Tyson Beckford is an American model and actor best known as a Ralph Lauren Polo model. He was also the host of both seasons of the Bravo program Make Me a Supermodel. Beckford has been described as one of the most successful black male supermodelsof all time, achieving fame and huge contracts similar to the female models that had huge success in the 1990s.
Early life
Beckford was born in Rochester, New York on December 19, 1970 to an Afro Jamaican mother, Hillary Dixon Hall and a Panamanian father of Afro Jamaican and Chinese-Jamaican descent, Lloyd Beckford. Beckford has one sister named Shanique Beckford who currently resides in New York City. Soon after he was born, his mother took the family back to Jamaica, where they lived for seven years before returning to Rochester New York, where he attended and graduated from Pittsford Mendon High School. During his school years, Tyson was often teased about his looks.
Career
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. by Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca Beckford was named "Man of the Year" in 1995 by the cable television music channel VH1 and one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine. He is represented by Soul Artist Management in New York City and D'management Group in Milan. He was ranked at #38 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the '90s. In 2003, he appeared on the ABC network's celebrity reality game showI'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. In September 2008, he supported the National RESPECT! Campaign against domestic violence, recording a voice message for the Giverespect.org Web site, speaking about the importance of respect for others. Beckford co-hosted the modeling contest Make Me a Supermodelon the television channel Bravo with fellow supermodel Niki Taylor. The show chose Nicole Trunfio to join Beckford as a mentor to the model contestants for the show's second season. Other judges included designer Catherine Malandrino, model Jenny Shimizu, photographer Perou and model scout Marlon. Beckford judged and mentored the contestants of the first few episodes of the Australian version of Make Me a Supermodel with model and former Miss UniverseJennifer Hawkins. In 2012, he participated in Fox's dating game showThe Choice. He is one of the hosts for the Anglo-Irish version of Next Top Model.
Personal life
On June 7, 2005, Beckford was injured following a car accident in Secaucus, New Jersey. Shortly before 5:00am, he lost control of his 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 and struck a utility pole. The vehicle caught fire immediately after the collision, but Beckford was able to pull himself out before the red pick-up became fully engulfed in flames. He was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center and hospitalized for head trauma and cuts. During an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tyson claimed the accident had a profound effect on his spirituality. Beckford has been a resident of the New Jersey communities of Edgewater and West New York. Beckford has a son, Jordan Beckford, from a previous relationship with celebrity stylist April Roomet, who appears on the E! Television program Candy Girls. Beckford is an Ambassador for the non-profit Kick 4 Life, an organization that uses the power of soccer to engage vulnerable youth in holistic care and support in Lesotho.
