Banks, Tyra

▪ 2006

 Supermodel Tyra Banks, the host and executive producer of America's Next Top Model—a weekly prime-time reality talent show that chronicled the search for a promising fashion model from a lineup of neophytes—demonstrated in 2005 that she was a star not only on the catwalk but on television as well. In September she debuted The Tyra Banks Show, a daily talk show that focused on fashion, lifestyle, makeovers, and topical issues but also featured Banks at the centre of a reality twist—she was spotlighted, in taped confessional segments, divulging her own struggles with personal issues, including self-esteem as well as her failure to forge lasting romantic partnerships.

      From Top Model's inception in 2003, it swiftly became one of the highest-rated shows in the history of the UPN network. It also served as a springboard for The Tyra Banks Show, which Banks hoped would serve as a positive motivational tool for young women between the ages of 25 and 35 (its target audience). Banks also mentored contestants on Top Model and teenage girls who attend TZONE, an annual weeklong summer camp near Los Angeles.

      Banks was born on Dec. 4, 1973, in Los Angeles. In the 1990s she launched her international modeling career, working on runways in New York City, Milan, and Paris, where she lived for a time, before her intuition led her to forge a TV career. Banks settled in New York and worked to attain the level of mass appeal that her idol, Cindy Crawford, enjoyed as both a model and a personality.

      In 1993 Banks was featured in a recurring role on episodes of the TV comedy The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Two years later she landed her first role in a motion picture—Higher Learning—a drama written and directed by John Singleton, her former boyfriend. In 2000 she starred in Coyote Ugly, a rowdy coming-of-age feature film. Though Banks showcased her musical talent in “Shake Ya Body,” a single produced for her by Rodney Jerkins, her rendition of the song failed to become a hit when it was released in 2004. Meanwhile, her modeling career thrived. In 1997 Banks became the first black model to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and she was the first model and first black woman to be featured on the cover of GQ magazine. She also had a stint as a model in the Victoria's Secret lingerie catalog and represented Cover Girl cosmetics in TV and print advertisements. In December 2005 Banks retired from modeling.

Bronwyn Cosgrave

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▪ American fashion model

born Dec. 4, 1973, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.

      American supermodel who became a television personality and was especially noted for her daily talk show, The Tyra Banks Show.

      Banks was a student at an all-girls Catholic school when she began her modeling career. She appeared first in catalogs and then on the runways of New York City, Milan, and Paris, where she lived for a time before branching into television work. She later settled in New York and patterned her career trajectory after that of her idol, supermodel Cindy Crawford.

      In 1993 Banks was featured in a recurring role on several episodes of the TV comedy, and Will Smith (Smith, Will) vehicle, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–96). Two years later she landed a role in a motion picture—Higher Learning—a drama written and directed by John Singleton, with whom she was romantically involved. In 2000 she appeared in Coyote Ugly, a rowdy coming-of-age feature film. Attempting to expand her career, in 2004 Banks released a music video and a single, Shake Ya Body, but the recording failed to become a hit.

      During these forays into acting and singing, Banks's modeling career thrived. In 1997 she became the first African American model to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and that same year she was the first model and first black woman to be featured on the cover of GQ magazine. She also had a stint as a model in the Victoria's Secret lingerie catalog and represented Cover Girl cosmetics in TV and print advertisements.

      In 2003 Banks signed on as the host and executive producer of America's Next Top Model, a weekly prime-time reality talent show that chronicled the search for a promising fashion model from a lineup of neophytes. It swiftly became one of the highest-rated shows in the history of the UPN network.

      It also served as a springboard for her own daily talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, which debuted in 2005. It focused on fashion, lifestyle, makeovers, and topical issues and featured Banks at the centre of a reality-show-like twist: in taped confessional segments, she divulged her own struggles with a variety of issues, including low self-esteem and her inability to find and keep a suitable mate. She retired from modeling in 2005.

      In addition to her TV work, she continued to appear in films, playing herself in cameo roles in the movies Mr. Woodcock (2007) and Tropic Thunder (2008). In 2008 The Tyra Banks Show won an Emmy Award for outstanding talk show in the newly created “informative” category.

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