Born Tyson Craig Beckford on December 19, 1971, in New York, the catwalk star had no plans to be a model as he grew up in Jamaica and the Big Apple. In fact, his exotic eyes and high cheekbones – a fascinating combination resulting from his Jamaican-Panamanian-Chinese heritage – drew ridicule from his schoolmates.
The man who would become one of People magazine's Most Beautiful People was barely out of his teens when his striking looks caught the eye of the editor of hip hop magazine The Source in 1991. Within two years the 6ft 2in hunk had a starring role in Ralph Lauren's Polo Sport fragrance campaign.
Before long, Tyson – who sports at least eight tattoos on his chiseled bod – was featured on the covers of dozens of magazines, had posed for top photographers Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber, and was as named VH1's 1995 Model Of The Year. He was also praised by style icons such as Ralph Lauren who cited his "all-American look with a dramatic edge", saying: "He conveys power, style and intelligence in a very exciting way."
However, as a forerunner in his field, Tyson's path hasn't always been smooth. He once turned down a spot on the coveted Milan Fashion Week catwalk because he was the only black man invited to the event. "There are so many African-American and African men who are trying to get jobs, and they weren't giving the jobs to them," he said at the time. "I'm not the only brother out here trying to make it. So I didn't go."
via: MostBeautifulMan.com
Black History FACT: Tyson Beckford is the first black male supermodel and is also the highest paid male supermodel of ALL time!
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