Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks, born on December 4, 1973, is a multifaceted American icon known for her remarkable contributions as a model, television personality, producer, writer, and actress. She embarked on her modeling career at the tender age of 15, breaking barriers as the first African American woman to grace the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, where she made history with three appearances. Banks achieved supermodel status, becoming one of the few Black models to do so, and served as a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005, solidifying her place among the world's top-earning models by the early 2000s.

Transitioning from modeling to acting, Banks made her television debut in the beloved sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1993 and marked her film debut in the drama Higher Learning in 1995. She gained significant recognition in 2000 with major roles in Disney Channel's Life-Size and the box-office success Coyote Ugly. Her filmography also includes notable appearances in Love & Basketball, Halloween: Resurrection, Gossip Girl, and Glee.

In 2003, Banks revolutionized reality television by creating and hosting America's Next Top Model, a series she executive produced for 22 seasons until its cancellation in 2015. She returned as an executive producer for the show's revival in 2016 and took on hosting duties again for the 24th cycle. Additionally, she co-created the series True Beauty and hosted her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, which aired from 2005 to 2010 and won two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show Informative.

Beyond television, Banks authored a young adult novel titled Modelland in 2010, which became a New York Times Best Seller in 2011. She founded Bankable Productions, responsible for producing her talk show, America's Next Top Model, and the film The Clique. Recognized for her influence, Banks is one of only four African Americans and seven women to be repeatedly ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine, and she is celebrated as one of seventeen models designated as a Legendary Supermodel by MODELS.com.