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Tyra Banks
View off-the-runway photos- Nationality
- American
- Birthday
- December 4, 1973
- Born In
- Inglewood, CA
- Lives Now
- New York, NY
- Agencies
- Elite
- Known For
- Body, television shows, Curves
- Status
- Retired (mostly), good girl, supermodel
- Dated
- John Utendahl, Giancarlo Marcaccini, Chris Webber , Mark Messier, Michael Johnson, Seal, Tiger Woods, Will Smith, John Singleton
- Feuds
- Naomi Campbell (resolved in 2005)
- Friends
- Selita Ebanks, Karen Mulder, Niki Taylor, Heidi Klum, Crystal Renn, Marcus Schenkenberg, Russell Simmons, Britney Spears, Kimora Lee, Tyson Beckford, Chanel Iman, Iman, Noémie Lenoir, Beverly Peele, Veronica Webb
- Model Turned...
- actress, Talk-show hostess (America’s Next Top Model, The Tyra Banks Show)
View slideshow »
Quoted
-
“I made my living being 20 or 30 pounds heavier than the average model. And that's where I got famous. Victoria's Secret said I sold more bras and panties than anybody else, and I was traipsing down that runway with 30 pounds more booty than the other girls.”
—The Observer -
“If I was in pain, I would have dieted. ”
—People magazine
Tyra Banks's Career Highlights
- 4 DEC, 1973
- Born in Los Angeles, California
- 1990
- Signs with Elite Model Management
- 1992
- Paolo Roversi photographs Banks for a Harper’s Bazaar spread
- MAY 1992
- Appears in Vogue editorial with Beverly Peele and Naomi Campbell, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier
- AUG 1992
- Featured on cover of German Harper’s Bazaar
- OCT 1992
- Appears on cover of Spanish Elle
- 20 SEP, 1993
- Appears on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Jackie Ames, Will Smith’s girlfriend
- 1993
- Steven Meisel photographs Banks for Dolce & Gabbana alongside Nadja Auermann
- 1993
- Models for Ralph Lauren
- 1994
- Appears in Yves Saint Laurent ad campaign
- 1994
- Featured in People’s "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" issue
- DEC 1994
- Appears on cover of Elle
- 11 JAN, 1995
- Plays the girlfriend of the protagonist in the movie Higher Learning
- 1995
- Becomes the spokesperson for CoverGirl
- 29 JAN, 1996
- Featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue
- FEB 1996
- Appears on cover of GQ
- 1996
- Featured in People’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” issue
- FEB 1997
- Becomes the first solo black woman on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue
- MAY 1997
- Featured on the cover of Details
- AUG 1997
- Appears on cover of British Maxim
- 1997
- Appears in Tommy Hilfiger ad campaign
- 1997
- Appears in TV commercials for Victoria’s Secret Video»
- NOV 1997
- Appears on cover of Shape
- 15 APR, 1998
- Publishes Tyra’s Beauty Inside and Out
- JUL 1998
- Appears on the cover of Spanish Cosmopolitan
- 20 DEC, 1998
- Serves as maid of honor for best friend, Kimora Lee, at her wedding to Russell Simmons
- JUL 1999
- Appears on the cover of Italian Maxim
- 10 SEP, 1999
- Appears in the movie Love Stinks as Holly, Bill Bellamy’s wife
- 14 NOV, 1999
- Stars in Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” video Video»
- JAN 2000
- Appears on cover of GQ
- FEB 2000
- Becomes the youth correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show
- 5 MAR, 2000
- Plays the role of Eve, a doll that comes to life, alongside Lindsay Lohan, in Life-Size Video»
- 21 APR, 2000
- Role of Holly in the movie Love & Basketball
- AUG 2000
- Appears on cover of Italian Maxim
- 4 AUG, 2000
- Plays the role of Zoe in the movie Coyote Ugly Video»
- 2000
- Named Women of the Year by Sports Illustrated
- MAY 2002
- Appears on the cover of Ocean Drive
- 12 JUL, 2002
- Plays the role of Nora Winston, a reality programmer, in Halloween: Resurrection
- 20 MAY, 2003
- Becomes the host and producer of the television show America’s Next Top Model Video»
- NOV 2003
- Walks in the Best of Victoria’s Secret 2003 Fashion Show
- 2005
- Walks for the last time at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
- 12 SEP, 2005
- Starts her own television show, The Tyra Banks Show
- NOV 2005
- Invites Naomi Campbell to end their feud of over ten years
- 21 NOV, 2005
- Quits the fashion business to focus on other endeavors
- 2006
- Celebrates the tenth anniversary of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated with a re-creation of the original 1996 cover shoot
- JAN 2007
- Criticized by tabloids for supposed weight gain
- 5 FEB, 2007
- Appears on cover of People magazine denouncing media stir over her weight
- 28 JUL, 2007
- Rumored to be dating investment banker John Utendahl
- 6 AUG, 2007
- Announces her talk show will move from Los Angeles to New York
- 9 AUG, 2007
- Her brother, Devin, who is a cadet in the U.S. Air Force, is deployed to Iraq
- AUG 2007
- Appears on cover of Ebony magazine with Iman, Alek Wek, and Kimora Lee Simmons
- AUG 2007
- Splits from manager Benny Medina
- 12 JAN, 2008
- BET honors Banks for her media work throughout the years Story»
- 20 JUN, 2008
- Wins the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Video»
- JUL 2008
- Featured in the all-black issue of Italian Vogue, photographed by Steven Meisel
- SEP 2008
- Featured on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, inside Banks impersonates Michelle Obama, photographed by Alexi Lubomirski
- SEP 2008
- Appears in V editorial, alongside rising star Sessilee Lopez, photographed by Sebastian Faena
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