Tyra Lynne Banks, born on December 4, 1973, is a popular and globally recognized television personality, model, actress, producer, writer, and businesswoman. Also known by the name BanX, she has made history as the first African-American woman to be on the cover of both “G.Q.” and a “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue. Banks has accomplished so much in a very short time and we are very excited to celebrate her with you today.
Fast Facts
Full Name:
Tyra Lynne Banks
Nickname:
BanX
Birth date:
December 4, 1973
Age:
51
Zodiac Sign:
Sagittarius
Height:
5' 10"
Relationship Status:
In a relationship
Net Worth:
$90 million
Background
Tyra Lynne Banks is an African-American model, actress, and T.V. personality with an established position in showbiz. She was born in Inglewood, California.
Her mother, Carolyn London, worked as a medical photographer and her father, Donald Banks, was a computer consultant. She was raised with her brother Devin. She went to John Burroughs Middle School and later on graduated from Immaculate Heart High School. In 2012, she cleared the nine-week course she was undertaking to finish Harvard University’s President Management non-degree extension program.
Banks initially started her career as a teen model. She has made history as the first African-American woman to be on the cover of “G.Q.” and a “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue. She was also a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 1997 up to 2005. This catapulted her modeling career and she soon became among the world’s top-earning models. She began pursuing her acting career in 1993 through the sitcom, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Her film debut however came in 1995 through “Higher Learning.” She landed major roles in 2000 including those of Eve in “Life-Size” and Zoe in “Coyote Ugly.” She also featured in “Love & Basketball,” “Halloween: Resurrection,” “Gossip Girl,” and “Glee.” In 2003, she started hosting “America’s Next Top Model.” She was the executive producer of the show as well as the host for the first 22 seasons. She also co-created “True Beauty” in 2009 while continuing with her own television talk show, “The Tyra Banks Show.”
Apart from being a television personality and an actress, she is also an author. In 2010, she published the 2011 “New York Times” bestseller “Modelland,” which centered on her modeling career. As a producer, she owns her own production company known as Bankable Productions. Its main productions include, “The Tyra Banks Show,” all the seasons of “America’s Next Top Model,” and the film titled, “The Clique.” She has been featured as one of four African-American and seven women to be ranked among the world’s most influential people by “Time Magazine” repeatedly. She was also acknowledged as a Legendary Supermodel by MODELS.com.
Career timeline
She makes her debut in her acting career with “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” sitcom.
She is crowned a Victoria's Secret Angel, becoming one of the world’s top-paid models.
She creates and produces the reality television series, “America’s Next Top Model.”
She launches her own talk show known as, “The Tyra Banks Show,” which airs on the C.W.
She publishes “Modelland,” a young adult novel that goes on to become the top “New York Times” Best Seller.
Why We Love Tyra Banks
She is philanthropic
She began the TZONE initiative program whose aim is leadership and life skills development. Banks also started a scholarship fund known as the Tyra Banks Scholarship, which aims to provide African-American girls opportunities at her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School.
She is business oriented
She owns several businesses and corporations in the entertainment and beauty industries. She has rebranded the business sector in these fields and made it possible for women especially to follow suit in investing in these industries. She has also created numerous job opportunities from the executive level to the casual workers.
She is a pace setter
She has broken several societal barriers, especially against African-Americans and more so, women. She has taken her power back and with that enables others like her to believe in themselves as well.
5 Surprising Facts
She was a victim of relationship abuse
Banks came out on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and revealed that she was a victim of an abusive relationship.
She applauded her parents’ divorce
She saw her parent’s divorce as an opportunity to receive more love from two sets of parents.
She faced racial discrimination
She was rejected by several modeling agencies because she was black.
She doesn’t diet
She does not believe in dieting to conform to a certain body size.
She disapproved of nudity and drugs
She made a rule not to work with anyone that required her to be nude or intoxicated.
Tyra Banks FAQs
Does Tyra Banks have a kid?
Yes. Her son’s name is York Banks Asla.
When did Tyra Banks stop modeling?
After her self-imposed retirement from modeling in 2005, Banks decided to feature on the cover of the 2019 “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue.
Did Tyra Banks ever get married?
Banks has not been married yet and has been dating her boyfriend Louis Bélanger-Martin since 2018.
Tyra Banks’s birthday dates
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2024 | December 4 | Wednesday |
2025 | December 4 | Thursday |
2026 | December 4 | Friday |
2027 | December 4 | Saturday |
2028 | December 4 | Monday |