October 8, 2012
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, near Graz, Austria. He rose to fame as the world's top bodybuilder, launching a career that would make him a giant Hollywood star. After years of blockbuster movie roles, Schwarzenegger went into politics, becoming governor of California in 2003. In 2012, he returned to his acting career, starring with Jean-Claude Van Damme,
Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone in the film The Expendables 2. Within just one week, the movie had climbed to the No. 1 spot at the box office, bringing in nearly $28.6 million.
Early Years
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, near Graz, Austria. Schwarzenegger's childhood was far from ideal. His father, Gustav, was an alcoholic police chief and one-time member of the Nazi Party, who clearly favored Arnold's brother over his gangly, seemingly less athletic younger son.
Gustav is reported to have beaten and intimidated Arnold and, when he could, pitted his two boys against one another. He also ridiculed Schwarzenegger's early dreams of becoming a body builder. "It was a very uptight feeling at home," Schwarzenegger later recalled. So uptight and uncomfortable, in fact, that Schwarzenegger would later refuse to attend the funeral of his father, who died in 1972, or his brother, who was killed in a car crash in 1971.
As an escape, Arnold turned to the movies, in particular Reg Parker, a body builder and star in B-level Hercules movies. The films also helped propel Schwarzenegger's own obsession with America, and the future he felt awaited him there. Getting to his new country was the issue. Schwarzenegger found his answer in Joe Weider, the man behind the International Federation of Body Building, an organization that sponsored contests such Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia.
Weider loved Schwarzenegger's bravado, sense of humor, and the potential he saw in the young body builder. Weider's instincts couldn't have been more dead-on. In all, Schwarzenegger would win an unprecedented five Mr. Universe titles and six Mr. Olympia crowns during his bodybuilding career.
Equally significant, Schwarzenegger, who had immigrated to the United States in 1968, helped propel the sport into the mainstream, culminating in the 1977 documentary, Pumping Iron, which tells the tale of Schwarzenegger's defense of his Mr. Olympia crown.
Making it in Hollywood
Since his first foray to the local movie house in his hometown of Graz, Arnold had dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. With his ascension to the top of the bodybuilding world, it was only a matter of time before he'd move over to the big screen.
After acting in a few small parts, Schwarzenegger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer for his performance in Stay Hungry (1976). With his intense physical strength and size, Schwarzenegger was a natural for action films. He became a leading figure in several popular 1980s action movies, including Conan the Barbarian (1982). Schwarzenegger also starred as a deadly machine from the future in The Terminator (1984). The science-fiction drama spawned two sequels--Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003).
Off-screen he continued his remarkable story, marrying into the Kennedy family by tying the knot with Maria Owings Shriver, daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her husband R. Sargent Shriver.
Schwarzenegger's American story sounded improbable, except to those who knew him. "This is a man of bottomless ambition," said George Butler, producer and director of Pumping Iron, in a 2003 interview.
"It's always been there ... He sees himself as mystically sent to America."
The 'Governator'
In 2003, Schwarzenegger again showed his resolve to succeed when he threw his hat into the ring for the California governor's race and won a seat in a special election. In a state that was mired in severe budget woes, the newly elected Republican governor promised to bring economic stability to his adopted state.
As expected, Schwarzenegger brought his own unique brand of confidence to his new job. "If they don't have the guts, I call them 'girlie-men,'" he said of Democrats, early in his first term. "They should go back to the table and fix the budget."
Still, as governor, he worked to improve the state's financial situation, promote new businesses, and protect the environment. In 2006, Schwarzenegger won easily won his bid for re-election.
His second term in office did not run as smoothly, however. Schwarzenegger struggled to help the state through difficult financial times. After leaving office in January 2011, he sought to revive his career in the entertainment industry. In March of that year, Schwarzenegger announced plans to work with famed comic book creator Stan Lee on a new animated series inspired by his time in office.
Only a few months after leaving office, Schwarzenegger made another announcement. He and Maria Shriver made their decision to separate public in May. The news followed Schwarzenegger's acknowledgement that he'd fathered a baby with a member of the family's household staff. Schwarzenegger and Shriver have four children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher.
Recent Publicity
In 2010, Schwarzenegger starred alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone in the film The Expendables. In August 2012, he reunited with the film's cast for a follow-up film, The Expendables 2. Just one week after the film's premiere, it had climbed to the No. 1 spot at the box office, bringing in nearly $28.6 million.
Schwarzenegger made headlines again later in 2012, when he admitted for the first time to having an affair with his Red Sonja co-star, actress Brigitte Nielsen, in the mid-1980s—while he was dating and living with Maria Shriver, whom he later married. Nielsen had written about the adulterous relationship in her 2011 memoir, You Only Get One Life, but Schwarzenegger didn't publicly confirm Nielsen's account until the fall of 2012, when his memoir, Total Recall, was published.
Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone in the film The Expendables 2. Within just one week, the movie had climbed to the No. 1 spot at the box office, bringing in nearly $28.6 million.
Early Years
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, near Graz, Austria. Schwarzenegger's childhood was far from ideal. His father, Gustav, was an alcoholic police chief and one-time member of the Nazi Party, who clearly favored Arnold's brother over his gangly, seemingly less athletic younger son.
Gustav is reported to have beaten and intimidated Arnold and, when he could, pitted his two boys against one another. He also ridiculed Schwarzenegger's early dreams of becoming a body builder. "It was a very uptight feeling at home," Schwarzenegger later recalled. So uptight and uncomfortable, in fact, that Schwarzenegger would later refuse to attend the funeral of his father, who died in 1972, or his brother, who was killed in a car crash in 1971.
As an escape, Arnold turned to the movies, in particular Reg Parker, a body builder and star in B-level Hercules movies. The films also helped propel Schwarzenegger's own obsession with America, and the future he felt awaited him there. Getting to his new country was the issue. Schwarzenegger found his answer in Joe Weider, the man behind the International Federation of Body Building, an organization that sponsored contests such Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia.
Weider loved Schwarzenegger's bravado, sense of humor, and the potential he saw in the young body builder. Weider's instincts couldn't have been more dead-on. In all, Schwarzenegger would win an unprecedented five Mr. Universe titles and six Mr. Olympia crowns during his bodybuilding career.
Equally significant, Schwarzenegger, who had immigrated to the United States in 1968, helped propel the sport into the mainstream, culminating in the 1977 documentary, Pumping Iron, which tells the tale of Schwarzenegger's defense of his Mr. Olympia crown.
Making it in Hollywood
Since his first foray to the local movie house in his hometown of Graz, Arnold had dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. With his ascension to the top of the bodybuilding world, it was only a matter of time before he'd move over to the big screen.
After acting in a few small parts, Schwarzenegger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer for his performance in Stay Hungry (1976). With his intense physical strength and size, Schwarzenegger was a natural for action films. He became a leading figure in several popular 1980s action movies, including Conan the Barbarian (1982). Schwarzenegger also starred as a deadly machine from the future in The Terminator (1984). The science-fiction drama spawned two sequels--Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003).
Off-screen he continued his remarkable story, marrying into the Kennedy family by tying the knot with Maria Owings Shriver, daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her husband R. Sargent Shriver.
Schwarzenegger's American story sounded improbable, except to those who knew him. "This is a man of bottomless ambition," said George Butler, producer and director of Pumping Iron, in a 2003 interview.
"It's always been there ... He sees himself as mystically sent to America."
The 'Governator'
In 2003, Schwarzenegger again showed his resolve to succeed when he threw his hat into the ring for the California governor's race and won a seat in a special election. In a state that was mired in severe budget woes, the newly elected Republican governor promised to bring economic stability to his adopted state.
As expected, Schwarzenegger brought his own unique brand of confidence to his new job. "If they don't have the guts, I call them 'girlie-men,'" he said of Democrats, early in his first term. "They should go back to the table and fix the budget."
Still, as governor, he worked to improve the state's financial situation, promote new businesses, and protect the environment. In 2006, Schwarzenegger won easily won his bid for re-election.
His second term in office did not run as smoothly, however. Schwarzenegger struggled to help the state through difficult financial times. After leaving office in January 2011, he sought to revive his career in the entertainment industry. In March of that year, Schwarzenegger announced plans to work with famed comic book creator Stan Lee on a new animated series inspired by his time in office.
Only a few months after leaving office, Schwarzenegger made another announcement. He and Maria Shriver made their decision to separate public in May. The news followed Schwarzenegger's acknowledgement that he'd fathered a baby with a member of the family's household staff. Schwarzenegger and Shriver have four children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher.
Recent Publicity
In 2010, Schwarzenegger starred alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone in the film The Expendables. In August 2012, he reunited with the film's cast for a follow-up film, The Expendables 2. Just one week after the film's premiere, it had climbed to the No. 1 spot at the box office, bringing in nearly $28.6 million.
Schwarzenegger made headlines again later in 2012, when he admitted for the first time to having an affair with his Red Sonja co-star, actress Brigitte Nielsen, in the mid-1980s—while he was dating and living with Maria Shriver, whom he later married. Nielsen had written about the adulterous relationship in her 2011 memoir, You Only Get One Life, but Schwarzenegger didn't publicly confirm Nielsen's account until the fall of 2012, when his memoir, Total Recall, was published.
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September 27, 2012
VICTORIA BECKHAM
After forming in 1993, each of the five members of the Spice Girls developed her own persona, with Victoria Beckham as "Posh Spice." They released their debut album, Spice, in 1996, and it sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Beckham later explored her love of fashion, developing a line of jeans called VB Rocks in 2004. In 2007, Beckham went on a reunion tour with the Spice Girls.
Aspiring Dancer
Victoria Adams was born on April 17, 1974 in Hertfordshire, England. Since achieving success as a pop singer in the 1990s, Beckham has become one of the most photographed women in the world. Tabloids seem to follow nearly every move that she and her husband, soccer star David Beckham make. Capitalizing on her broad exposure, Victoria Beckham has built her own brand, consisting of clothing, perfume, and sunglasses.
Raised in an affluent family, Beckham started studying ballet at a young age. She pursued her interest in dance at the Laine Arts Theatre College in Surrey when she was 17. After three years there, Beckham moved to London to try to make it as a dancer. Her lucky break came when she answered an ad seeking energetic and hard-working young women in 1993. Out of the 400 women who applied, Beckham was chosen to part of a new all-female pop music group.
Spice Girls
Created by manager Chris Herbert, the band that would become known as the Spice Girls started rehearsing together. The final line-up came together by mid-1993 and consisted of Melanie Brown,Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, and Beckham. The group wanted more creative control and soon broke off with Herbert. They later signed with manager Brian Fuller and got a contract with Virgin Records.
Each of the five members of the Spice Girls developed their own persona: Melanie Brown was known as "Scary Spice"; Melanie Chisholm was "Sporty Spice"; Geri Halliwell was "Ginger Spice"; Emma Bunton was "Baby Spice"; and Beckham was "Posh Spice." They released their debut album, Spice, in 1996 and reached the top of American charts with the catchy dance-pop song "Wannabe" the following year. The follow-up single, "Say You'll Be There," climbed as high as number three on the Billboard 200 chart. The album eventually sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
The group's "girl power" message attracted a substantial audience, especially young teenage girls. In 1997, they released the second album titled Spiceworld and starred in a film of the same name early the following year. While they scored a hit with the song "2 Become 1," Spice Girls failed to duplicate the success of their debut recording. The film featured cameos by such performers as Elvis Costello, Bob Geldof and Elton John, and had some success at the box office, netting close to $30 million.
After drifting apart in the late '90s to pursue other projects, the Spice Girls reunited for a series of concerts in 2007 and 2008. In June 2012, the group reunited again, this time to announce the creation
of a new musical about the rise and fall of the Spice Girls. Viva Forever!, named after the group's 1998 No. 1 single, is slated to open in London by the end of 2012.
In August 2012, Beckham performed along with other members of the Spice Girls at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held in London.
Marriage to David Beckham
Behind the scenes, Beckham's personal life was also thriving. She met soccer player David Beckham at a game in 1997, and the two soon became one of Britain's most popular couples, known in the tabloid as "Posh" and "Becks." They got engaged in 1998 and welcomed their first child together, son Brooklyn, in March 1999. That summer, the couple wed in a lavish ceremony at a castle in Ireland. Beckham invited television audiences inside her life with the reality special Victoria's Secrets, which aired on British television in 2000. She has been featured in several other reality programs since then.
Also in 2000, the Spice Girls released the album Forever, which was recorded without Halliwell who had left the group during an earlier tour. Beckham soon went solo, releasing a self-titled album in 2001. She also wrote her autobiography, Learning to Fly (2001), which became a best seller in Britain. Beckham gave birth to another son, Romeo, the following year.
All of Beckham's success has attracted its share of unwanted attention. In 2002, she and her family also made headlines when the authorities uncovered a plot to kidnap Beckham and hold her for ransom. The following year Beckham moved to Madrid, Spain. After 14 years with the Manchester United team, her husband had signed a lucrative deal to play for the Real Madrid team.
Stepping away from the music scene, Beckham explored her love of fashion. She developed a line of jeans called VB Rocks for the Rock & Republic brand in 2004. In 2006, Beckham shared her fashion wisdom in the book That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between. One year later, Beckham launched her own line of sunglasses called dVb Eyewear and a line of jeans soon followed.
Expanding Empire
That same year, Beckham and her family (which now included third son Cruz born in 2005) moved to Los Angeles, California. David Beckham joined the American soccer team the LA Galaxy, and the arrival of the Beckhams created quite a media frenzy. They were soon seen with some of the city's top celebrities, including Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. She also befriended model and television personality Heidi Klum who also lived in their neighborhood. "Under all that glam and glitz is a really lovely person who is genuine, funny, sexy, and such a great mother," Klum said in an interview withHarper's Bazaar.
Also in 2007, Beckham returned to the pop music world for a reunion tour with the Spice Girls. This time around, the five singers brought their seven children on the road. "We're very strict moms, and that's what keeps the children happy. They have a routine even if they're with us on tour. Children thrive on routines," Beckham explained to Entertainment Weekly.
Her return to music was short-lived, despite having numerous sold-out shows. Beckham has said several times that her
main focus is fashion. She expanded her clothing line in 2008, introducing a new line of dresses. "Everything that I design I would wear myself," Beckham once said. Her business empire also includes a line of fragrances.
In 2009, Beckham became the model for the Emporio Armani underwear line for women. Her husband had previously been featured in ads for their men's line. Beckham explained that she took the job because "when I'm 50, I can look back and say, 'Hey,
Mommy didn't look too bad after having three kids,'" Beckham toldTime magazine.
Beckham maintains a light-hearted attitude about being the target of frequent tabloid news stories. "I've had so many ludicrous things written about me and my family and my friends that it's almost like a joke," she told Allure magazine. For right now, Beckham is focused on her work as a designer. "I'm so grateful to the fashion industry for accepting me and giving me a chance."
Aspiring Dancer
Victoria Adams was born on April 17, 1974 in Hertfordshire, England. Since achieving success as a pop singer in the 1990s, Beckham has become one of the most photographed women in the world. Tabloids seem to follow nearly every move that she and her husband, soccer star David Beckham make. Capitalizing on her broad exposure, Victoria Beckham has built her own brand, consisting of clothing, perfume, and sunglasses.
Raised in an affluent family, Beckham started studying ballet at a young age. She pursued her interest in dance at the Laine Arts Theatre College in Surrey when she was 17. After three years there, Beckham moved to London to try to make it as a dancer. Her lucky break came when she answered an ad seeking energetic and hard-working young women in 1993. Out of the 400 women who applied, Beckham was chosen to part of a new all-female pop music group.
Spice Girls
Created by manager Chris Herbert, the band that would become known as the Spice Girls started rehearsing together. The final line-up came together by mid-1993 and consisted of Melanie Brown,Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, and Beckham. The group wanted more creative control and soon broke off with Herbert. They later signed with manager Brian Fuller and got a contract with Virgin Records.
Each of the five members of the Spice Girls developed their own persona: Melanie Brown was known as "Scary Spice"; Melanie Chisholm was "Sporty Spice"; Geri Halliwell was "Ginger Spice"; Emma Bunton was "Baby Spice"; and Beckham was "Posh Spice." They released their debut album, Spice, in 1996 and reached the top of American charts with the catchy dance-pop song "Wannabe" the following year. The follow-up single, "Say You'll Be There," climbed as high as number three on the Billboard 200 chart. The album eventually sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.
The group's "girl power" message attracted a substantial audience, especially young teenage girls. In 1997, they released the second album titled Spiceworld and starred in a film of the same name early the following year. While they scored a hit with the song "2 Become 1," Spice Girls failed to duplicate the success of their debut recording. The film featured cameos by such performers as Elvis Costello, Bob Geldof and Elton John, and had some success at the box office, netting close to $30 million.
After drifting apart in the late '90s to pursue other projects, the Spice Girls reunited for a series of concerts in 2007 and 2008. In June 2012, the group reunited again, this time to announce the creation
of a new musical about the rise and fall of the Spice Girls. Viva Forever!, named after the group's 1998 No. 1 single, is slated to open in London by the end of 2012.
In August 2012, Beckham performed along with other members of the Spice Girls at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held in London.
Marriage to David Beckham
Behind the scenes, Beckham's personal life was also thriving. She met soccer player David Beckham at a game in 1997, and the two soon became one of Britain's most popular couples, known in the tabloid as "Posh" and "Becks." They got engaged in 1998 and welcomed their first child together, son Brooklyn, in March 1999. That summer, the couple wed in a lavish ceremony at a castle in Ireland. Beckham invited television audiences inside her life with the reality special Victoria's Secrets, which aired on British television in 2000. She has been featured in several other reality programs since then.
Also in 2000, the Spice Girls released the album Forever, which was recorded without Halliwell who had left the group during an earlier tour. Beckham soon went solo, releasing a self-titled album in 2001. She also wrote her autobiography, Learning to Fly (2001), which became a best seller in Britain. Beckham gave birth to another son, Romeo, the following year.
All of Beckham's success has attracted its share of unwanted attention. In 2002, she and her family also made headlines when the authorities uncovered a plot to kidnap Beckham and hold her for ransom. The following year Beckham moved to Madrid, Spain. After 14 years with the Manchester United team, her husband had signed a lucrative deal to play for the Real Madrid team.
Stepping away from the music scene, Beckham explored her love of fashion. She developed a line of jeans called VB Rocks for the Rock & Republic brand in 2004. In 2006, Beckham shared her fashion wisdom in the book That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between. One year later, Beckham launched her own line of sunglasses called dVb Eyewear and a line of jeans soon followed.
Expanding Empire
That same year, Beckham and her family (which now included third son Cruz born in 2005) moved to Los Angeles, California. David Beckham joined the American soccer team the LA Galaxy, and the arrival of the Beckhams created quite a media frenzy. They were soon seen with some of the city's top celebrities, including Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. She also befriended model and television personality Heidi Klum who also lived in their neighborhood. "Under all that glam and glitz is a really lovely person who is genuine, funny, sexy, and such a great mother," Klum said in an interview withHarper's Bazaar.
Also in 2007, Beckham returned to the pop music world for a reunion tour with the Spice Girls. This time around, the five singers brought their seven children on the road. "We're very strict moms, and that's what keeps the children happy. They have a routine even if they're with us on tour. Children thrive on routines," Beckham explained to Entertainment Weekly.
Her return to music was short-lived, despite having numerous sold-out shows. Beckham has said several times that her
main focus is fashion. She expanded her clothing line in 2008, introducing a new line of dresses. "Everything that I design I would wear myself," Beckham once said. Her business empire also includes a line of fragrances.
In 2009, Beckham became the model for the Emporio Armani underwear line for women. Her husband had previously been featured in ads for their men's line. Beckham explained that she took the job because "when I'm 50, I can look back and say, 'Hey,
Mommy didn't look too bad after having three kids,'" Beckham toldTime magazine.
Beckham maintains a light-hearted attitude about being the target of frequent tabloid news stories. "I've had so many ludicrous things written about me and my family and my friends that it's almost like a joke," she told Allure magazine. For right now, Beckham is focused on her work as a designer. "I'm so grateful to the fashion industry for accepting me and giving me a chance."
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TYRA BANKS
Tyra Banks, born on December 4, 1973 in Los Angeles, California, was a leading international fashion model, becoming the first Black woman to land the cover of the Sports Illustratedswimsuit issue. She later tried her hand at acting before creating and hosting her own reality TV show, Project Runway, then to be followed by her own daytime talk show, for which she's won an Emmy.
Early Life
Supermodel. Born December 4, 1973 in Inglewood, California. Tyra Banks' father, Don Banks, was a computer consultant and her mother, Carolyn, was a medical photographer. Banks' parents divorced when she was only 6 years old, but she says that she was too young for the divorce to have much impact on her. "As far as I could see I had it made," Banks remembers. "I stayed with Mommy on the weekdays and Daddy on the weekends. I had two birthday parties, two Christmases. Double the presents, double the love."
Banks says that she developed a love for food—and not always healthy food—from a very young age, devouring fried chicken, candied yams and pork chops at family gatherings. "I was taught to enjoy food, not to fear it," Banks recalls. She developed healthier habits, too, and began working out with her mother's exercise group at the age of 6. After her grandmother passed away from lung cancer, Banks also vowed never to smoke.
Banks confesses that she was somewhat of a "mean girl" in middle school. "I was popular, gossipy," she recalls, "and if I didn't want one of the other girls to be in the clique anymore, for whatever tiny little reason, I voted her out." When Banks attended Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, however, she found herself on the other end of the social food chain. A sudden growth spurt left her tall and gawky, and her classmates gave her the cruel nickname "Giraffe." "I went from being the popular girl who looked normal, to being considered a freak," Banks remembers. Nevertheless, Banks says that the teasing and abuse taught her the importance of kindness. "It turned out that the best things [to happen to me] in my life were to be made fun of, and to have no friends, and to feel miserable every single day."
On the Runway
By 1989, at the age of 17, Banks had outgrown her awkward phase and begun to resemble the tall, curvy, caramel-skinned and green-eyed beauty who would light up runways and magazine covers for years to come. However, her first attempts to find a modeling agency were met with rejection and discrimination. Banks remembers that one agency said she looked "too ethnic" and another said that it "already had a black woman and didn't want another." Then in 1990, while still in high school, Banks landed a contract with Elite Model Management, the largest modeling agency in the world. Later that year, she shot her first print piece for Seventeenmagazine. After graduating high school in 1991, Banks enrolled at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, but decided to forego college when Elite offered to send her to Paris for high-fashion runway modeling.
Banks rose swiftly through the ranks of fashion modeling to become one of the world's top supermodels. She booked 25 runway shows while in Paris in 1991, an unprecedented feat for a newcomer to the industry. But by the mid-1990s, Banks began to gain weight, a forbidden sin in the world of rail-thin clothing models. Unwilling to starve herself to achieve the desired physique for high-fashion models, Banks decided to return to the United States and switch to swimwear and lingerie modeling, where curvier models are more welcome. "I made my living being 20 or 30 pounds heavier than the average model," Banks says. "And that's where I got famous. Victoria's Secret said I sold more bras and panties than anybody else, and I was traipsing down that runway with 30 pounds more booty than the other girls."
Pioneering Model
In 1996, Banks became the first black woman to appear on the cover of GQ as well as the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. A year later, she became the first African-American woman to appear on the cover of a Victoria's Secret catalog. She signed lucrative contracts with both Cover Girl and Victoria's Secret, becoming a staple of both companies' advertising campaigns and runway shows. Tyra Banks has been named multiple times toPeople magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People list. In 1997, she received the prestigious Michael Award for Supermodel of the Year, and she has also won two Teen Choice Awards for Favorite Supermodel.
In addition to her modeling work, Banks has also occasionally pursued acting work. She made her acting debut in 1993 with a seven-episode stint on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In 2000, Banks appeared in a trio of popular films: Love & Basketball, Coyote Uglyand the made-for-TV movie Life Size. More recently, she guest-starred in an episode of the CW's popular teen TV-soap Gossip Girl.
Reality TV and Other Work
In 2003, Banks ventured into the world of reality TV when she created, produced and hosted the UPN show America's Next Top Model. The show, which pits aspiring models against each other in a competition for the label of America's Next Top Model, was UPN's highest-rated show through its first six seasons. In 2006, Top Modelwas chosen to headline the newly created CW television network. The show has run for 15 seasons and continues to draw enormous television audiences.Banks expanded into daytime television with her own talk show, The Tyra Show, in 2005. The show's most famous moment came in February 2007, shortly after several unflattering pictures of Banks in a bathing suit surfaced in tabloid magazines. Banks marched onstage wearing the same bathing suit and told critics to "Kiss my fat ass!"
Banks also worked extensively to help young women deal with self-esteem issues. As early as 1992, when she was only 19 years old, Banks funded a scholarship to help young black women attend her alma mater, the private Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. In 1998, she wrote Tyra's Beauty Inside & Out, a book aimed at inspiring young women, and a year later she founded TZONE, a foundation aimed at developing teenage girls' independence and self-esteem.
Over the years, Banks has been romantically linked with directorJohn Singleton, basketball player Chris Webber, and investment banker John Utendahl. She rarely discusses her romantic life in public, however, and remains unmarried and without children.
As the creator and host of two hit TV shows, the former supermodel is creating a self-branded TV empire that has already drawn comparisons to Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey. Asked why she made the switch from modeling to hosting TV shows, Banks answered, "I want power. The power to make change." She is determined to prove she is more than just amodel, and she has a refrain for critics who suggest otherwise: "You think I'm just a model? Well, then, let me show you."
Early Life
Supermodel. Born December 4, 1973 in Inglewood, California. Tyra Banks' father, Don Banks, was a computer consultant and her mother, Carolyn, was a medical photographer. Banks' parents divorced when she was only 6 years old, but she says that she was too young for the divorce to have much impact on her. "As far as I could see I had it made," Banks remembers. "I stayed with Mommy on the weekdays and Daddy on the weekends. I had two birthday parties, two Christmases. Double the presents, double the love."
Banks says that she developed a love for food—and not always healthy food—from a very young age, devouring fried chicken, candied yams and pork chops at family gatherings. "I was taught to enjoy food, not to fear it," Banks recalls. She developed healthier habits, too, and began working out with her mother's exercise group at the age of 6. After her grandmother passed away from lung cancer, Banks also vowed never to smoke.
Banks confesses that she was somewhat of a "mean girl" in middle school. "I was popular, gossipy," she recalls, "and if I didn't want one of the other girls to be in the clique anymore, for whatever tiny little reason, I voted her out." When Banks attended Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, however, she found herself on the other end of the social food chain. A sudden growth spurt left her tall and gawky, and her classmates gave her the cruel nickname "Giraffe." "I went from being the popular girl who looked normal, to being considered a freak," Banks remembers. Nevertheless, Banks says that the teasing and abuse taught her the importance of kindness. "It turned out that the best things [to happen to me] in my life were to be made fun of, and to have no friends, and to feel miserable every single day."
On the Runway
By 1989, at the age of 17, Banks had outgrown her awkward phase and begun to resemble the tall, curvy, caramel-skinned and green-eyed beauty who would light up runways and magazine covers for years to come. However, her first attempts to find a modeling agency were met with rejection and discrimination. Banks remembers that one agency said she looked "too ethnic" and another said that it "already had a black woman and didn't want another." Then in 1990, while still in high school, Banks landed a contract with Elite Model Management, the largest modeling agency in the world. Later that year, she shot her first print piece for Seventeenmagazine. After graduating high school in 1991, Banks enrolled at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, but decided to forego college when Elite offered to send her to Paris for high-fashion runway modeling.
Banks rose swiftly through the ranks of fashion modeling to become one of the world's top supermodels. She booked 25 runway shows while in Paris in 1991, an unprecedented feat for a newcomer to the industry. But by the mid-1990s, Banks began to gain weight, a forbidden sin in the world of rail-thin clothing models. Unwilling to starve herself to achieve the desired physique for high-fashion models, Banks decided to return to the United States and switch to swimwear and lingerie modeling, where curvier models are more welcome. "I made my living being 20 or 30 pounds heavier than the average model," Banks says. "And that's where I got famous. Victoria's Secret said I sold more bras and panties than anybody else, and I was traipsing down that runway with 30 pounds more booty than the other girls."
Pioneering Model
In 1996, Banks became the first black woman to appear on the cover of GQ as well as the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. A year later, she became the first African-American woman to appear on the cover of a Victoria's Secret catalog. She signed lucrative contracts with both Cover Girl and Victoria's Secret, becoming a staple of both companies' advertising campaigns and runway shows. Tyra Banks has been named multiple times toPeople magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People list. In 1997, she received the prestigious Michael Award for Supermodel of the Year, and she has also won two Teen Choice Awards for Favorite Supermodel.
In addition to her modeling work, Banks has also occasionally pursued acting work. She made her acting debut in 1993 with a seven-episode stint on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In 2000, Banks appeared in a trio of popular films: Love & Basketball, Coyote Uglyand the made-for-TV movie Life Size. More recently, she guest-starred in an episode of the CW's popular teen TV-soap Gossip Girl.
Reality TV and Other Work
In 2003, Banks ventured into the world of reality TV when she created, produced and hosted the UPN show America's Next Top Model. The show, which pits aspiring models against each other in a competition for the label of America's Next Top Model, was UPN's highest-rated show through its first six seasons. In 2006, Top Modelwas chosen to headline the newly created CW television network. The show has run for 15 seasons and continues to draw enormous television audiences.Banks expanded into daytime television with her own talk show, The Tyra Show, in 2005. The show's most famous moment came in February 2007, shortly after several unflattering pictures of Banks in a bathing suit surfaced in tabloid magazines. Banks marched onstage wearing the same bathing suit and told critics to "Kiss my fat ass!"
Banks also worked extensively to help young women deal with self-esteem issues. As early as 1992, when she was only 19 years old, Banks funded a scholarship to help young black women attend her alma mater, the private Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. In 1998, she wrote Tyra's Beauty Inside & Out, a book aimed at inspiring young women, and a year later she founded TZONE, a foundation aimed at developing teenage girls' independence and self-esteem.
Over the years, Banks has been romantically linked with directorJohn Singleton, basketball player Chris Webber, and investment banker John Utendahl. She rarely discusses her romantic life in public, however, and remains unmarried and without children.
As the creator and host of two hit TV shows, the former supermodel is creating a self-branded TV empire that has already drawn comparisons to Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey. Asked why she made the switch from modeling to hosting TV shows, Banks answered, "I want power. The power to make change." She is determined to prove she is more than just amodel, and she has a refrain for critics who suggest otherwise: "You think I'm just a model? Well, then, let me show you."
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