Tyra Banks Biography

Tyra Banks is an American actor, author, producer, entrepreneur, television personality, and former supermodel. She is best known for creating, producing, and presenting the long-running reality television series 'America's Next Top Model.' She also created and hosted the two-time ‘Emmy’ award-winning daytime talk show 'The Tyra Banks Show' for five years. Banks, who gained recognition as a supermodel, originally wanted to be a writer or producer in the film industry. Often body shamed by her older brother as well as her peers, Banks did not think of modeling as a career option until she was encouraged by a classmate who made her realize her true potential. Despite initial discouragement from professionals, she eventually landed a high profile modeling assignment after being spotted by a French scout. She went on to model for several leading clothing line and became the first black woman to be featured on the covers of prestigious magazines like 'GQ' and 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.' She then went on to try her hand at writing, singing, acting, and teaching. She is one of the few women to have been repeatedly featured in 'Time' magazine's ‘world’s most influential people’ list. She is also one of the few models to be named a ‘Legendary Supermodel’ by ‘MODELS.com.’