Tyra Banks is an American entrepreneur, supermodel, and Emmy award-winning television producer and personality. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her modeling career at 15. Banks achieved supermodel status, becoming the first African American woman featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, appearing three times. She was also a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005 and was among the world's top-earning models by the early 2000s.