Tyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX,[2][3] is an American model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15 and was the first Black American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, on which she appeared three times. Banks was one of only a few Black models to achieve Supermodel status. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models.
Tyra Banks
BanX
- Model
- television personality
- producer
- writer
- actress
- businesswoman
1991–present
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Erik Asla (2013–2017)
1
Brown
Green
Banks began acting on television in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993) and made her film debut in the drama Higher Learning (1995). In 2000, she had major film roles, such as Eve in Disney Channel's Life-Size and Zoe in the box-office hit Coyote Ugly. Banks had small roles in the romantic sports film Love & Basketball (2000), the horror film Halloween: Resurrection (2002), and in the television series Gossip Girl (2009) and Glee (2013).[4][5]
In 2003, Banks created the long-running reality television series America's Next Top Model, which she executive produced and presented for the first twenty-two seasons, until the series' cancellation in October 2015. She remained executive producer for the revival of the series in 2016 and enlisted Rita Ora as host for the twenty-third cycle before reassuming the duties herself for the twenty-fourth cycle. Banks was the co-creator of True Beauty (2009–2010), and had her own television talk show, The Tyra Banks Show (2005–2010), which aired on The CW and won two Daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Talk Show Informative. In 2015, she co-hosted the talk show FABLife for two months. In 2017, Banks was the host of America's Got Talent for its 12th season.[6] In 2020, she was the host of Dancing with the Stars for its 29th season, also serving as an executive producer.
In 2010, Banks published a young adult novel titled Modelland, based on her life as a model, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011. She also has her own production company, Bankable Productions, which produced The Tyra Banks Show, America's Next Top Model, and the 2008 film The Clique. Banks is one of four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly been ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine.[7][8] She is also one of only seventeen models to be ranked as a Legendary Supermodel by MODELS.com.[9]
Early life and education
Tyra Lynne Banks[10] was born in Inglewood, California, on December 4, 1973.[11] Her mother, Carolyn London (now London-Johnson), is a medical photographer,[11] and her father, Donald Banks, is a computer consultant.[12][13] She has a brother, Devin, who is five years older.[14] In 1979, when Banks was six years old, her parents divorced. Banks attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. Banks has said that while growing up, she was teased for her appearance and considered an "ugly duckling";[15][16] when Banks was 11 years old, she grew three inches and lost 30 pounds in three months.[17] On America's Next Top Model, Banks discussed the results of an Ancestry.com genealogical DNA test that gave her "79% African, 14% British, and 6% Native American" results.[18] In an interview, she added that she is also "1% Finnish", saying: "I'm 14% British, 6% Native American, 1% Finnish, and all the rest African."[19] In February 2012, Banks completed a nine-week course at Harvard University's Owner/President Management non-degree extension program.[20][21]
Philanthropy
Banks established the TZONE program, which aimed at leadership and life skills development.[85][86] 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. In 2005, TZONE transformed from a camp into a public charity, the Tyra Banks TZONE.[87]