Tyra Banks Biography
Date of Birth
4 December 1973, Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth Name
Tyra Lynne Banks
Nickname
BBQ
Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)
Trivia
Has an older brother named Devin.
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]
Size 9 shoe. (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Does not drink alcohol.
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.
Her mother, Carolyn London, is a professional photographer, and worked as her manager.
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 mother Carolyn London is her best friend.
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.
Her parents, Carolyn London and Don Banks, divorced when she was six years old.
Is allergic to dogs.
She and Naomi Campbell reconciled on her talk show, "The Tyra Banks Show" (2005) (November 2005).
Received the Michael Award for "Supermodel of the Year."
Was named "Woman of the Year" for 2000 by Sports Illustrated.
Served as maid of honor at the wedding of best friend Kimora Lee to Russell Simmons
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" (2003), 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.
To promote the new season of her talk show, Tyra stripped down to a bodysuit to say that her new season is going to be about "celebrating inner and outer beauty". Tyra has always spoken about women's body images and the media's scrutiny of female beauty. She was given a 'Do Something' Award for a celebrity who is doing something good in the world of style.
Has ended her four-year relationship with banker John Utendahl [December 13, 2011].
Attending Harvard Business School [January 1, 2012].
Childhood friend of Kenya Barris, co-creator with Ken Mok and her, of "America's Next Top Model" (2003).
Received a diploma from Harvard Business School's Executive Education Program [Februay 23, 2012].
Dropped out of Loyola University, at age 17, to pursue modeling.
Personal Quotes
Self-love has very little to do with how you feel about your outer self. It's about accepting all of yourself. You've got to learn to accept the fool in you as well as the part that's got it goin' on.
Black women have always been these vixens, these animalistic, erotic women. Why can't we be the sexy All-American girl next door?
Believe it or not, I just really know how to pose well. It took me five years to learn what my best angles are.
[on Adrianne Curry's complaints that she did not receive what was promised her as the winner of "America's Next Top Model" (2003).] I have an invested interest in all the girls. I take Adrianne's struggles to bed with me at night. Adrianne's problem was that she went to Europe to try to make it and nobody knew who she was there. So it was like starting over. But after a girl leaves the show it's really up to her to be aggressive and try to succeed.
I'm a perfectionist. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it's OK if there are flaws here and there.
I took guitar before ... well for two months but I remember nothing. My fingers used to hurt really bad when I played guitar. I stopped because of it.
[About Barack Obama, who was in running for President in 2008]: When Barack won the nomination, I just started bawling. I started calling all these people, and everybody was talking to me like I was crazy. They're like, 'Well, he hasn't won yet,' but I'm like, 'Yes, he has because he's gotten this far.'
[About her longtime struggled with chronic stomach aches]: I would get major attacks. I would be in bed for days, it was so painful.
[on watching "Sex and the City" (1998), while exercising]: I got rid of one of my couches in my living room and I watched Sex and The City episodes on the treadmill or the elliptical, so Sex and the City lasts 30 minutes - that's how long I'm on the elliptical.
[on re-evaluating her eating habits by keeping a food diary]: I switched up my unhealthy eating habits for healthier eating habits, and I haven't had a tummy attack since December '08.
My next huge steps will allow me to reach more women and young girls to help us all feel as fierce as we truly are. There's a lot cooking right now and a lot of fire burning in my heart. And I salute you my amazing family of viewers; without you there never would have been a 'Tyra Show.' I really love you all.
[on her decision to end "The Tyra Banks Show" (2005) in 2010]: I've been loving having fun, coming into your living rooms, bedrooms, hair salons for the past five years.
[Who said about her teenage years in Los Angeles that being a supermodel wasn't a goal nor a dream]: It wasn't something that I always wanted to do -- it wasn't like I grew up and looked at magazines and said, 'Oooh, that's so glamorous, I wanna do that.' It found me. I was thin, I was 98 pounds, I was 5 foot 9, I was an inch shorter than I am now. So that is not just supermodel thin, that's just like, what's-wrong-with-her thin, and I had very low self-esteem because nothing I could do would make me gain weight.
[When she began to question about the natural of beauty and the role race played]: I know that I got the covers of those magazines and that I had a very successful commercial side of the modeling industry. I think it had to do with my coloring and the fact that my eyes were green and my hair is sandy and my skin is caramel-colored. And I look at who society puts on a pedestal when it comes to black beauty, and a lot of the times it's a biracial girl, or a girl that does have lighter skin. I have made it one of the missions of my life to redefine and to open up the small box of what beautiful is.
Date of Birth
4 December 1973, Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth Name
Tyra Lynne Banks
Nickname
BBQ
Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)
Trivia
Has an older brother named Devin.
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]
Size 9 shoe. (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Does not drink alcohol.
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.
Her mother, Carolyn London, is a professional photographer, and worked as her manager.
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 mother Carolyn London is her best friend.
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.
Her parents, Carolyn London and Don Banks, divorced when she was six years old.
Is allergic to dogs.
She and Naomi Campbell reconciled on her talk show, "The Tyra Banks Show" (2005) (November 2005).
Received the Michael Award for "Supermodel of the Year."
Was named "Woman of the Year" for 2000 by Sports Illustrated.
Served as maid of honor at the wedding of best friend Kimora Lee to Russell Simmons
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" (2003), 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.
To promote the new season of her talk show, Tyra stripped down to a bodysuit to say that her new season is going to be about "celebrating inner and outer beauty". Tyra has always spoken about women's body images and the media's scrutiny of female beauty. She was given a 'Do Something' Award for a celebrity who is doing something good in the world of style.
Has ended her four-year relationship with banker John Utendahl [December 13, 2011].
Attending Harvard Business School [January 1, 2012].
Childhood friend of Kenya Barris, co-creator with Ken Mok and her, of "America's Next Top Model" (2003).
Received a diploma from Harvard Business School's Executive Education Program [Februay 23, 2012].
Dropped out of Loyola University, at age 17, to pursue modeling.
Personal Quotes
Self-love has very little to do with how you feel about your outer self. It's about accepting all of yourself. You've got to learn to accept the fool in you as well as the part that's got it goin' on.
Black women have always been these vixens, these animalistic, erotic women. Why can't we be the sexy All-American girl next door?
Believe it or not, I just really know how to pose well. It took me five years to learn what my best angles are.
[on Adrianne Curry's complaints that she did not receive what was promised her as the winner of "America's Next Top Model" (2003).] I have an invested interest in all the girls. I take Adrianne's struggles to bed with me at night. Adrianne's problem was that she went to Europe to try to make it and nobody knew who she was there. So it was like starting over. But after a girl leaves the show it's really up to her to be aggressive and try to succeed.
I'm a perfectionist. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it's OK if there are flaws here and there.
I took guitar before ... well for two months but I remember nothing. My fingers used to hurt really bad when I played guitar. I stopped because of it.
[About Barack Obama, who was in running for President in 2008]: When Barack won the nomination, I just started bawling. I started calling all these people, and everybody was talking to me like I was crazy. They're like, 'Well, he hasn't won yet,' but I'm like, 'Yes, he has because he's gotten this far.'
[About her longtime struggled with chronic stomach aches]: I would get major attacks. I would be in bed for days, it was so painful.
[on watching "Sex and the City" (1998), while exercising]: I got rid of one of my couches in my living room and I watched Sex and The City episodes on the treadmill or the elliptical, so Sex and the City lasts 30 minutes - that's how long I'm on the elliptical.
[on re-evaluating her eating habits by keeping a food diary]: I switched up my unhealthy eating habits for healthier eating habits, and I haven't had a tummy attack since December '08.
My next huge steps will allow me to reach more women and young girls to help us all feel as fierce as we truly are. There's a lot cooking right now and a lot of fire burning in my heart. And I salute you my amazing family of viewers; without you there never would have been a 'Tyra Show.' I really love you all.
[on her decision to end "The Tyra Banks Show" (2005) in 2010]: I've been loving having fun, coming into your living rooms, bedrooms, hair salons for the past five years.
[Who said about her teenage years in Los Angeles that being a supermodel wasn't a goal nor a dream]: It wasn't something that I always wanted to do -- it wasn't like I grew up and looked at magazines and said, 'Oooh, that's so glamorous, I wanna do that.' It found me. I was thin, I was 98 pounds, I was 5 foot 9, I was an inch shorter than I am now. So that is not just supermodel thin, that's just like, what's-wrong-with-her thin, and I had very low self-esteem because nothing I could do would make me gain weight.
[When she began to question about the natural of beauty and the role race played]: I know that I got the covers of those magazines and that I had a very successful commercial side of the modeling industry. I think it had to do with my coloring and the fact that my eyes were green and my hair is sandy and my skin is caramel-colored. And I look at who society puts on a pedestal when it comes to black beauty, and a lot of the times it's a biracial girl, or a girl that does have lighter skin. I have made it one of the missions of my life to redefine and to open up the small box of what beautiful is.
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
TYRA BANKS
Tyra Banks, Top Model | FashionTV 15th Anniversary Special
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