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| Tyra Banks  | ||||||||||
| "I'm a perfectionist. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it's OK if there are flaws here and there." - Tyra Banks Tyra Banks Biography: Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an American media personality, actress, occasional singer, former model and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo and New York, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough. Banks is the creator and host of the UPN/The CW reality television show America's Next Top Model and is co-creator of True Beauty. She also hosts her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show.In 2009 she was honored by Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) with the Excellence in Media Award. Early life Tyra Banks was born in Inglewood, California, the daughter of Carolyn (née London), a fashion manager and NASA photographer, and Donald Banks, a computer consultant. The couple divorced in 1980, when Banks was 6 years old. However, the relationship between her parents, and between her and her brother Devin Banks (born 1968), stayed friendly. Later, Carolyn married Clifford Johnson; she now goes by Carolyn London-Johnson. Banks attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. She was accepted by colleges such as USC and UCLA for television producing. ___________________________________ Career Modeling Banks began modeling in the 11th grade. She later went to Paris, France to do some runway modeling. Within Banks' first week in Paris, designers were so entranced by her presence on the runway that she was booked for an unprecedented twenty-five shows – a record in the business for a newcomer. She has done extensive print and/or runway work for fashion/advertising giants, such as Anna Sui, Coors Light, CoverGirl, Badgley Mischka, Bill Blass, Cynthia Rowley, Chanel, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Gemma Kahng, H&M, Isaac Mizrahi, Maria Snyder, McDonald's, Aislinn Dubois Modeling Agency, Michael Kors, Milk, Nicole Miller, Nike, Inc., Oscar de la Renta, Pepsi, Perry Ellis, Randy Kemper, Richard Tyler, Rifat Ozbek, Swatch, Todd Oldham, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret and Yves Saint Laurent. She has appeared on the covers of high-fashion magazines such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Elle. Banks was the first African American woman on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 1997, she received the VH1 award for Supermodel of the Year. That same year, she became the first-ever African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria's Secret catalog. Banks retired from modeling in May 2005 to concentrate on her television career. She walked the runway for the final time at the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Aside from modeling, In 1998, Banks authored a book entitled Tyra's Beauty, Inside and Out. The book was advertised as a resource for helping women to make the most out of their natural beauty. Move into television and film Banks's television career began on the fourth season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in which she played lead character Will Smith's old friend Jackie Ames. She made seven appearances in the series. Other TV credits include Felicity, MADtv, Nick Cannon's Wild 'n Out (in which she was featured as a special guest host and team captain) and The Price Is Right (guest-starring as a "Barker's Beauty"). She also appeared as a guest in the animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast in an episode entitled "Chinatown." Currently, Banks can be seen on television as the hostess, judge and executive producer of The CW Television Network show America's Next Top Model. In addition, she hosts The Tyra Banks Show, a daytime talk show aimed at younger women, which premiered on September 12, 2005. 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...and it happened to Tyra too," Banks promotes her show using emotional flashbacks to her own childhood and adolescence. Many of the episodes deal with issues facing women today. Banks and other experts give women advice on fashion, relationships and more. The first two seasons of the show were recorded in Banks' hometown of Los Angeles but, beginning with the fall 2007 season, the show moved to New York City. In 2008, Banks won the Daytime Emmy Award for her work and production on The Tyra Banks Show. In late-January 2008, Banks got the go-ahead from The CW Television Network to start work on a new reality television series based on fashion magazines called Stylista. The show premiered on October 22, 2008. Banks's first big screen role came in 1994 when she co-starred in the drama Higher Learning. She went on to co-star with Lindsay Lohan in the Disney film Life-Size, playing a doll named Eve who comes to life and has to learn how to live in the real world. Other notable roles include Love Stinks (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Coyote Ugly (2000) and Halloween: Resurrection (2002). Bank's has confirmed that she will appear in the fourth episode in Gossip Girl in the 3rd season as Ursula Nyquist, a larger than life actress who'll work with Serena. _____________________________________ Music Banks has appeared in several music videos, including Michael Jackson's "Black or White", Tina Turner's "Love Thing", Mobb Deep's "Trife Life" and George Michael's "Too Funky" (with fellow supermodel Linda Evangelista). In 2004, she recorded her first single, "Shake Ya Body," which had a music video featuring the final six contestants on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 2. The video was world-premiered on UPN, but the single turned out to be a failure. On America's Next Top Model, Cycle 2 Banks said, "Singing has been a passion of mine for a long, long time...six years on the down low - been ducking in and out of studios cutting tracks." Later, on her talk show, she said, "I can't believe I wasted six years of doing something that I didn't finish...I was almost able to release my album T.Y.R.A., but since my music career hit rock bottom, I quit." Though "Shake Ya Body" was a failure, record producer Rodney Jerkins told Jet magazine in 2004 that Banks "has what it takes to pull it off...she had a hungriness to want to be in the studio all the time. Some people want to be divas in the studio and work for three or four hours. You had to tell Tyra to stop, or she will keep you going." As for her voice, Jerkins said, "People will be shocked. She can really sing. She's like between soprano and high-alto. I challenged her vocally. I pushed her, but not too far. I pushed her where vocally it fit the track." Banks released a single with NBA player Kobe Bryant, entitled "K.O.B.E.," which was performed on NBA TV. She also has a single on the soundtrack to Disney Channel's Original Movie Life-Size called "Be A Star." She is credited with performing the theme song to America's Next Top Model. | ||||||||||
| Career Highlights | ||||||||||
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CEO of her own company TYInc. Named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by people magazine.(1994) In 1994, she started the Tyra Banks Scholarship. Professional model. Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the most beautiful people in the world. [1996] First African American model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition Is a "Youth Correspondent" for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (1986), and there is speculation that Oprah Winfrey is training Tyra to eventually take over the show (as of February 2000). Took Second Place by the readers of Black Men Magazine for "The 10 Sexiest Women of the Year." [2000] Measurements: 34C-23 1/2-35 1/2. (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) Size 9 shoe. (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine) Does not drink alcohol. Dated Sacramento Kings player Chris Webber for over three years Started a singing career with the song "Shake Ya Body", introduced on her show "America's Next Top Model" (2003). Ranked 54 on VH1's 100 Hottest Hotties Claims that her career was difficult in part because of a rivalry with another black top model, Naomi Campbell. Banks has said that Campbell, who was more famous, would get her thrown off of fashion shows. Paid $30,000 of her own money to finance the music video for her song "Shake Ya Body," which appeared on her show "America's Next Top Model" (2003). Created TZONE, a leadership and life skills development program for primarily disadvantaged teen girls in the greater Los Angeles area. As of 2005, more than 240 girls have gone through the program. Was accepted at UCLA and USC. Signed with Elite Model Management her senior year of high school. Grew up in Inglewood, California. Her friends used to call her "The Black Widow" because she used to break up with men she was dating before they would break up with her. Her brother Devin's ex-wife and children appeared on an episode of "America's Next Top Model" (2003) when the models are in Japan. When she was eleven, she grew four inches and lost 30 pounds. Her older brother Devin tormented her as a child. As adults, the two are friends. Is allergic to dogs. Received the Michael Award for "Supermodel of the Year." Was named "Woman of the Year" for 2000 by Sports Illustrated. Her first name is an old Danish name, originally from the vikings. Godmother of Kimora Lee's and Russell Simmons's daughter Ming Lee Played as herself in the 1996 Nike commercials with basketball star Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway and "Little Penny" Hardaway (voice of Chris Rock). As a model, she had the following restrictions: - No Frontal Nudity - No Birds - No Cats - No Fish - No Cigarettes - No Alcohol. As of February 2007, cites "Heroes" (2006/II) as her favorite TV show, and her favorite Heroes character as Hiro, played by Masi Oka. Says her favorite cycle of "America's Next Top Model" (2003) is Cycle 1, because the girls did not know what to expect. Chosen by FTC Publications Class-Elite Magazine (USA) as "The Role Model for Models" [2007]. She was raised in Inglewood, California with her brother Devin, and attended Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girl, independent Catholic private school in Los Angeles. One of only two people to ever receive the editor's copy of the FTC Publications International Model's Guide. The other was Naomi Campbell. Wore braces for two and a half years to straighten her teeth. While a high school student, Tyra applied to five colleges with the intention of majoring in film and television production. Within Banks' first week in Paris, other designers were so entranced by her presence on the runway that she was booked for an unprecedented 25 shows--a record in the business for a newcomer. Attended Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, California, a popular Catholic girls' school, where she claims that her classmates made fun of her because of her height and weight. One of only four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine. In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year at $18 million. Until season 4 of America's Next Top Model, she would spend an hour with every girl who got kicked off the show talking with them in private. The producers asked her to stop this. She is of Native American descent and has been an advocate against racism in Hollywood |
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