Tyra Banks Biography
Several decades ago, no one could have imagined that the catwalks and covers of glossy magazines would flood black models. But Iman, Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks showed up . It is believed that the latter took the initiative to promote non-standard girls in the fashion industry, to which designers and viewers have not yet got used to.
Now Tyra Banks has turned from a catwalk star into a recognized authority in the modeling world, whose word matters. She shines on screens, brings up a child and runs a business. The secret of such success is the desire to refute the opinion that you cannot do something, it is not available to you. Since childhood, Tyra has been a “man-engine”, she does not know peace, but the celebrity advises not to forget about the main thing – to strive not for money or popularity, but for your dream.
Tyra Banks Childhood and youth
Tyra Lynn Banks was born in December 1973 in Inglewood, California in the respectable family of Caroline Banks, who worked as a fashion manager and photographer for NASA, and computer technology specialist Donald Banks. The daughter was the second child: at the time of her birth, the 5-year-old son Devin was growing up in the family. When Tyra was 6 years old, her parents divorced, but at the same time they managed to maintain friendly relations and not injure the children.
At the age of 6, the girl went to school. She studied quite well, but her relationships with peers were difficult. Banks was very thin and awkward, which often became the cause of ridicule and bullying. Growing up, Tyra Banks thoroughly engaged in self-improvement and soon turned from a lanky teenager into a girl of model appearance.
After graduating from high school, Tyra becomes a student at the University of California, but very soon realizes that she is most attracted to a modeling career. At the age of 17, a beauty with a height of 178 cm and a waist circumference of 60 cm signs a lucrative contract with a prestigious modeling agency and begins climbing the career ladder.
Modeling career
Under the terms of the signed contract, the 17-year-old model is sent to Paris, where she makes a splash after her first runway. The first week in the fashion capital brought Tyra offers from 25 designers. No other global model achieved such success at the very beginning of a career. She becomes the first African American woman to appear on the covers of Victoria’s secret catalog, GQ and other fashion publications. Chanel and Ralph Lauren offer her a job.
Banks moves to Paris, collaborates with such popular brands as Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana and many others. Her photographs appear on the glossy covers of Harper’s Bazar, Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan.
In 1997, Tyra is the winner of the Supermodel of the Year award from the television music channel VH1. In 2005, the girl announces her decision to focus on work in the cinema. In an interview, Banks proudly stated that she would not become like the musicians who leave the stage and then make a loud, solemnly furnished return. If she undertakes to demonstrate something on the catwalk, it will be something unusual, for example, her own clothing line.
Movies and books
Tyra Banks’ cinematic biography began in the 1990s. The model starred in secondary roles in the films “Black or White” and “Undercover Cops”. During the same period, she participates in the British television show Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But the path to Hollywood for an aspiring actress is difficult.
Only in 1995, Tyra Banks got the role, after which the directors paid more attention to her. The girl played in the film “Higher Education”, where Omar Epps , Laurence Fishburne , Jennifer Connelly and Christie Swanson appeared on the set with her . Tyra did a great job. In the same year, she was invited to the TV series “Mad TV”.
The final of the 1990s turned out to be generous for Tyra Banks for bright roles. The catwalk queen has appeared in Fashion Magazine, Hewley, The Damned House and Fuck Love. All films received positive reviews from critics, and the cinematic community finally accepted the actress into its ranks.
Tyra Banks managed to surprise fans of her acting talent in 2000, when the film “Love and Basketball” was released, in which she organically played the role and earned the love of the audience and good reviews from film critics. The following films “American Dreams” and “Halloween: Resurrection” added popularity.
In 2003, when Tyra Banks was offered a job on America’s Next Top Model, the actress was listed in the top five sexiest and top ten highest paid colleagues on the catwalk. The role of Banks in the melodramatic film “Mr. Poop” turned out to be truly stellar. The film was released in 2007 and immediately became a hit. Tyra’s joint play with star actors Sean William and Billy Bob Thornton brought incredible fame to the dark-skinned beauty.
Tyra Banks received no less success from the release of the movie “Soldiers of Failure” in 2008. Screenwriter and comedy director Ben Stiller has ridiculed numerous Hollywood war films in his project. The main roles went to Tom Cruise and Jack Black . Here Tyra presented a minor, but memorable image.
In 2009, after the appearance of Peter Chelsom’s film “Hannah Montana: The Movie”, audiences and critics began to talk that Tyra Banks’ acting talent was already on par with modeling success. In this picture, the partners of the African American star were Miley Cyrus and Emily Osment .
In 1998, a book titled “Tyra: External and Internal Beauty” was published, and everyone could see that Banks also has a writing talent. The novel “Modelland” became a bestseller, there was talk in Hollywood about its adaptation, and the author seemed not to mind.
In Excellence Is Boring: 10 Things My Crazy, Furious Mom Taught Me – About Beauty, S ***, and How to Be the Boss, Banks talks about how she conquered a fashionable Olympus. She also mentioned a funny story with hair, because of which she almost lost her job, because stylists could not cope with African hair. According to rumors, Tyra now wears a short haircut and Lace wigs, like Rihanna and Beyonce , because over the years of her modeling career, her curls have lost their former glamor.
Personal life
The African American does not follow a strict diet and does not differ in thinness. She maintains her shape with sports. Tyra loves basketball and tennis. And he is engaged not only for the sake of the figure, but also because he gets great pleasure from the classes. Photos of Banks in a swimsuit and without makeup have been criticized more than once by followers. But the model has a ready answer:
In 2012, the woman received her degree from Harvard Business School. She studied under a false name, lived in a hostel and disguised herself in every possible way. But it is impossible to confuse Tyra with someone else, and they had to disclose incognito.
Tyra Banks’ personal life is extremely eventful. The beauty, who took a place in the five most beautiful models in the world, has always had many fans. But they changed so fast that no one will remember the names of most of them.
Tyra Banks now
The famous model and businesswoman reads the course “How to build and expand your own business” at Stanford University. Tyra went to pedagogy because she wants to teach the younger generation not only to earn money, but not to be afraid to sacrifice something and do something for which you feel passion.