Tyra Banks has gone from ugly duckling
as a child to a supermodel on top of the world today
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About
Tyra Banks |
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"A smart model is a
good model," Tyra Banks was once quoted as saying, and she seems destined to
prove it in every way. Now widely known as one of the world's foremost
supermodels, Banks began her modeling career at the age of 17 with the Elite
agency after flirting with attending college at Loyola Marymount. The 5'11"
beauty was quickly discovered in Los Angeles, her birth city, and offered a
healthy contract with cosmetics company Cover Girl -- becoming only the
third African-American woman in the world to secure such an opportunity. She
took the modeling world by storm and there seemed to be no stopping her.
The Los Angeles born nymph has been a breakthru model for the African
American community. Tyra was the first black female to appear solo on the
cover of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue. Tyra hadn't always had
dreams of becoming a supermodel, as a child Tyra was made fun of by her
schoolmates and as she says in a recent interview "They knew I was sensitive
and they'd tease me all the time. I'd go home crying to my mom. But I got
the last laugh. Now I say, 'Is that really me?' " The issue of being 'really
me' also is being brought into question with Tyra.
"Black women have always been these vixens, these animalistic erotic women.
Why can't we just be the sexy American girl next door?" -Tyra Banks, on her
status as a sex symbol.
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Tyra Banks's Birthday |
Tyra was born in
Los Angeles on December 4th, 1973, to a very loving and supportive family.
Despite the divorce of her parents when she was only six years old, and the
torments of her older brother Devin, Tyra's youth was happy and
trouble-free.
Though it might now be hard to believe, Tyra was a tall, skinny and awkward
adolescent. She was constantly teased by her brother and her classmates, and
often ran home crying to her mother for comfort. Then, late in high school,
everything changed for her. She filled out her skinny frame, began to work
out and finally decided to become a model. Tyra pursued that goal with the
determination that now marks all of her activities.
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Tyra Banks as Model & Actress |
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First a model,
then an actress, now a film producer and CEO of her own company (TYInc.),
her career is taking off, and the sky is the limit. Tyra Banks had a
successful career in modeling. Born in California she was chosen by People
magazine as one of the world's most beautiful people in 1996. Recently, she
has been moving into acting, with roles in the movie Higher Learning and the
television show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." She is also in the popular
Nike ads featuring "little Penny."
Tyra's first real movie role came in John Singleton's Higher Learning. She
played Omar Epps' track-running girlfriend and though it was a small role,
critics were impressed by the intensity she brought to the screen. She was
definitely not just another supermodel playing at being an actress -- her
performance was the real thing. She even did some distance-running training,
in order to turn in a more believable performance. When the film came out,
movie offers began to roll in, but Tyra chose not to act in just anything.
Instead, she continued her meteoric rise in the modeling ranks, appearing on
the covers of several magazines.
Tyra appeared in one or two movies during this time, but only really began
to work in Hollywood last year, with a small part in Love Stinks. Then, the
year 2000 brought with it a supporting role in the popular independent film
Love & Basketball, and a starring role in the made-for-TV Disney movie
Life-Size (in which she played a doll brought to life by a wish).
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Tyra Banks's Movies |
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2006
America's Next Top Model: Season 06
2005 America's Next Top Model: Season 05
2004 America's Next Top Model: Season 03
2004 America's Next Top Model: Season 02
2003 America's Next Top Model: Season 01
2003 America's Next Top Model [TV Series]
2002 Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights
2002 Halloween: Resurrection
2001 Larceny
2000 Coyote Ugly
2000 Life-Size
1999 The Apartment Complex
1999 Love Stinks
1998 Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit 1998
1998 The Teen Files: The Truth About Drinking
1998 Smoking: The Truth Unfiltered
1997 Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit 1997
1995 Higher Learning
In the Mix: Smoking - The Truth Unfiltered
Executive Producer:
2005 The Tyra Banks Show [TV Series]
2003 America's Next Top Model [TV Series]
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| Tyra Banks is Fat |
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Tyra Banks
has always said that her role model in life is Oprah Winfrey, and after
being really rich, and having a talk show, you can add being pretty fat
to her list of accomplishments.
Now, I know some of you are probably going to get mad at me for saying
Tyra Banks is fat, but could anyone out there really see her walking
down the catwalk looking like that? I didn't think so. |
