Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an
American media personality,
actress, occasional
singer, former
model and
businesswoman.
She first became famous as a model in
Paris,
Milan,
London,
Tokyo and
New York, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough. Banks is the creator and host of the
UPN/
The CW reality television show
America's Next Top Model and is co-creator of
True Beauty. She also hosts her own
talk show,
The Tyra Banks Show.
In 2009 she was honored by
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) with the Excellence in Media Award.
Early life
Tyra Banks was born in
Inglewood,
California, the daughter of Karolyn (
née London), a fashion manager and NASA photographer, and Donald Banks, a computer consultant.
The couple divorced in 1980, when Banks was 6 years old. However, the relationship between her parents, and between her and her brother Devin Banks (born 1968), stayed friendly. Later, Carolyn married Clifford Johnson; she now goes by Carolyn London-Johnson. Banks attended
John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from
Immaculate Heart High School in
Los Angeles. She was accepted by colleges such as
USC and
UCLA for television
