People still tend to think of Tyra Banks as "just a model," but with some recent movies, including Coyote Ugly, she's shown the world that she can do more than just pose for photographers. Tyra was born in Los Angeles on December 4th, 1973, to a very loving and supportive family. Despite the divorce of her parents when she was only six years old, and the torments of her older brother Devin, Tyra's youth was happy and trouble-free.

After being turned down by four modeling agencies because they thought her face wasn't photogenic, Tyra was finally signed by the Elite agency when she was 17. So, instead of going to Loyola Marymount College, Tyra moved to Paris for a year and modeled for many of the big names in fashion, including Ralph Lauren and Chanel.

She then moved back to the States and continued modeling, rocketing her way up through the ranks. Soon Tyra began to diversify her activities, having a small part in the British television movie, Inferno as a supermodel, and then appearing on Will Smith's Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in a recurring supporting role. Tyra's first real movie role came in John Singleton's Higher Learning. She played Omar Epps' track-running girlfriend and though it was a small role, critics were impressed by the intensity she brought to the screen. When the film came out, movie offers began to roll in, but Tyra chose not to act in just anything. Instead, she continued her meteoric rise in the modeling ranks, appearing on the covers of several magazines.

In fact, she was the first African-American woman ever to be featured on the covers of GQ magazine, the Victoria's Secret catalog, and the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She made People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful" list not once, but twice, and even wrote a revealing book about her life, Tyra's Beauty Inside & Out.

Now an important part in Coyote Ugly has brought Tyra back into the limelight. She plays a wild bartender, which is quite ironic because she has said several times that she doesn't drink alcohol. She doesn't watch what she eats, though, unlike most other models; she has gone on record stating that she often eats barbecued ribs, fried chicken wings, ice cream, and fast-food.