Tyra Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an African-American supermodel and is considered one of the top models in the world.

Banks was born in Los Angeles, California and attended Immaculate Heart High School . In 1991, Banks 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, Tyra headed to Paris for fashion shows and soon 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.

Banks was the first African-American to be featured 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.

Banks is the host, chief judge, and an executive producer (with Kevin Mok ) of the UPN television show America's Next Top Model, which chronicles the transformation of everyday young women into potential supermodels.

In 2004 Banks released an album of dance and pop music. A single, "Shake Ya Body," was released and ignored.

In addition to recurring roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, as Will Smith's friend from Philadephia, and in the college drama Felicity, Banks has appeared in numerous movies.

Filmography

• Larceny (2004)
• Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
• Coyote Ugly (2000)
• Love and Basketball (2000)
• Life-Size (2000)
• Love Stinks (1999)
• A Woman Like That (1997)
• Higher Learning (1995)

External Links

• Tyra Banks Online