Tyson Craig Beckford (born December 19, 1970) is an American
model and
actor, best known as a
Ralph Lauren model. He is currently the host on the
Bravo program
Make Me a Supermodel.
Biography
Beckford was born on December 19, 1970 to a
Black Jamaican father of
Panamanian descent and a
Black Jamaican mother with some
Chinese heritage. He grew up in
Rochester, New York and attended Bay Trail Middle School in nearby
Penfield, New York. He then graduated from
Pittsford Mendon High School in the affluent suburb of
Pittsford as a participant in the Urban-Suburban Program, a
busing program designed to give educational opportunities to urban youth in the city's surrounding suburban school districts. Beckford was a member of his high school football and track teams.
In 1992, he was recruited to
hip hop magazine
The Source by a talent scout,
Jeff Jones, who has been credited with 'discovering' Beckford in
New York City. In 1993, Beckford was recruited by Ralph Lauren as the front model for the company's Polo line of male sportswear.
