Now a household name thanks to her popular TV talk show "The Tyra Banks Show," as well as "America's Next Top Model," Tyra Banks got her start in the fashion industry at the tender age of 17. The California native (born December 4th, 1973) signed with Elite Model Management during her senior year at Immaculate Heart High School, and all-girl, Catholic school in her hometown of Los Angeles. In 1997, after enjoying a few years of being a catwalk favorite, the 5' 10" Banks became the first African-American model to land the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition as well as the Victoria's Secret catalog. Banks had a re-occurring role on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air in 1993 and co-starred in 2000's Coyote Ugly, but it's her double actor-producer roles on her eponymous show and ANTM that earned her a place on Time magazine's most influential people list.
