Tyra Banks
Banks in 2011, kathclick/bigstock.com
Birth Name: Tyra Lynne Banks
Place of Birth: Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: December 4, 1973
Ethnicity: African-American
Tyra Banks is an American model, television personality, producer, businessperson, actress, author, and singer. She was the host of The Tyra Banks Show from 2005 to 2010, created, and presented, the show America’s Next Top Model, and appeared in the films Coyote Ugly and Halloween: Resurrection, among other works. She is also known as BanX.
Her parents, Caroline (London) and Donald Banks, are both African-American. A picture of Tyra with her parents can be seen here.
Tyra has a son with her former partner, Norwegian photographer Erik Asla.
A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show America’s Next Top Model (2014) stated that Tyra’s genetic ancestry is:
*79% African
*14% British
*6% Native American
One of Tyra’s great-great-grandfathers was named Walter Taylor.
Tyra’s maternal grandfather possibly was Ernest London (the son of Edward London and Ophelia Christopher). Ernest was born in Louisiana. Edward was the son of Charles London and Maria. Ophelia was the daughter of Antoine/Antony Christopher and Susan West Duncan/Champ.
Tyra’s maternal grandmother was Florine B. Coleman (the daughter of Fletcher Coleman and Lucinda/Loucindy Wisner/Hampton). Florine was born in Texas. Fletcher was born in Texas, the son of Ezekle “Zeke”/Ezekiel Coleman and Julia Beasley.
Sources: Genealogical information on Tyra Banks – https://blogs.ancestry.com
Tyra is gorgeous, but she wears color contact lenses, I remember seeing her along time ago and she had dark brown eyes still gorgeous!
No SHe doesnt where did you come up with that??? She even said on one of her shows how she was born with grey eyes so how can it suddenly change to dark brown? HUH!! It will change to either blue or bluish green and she even said how her eyes change colour so why would she lie about this???
Babies and children can often have blue or grey eyes before their final colour is set. Helle Berry’s little girl Nahla had blue eyes as a baby and they are now hazel. This is quite a common event. Have you heard of the term “Baby Blue”. This is because so many babies are born with blue eyes. Eyes do change colour especially in childhood.
It is just like how children are blond and their hair darkens with age.
http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/ask-heidi/baby-eye-color.aspx
This explains about the eye colour change in babies.
Alice, I understand what u r trying to say! However as a person of color because that’s how I choose to identify myself I am so tired of people who when we speak of people of color u draw to one simple conclusion: It doesn’t matter! Now yes Tyra may identify herself as being 100 percent African from Africa because that’s what the implication of her comment and your comment suggest but that doesn’t necessarily make it right! Like many people of color you r forced to do things you know r wrong just to satisfy the needs of others and particularly to avoid scrutiny from other races!!! WHAT IF I TOLD U THAT ALL PEOPLE R A DERIVATIVE OF AFRICA WOULD U BE WILLING TO ACCEPT THAT???? ALL THAT I AM SAYING IS THAT DAMN THOSE PEOPLE OF THE PAST SURE DID A NUMBER ON MAJORITY OF US! WHEN UV LIED WHY TRY?(to tell the truth that is these fools won’t believe not even the truth!!!) lol! At least the people of the past have an excuse: THEY WERE JUST IGNORANT! What truly is the excuse for the people of today??? Help me to understand!!! You have the ability to prove things more now particularly with DNA, GENETIC RESEARCH and the like! I just don’t understand! No one should be this ignorant particularly about a subject such as this!!!! Its just way to easy to prove someone right or wrong concerning this subject matter!!! Way too easy!!!!
what’s the point of this site if everyone is just going to label every single person ‘mixed race?’ who cares about their ethnicity if they are all just ‘mixed race?’ forreal ya’ll are all fucking annoying.
and you’re not?
I completely agree. People don’t seem to understand that just because someone says they are black or African American that does not mean that they are claiming to be fully African. There are very few black people born in America who are not of some mixed ancestry. I have German, Irish, and Native American 3 generations back but I’m not about to walk around claiming I’m mixed. When people look at me they see a light brown skinned black woman and that’s that. That is what I see myself as as well. Nothing is going to change that about me and nothing is going to change that about Tyra no matter what ridiculous argument you people propose. If you guys want to keep saying everyone is mixed because they have white/asian ancenstry 3,4,5 generations back then everyone in the world is considered mixed because everyone has some admixture somewhere in their family. Some of you people are just crazy as hell.
You dumb ass!!!There is a wide range of mixtures!And the reality is that most people have something else in them.
@ Mariposa for the record you should go and learn about HISTORY because the main common trait of a black woman and man is black hair and dark eyes. I’m a black woman and I know you seem to not know anything so think before you speak and get a education. Learn science call genes and DNA.
I personally think there is nothing more beautiful than big brown eyes. All people and nationalities are unique and lovely in their own way. Diversity is a good thing. It doesn’t mean that any characteristics are better than the other. Some traits are just better suited to certain environments. Anyway Africa has more genetic diversity than Asia or Europe. Vive la différence!
@ Mestizo you 100 percent right. You said it for me.