top Model the contestants danced in her first music video for the single Shake Ya Body ( Music Video) produced by experienced record producer Darkchild. Banks also acts as the patron for TZONE, a leadership program created by Banks for young girls that according to the organization, "reinforces core values of trust and support, challenges teen girls to resist negative social pressures, and enhances self-empowerment—inspiring girls to become confident leaders in their communities." She has also established the Tyra Banks Scholarship, a fund aimed at providing African-American girls the opportunity to attend her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School.

Banks retired from modeling in 2005. She made her final walk down the runway at the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Tyra said the reason she retired from runway was so she could concentrate more on her television career.

[edit] Television

Banks' television career began on the fourth season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in which she played Jackie, Will's ex-girlfriend. She also appeared on Felicity. As well as her role as executive producer, host and head judge of the hit TV show America's Next Top Model, she currently hosts The Tyra Banks Show, a daytime talk show which premiered in the United States on September 12, 2005, the second season of which has recently premiered. The show features stories about everyday people mixed in with celebrity interviews, much like the early format of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Under the slogan "Every woman has a story," Banks promoted her show using emotional flashbacks to her own childhood and adolescence. Many of the episodes deal with issues facing women today. She has also starred in an old episode of MADtv. Banks' has also starred as the fictitious brought to life doll 'Eve' in the Disney film Life-Size, along side Lindsay Lohan. She also appeared on Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out, as a special guest host/ team captain.

[edit] Music

Banks appeared in Michael Jackson's "Black or White" video in a scene in which Glen Chin morphs into her, and with fellow supermodel Linda Evangelista, in George Michael's "Too Funky" video. In 2004, she recorded her first single, Shake Ya Body. She has also had a single with NBA star Kobe Bryant, "K.O.B.E.," and has a single/soundtrack from the Disney movie Life-Size, called "Be A Star". She recorded a song with Wyclef produced by Rodney Jerkins AKA: Dark Child. Her album is to be called T.Y.R.A.. The album was to be released in November but has since been pushed to February 2007.

[edit] Movies

Banks has had minor roles in a few movies over the years. Her debut in movies came in 1995 when she co-starred in the critically acclaimed drama Higher Learning. She also co-starred with Lindsay Lohan in the Disney film Life-Size, playing a doll named Eve who comes to life. She co-starred in 1999's Love Stinks, 2000's Coyote Ugly and 2002's Halloween: Resurrection – the eighth film in the Halloween franchise.

In addition, Tyra had a small role in the pre-show of the Walt Disney World attraction "ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter", in which she played the part of an alien woman doing a commercial for a fictional product called X-S.

[edit] Personal

Though Banks has been romantically involved with a number of public figures (including director John Singleton, investment banker Craig Davis, basketball player Chris Webber, and musician Seal), she has stated that she prefers to date non-celebrities, as she strongly dislikes and wishes to avoid the intense pressure and media scrutiny that come with being in a relationship with another famous person.

On May 8, 2006, Banks was named as one of the world's 100 most influential people by TIME magazine.

She has an extreme phobia of dolphins, a fear she faced in her daytime talk show [2].

Banks recently stated that she would not allow any future photographs of herself to be digitally touched up; rather, she will rely solely on makeup and hairstyling to enhance her appearance.

According to the December 4, 2006 edition of Entertainment Tonight, she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grew up.

[citation needed]

[edit] TV Series/Movies

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

 Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
America's Next Top Model
Judges and personnel
Janice Dickinson | Twiggy | Tyra Banks | Nigel Barker | J. Alexander | Jay Manuel | Beau Quillian
Cycles and winners

Please see individual cycle articles for additional contestants
1: Adrianne Curry | 2: Yoanna House | 3: Eva Pigford | 4: Naima Mora
5: Nicole Linkletter | 6: Danielle Evans | 7: CariDee English
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