Tyra Banks

Tyra Lynne Banks is an American television personality, Emmy Award-winning talk show host, actress, supermodel, former teen idol, and businessperson. She became famous first as a model in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, and New York, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough. She is known best as hostess/judge of the reality television show America's Next Top Model since its 2003 debut, and is currently hosting her own Daytime Emmy Award- winning talk show, The Tyra Banks Show. Banks is one of four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine.

Early life

Banks was born in Inglewood, California, the daughter of Carolyn , a fashion manager and NASA photographer and Donald Banks, a computer consultant. The couple divorced in 1980, when Tyra was sixteen, although the relationship of her parents and especially her brother Devin Banks stayed friendly.[citation needed] Later, Carolyn married Clifford Johnson; she now goes by Carolyn London-Johnson. Banks grew up in Inglewood, later attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. She began modeling in the 11th grade.

Career Modeling

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. 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