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Tyra Banks

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Tyra Lynne Banks is a famous American star.

Tyra Banks 1995
Tyra Banks 1995

She works as a model, actress, and writer. She is also a producer and a television personality. Many people know her because she reached supermodel status. She was one of only a few Black models to do this. She was also the first Black woman on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Tyra Banks(Cannes)
Tyra Banks(Cannes)

Her hard work helped her become a top earner in her field.

Tyra's career has many different steps. She started modeling at age 15 in Los Angeles. After being rejected by four agencies, she signed with L.A. Models. Later, she moved to Milan to work in Europe. She booked 25 shows during the 1991 Paris Fashion Week. She worked for many famous brands like Chanel and Calvin Klein. She even became a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005.

Tyra Banks 2012 Shankbone
Tyra Banks 2012 Shankbone

She even returned to walk for them again in 2024.

Tyra was born on December 4, 1973, in Inglewood, California. Her mother is a medical photographer named Carolyn London. Her father is a computer consultant named Donald Banks. When she was six, her parents divorced. She went to Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. She graduated from that school in 1991. As a young girl, she felt like an "ugly duckling." However, she grew three inches and lost 30 pounds in just three months when she was 11.

Tyra has done many things on television and in films. She acted in the show *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air* in 1993. She played a doll named Eve in the Disney film *Life-Size*. In 2003, she created the show *America's Next Top Model*. She ran that show for twenty-two seasons. She also hosted *The Tyra Banks Show* from 2005 to 2010. That show won two Daytime Emmy awards. She also hosted *America's Got Talent* and *Dancing with the Stars*.

Beyond acting, Tyra is a business leader and an author. She wrote a novel called *Modelland* in 2011. This book was about her life as a model. It reached the top of *The New York Times* Best Seller list. She also started a company called Tyra Beauty. She even studied at Harvard Business School to help with this.

Finally, she started an ice cream brand called Smize & Dream. This brand was inspired by memories of her mother.

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File:Tyra Banks 2012 Shankbone.JPG
Tyra Banks 2012 Shankbone.JPG
File:Tyra Banks(Cannes).jpg
Tyra Banks(Cannes).jpg
File:Tyra_Banks_1995.jpg
Tyra_Banks_1995.jpg
File:Defense.gov News Photo 031219-F-0464D-071.jpg
Defense.gov News Photo 031219-F-0464D-071.jpg
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