Tyra
Banks (born December 4, 1973) is a "supermodel", that
is, one of the top models in the world.
She was born in Los Angeles, California. She has brown hair, brown eyes, and is
African-American. In 1991, Tyra was just weeks away from starting her freshman
year at college when Elite, a fashion magazine, gave the 17-year-old her first
modelling job. Instead of heading to school, she headed to Paris for fashion
shows. Tyra became internationally known. She is now featured in a wide array of
magazines, commercials, and billboards. Her credits include Cover Girl, Swatch,
Pepsi, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Dolce & Gabbana, among many
others.
She was the first African-American to feature on the cover of Gentlemen's
Quarterly, Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue and the Victoria's Secret
catalog. It was her Victoria's Secret work in particular that made her famous.
In 1997, Tyra won the prestigious Michael Award for Supermodel of the Year.
She is the executive producer (with Kevin Mok), chief judge, and host of the UPN
television show America's Next Top Model, which chronicles the transformation of
everyday young women into potentially fierce supermodels.
In addition to having recurring roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, as Will
Smith's old friend from Philadephia, and in the college drama Felicity, Tyra has
also starred in the following movies:
Coyote Ugly (2000)
Love and Basketball (2000)
Halloween Resurrection (2002)
Life Size (2000)
Higher Learning (1994)
