 Born
and raised on the tough streets of New York, Tyson Beckford lived the life of guns, drugs,
gangs, sex and violence. In order to survive, he "did what he had to do".
Admittedly, his life was on course for some hard times had it not been for what we would
like to call "divine intervention".Tyson
was born in Rochester, New York on December 19, 1971. The city streets of Rochester show
no mercy to anyone. His parents are Jamaican, his paternal grandmother is Chinese and his
maternal grandfather is Panamanian. He grew up on the streets and headed in the direction
of many of his peers - toward a life of crime. Had it not been for a fashion editor from
The Source "discovering" him, his life would have gone in an entirely different
direction. The editor from The Source convinced him to sign with a New York based modeling
agency and instead of a life full of guns, he became immersed in a life of glamour.
He began doing photo sessions for accomplished photographers, Bruce Weber and Herb Ritts.
This relationship led to his current relationship with Ralph Lauren that started in 1993.
Ralph Lauren signed him to an exclusive contract that eventually landed him on the pages
of Vogue, GQ, Details, Men's Health, vibe, The New York Times, Essence, Health &
Fitness and a host of other publications.
In 1995, just a short 2 years after signing with Ralph Lauren, Tyson Beckford was named
VH1's "Model of the Year" and on of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People
in the World. He has appeared on Television in spots for Toni Braxton, Mia X, Notorious
B.I.G., Shaquille O'Neal, Jay Leno, Oprah, Rosie O'Donnel, Vibe, The Magic Hour, Good
Morning America, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Mad TV, Nickelodeon, Ralph Lauren Polo Jeans
Advertisements, Entertainment Tonight, E! Entertainment, Video Soul and Teen Summit to
name a few.
Tyson is a single parent of one child - Jordan. He loves motorcycle racing (and
collecting), watching cartoons, tattoos, snowboarding, reading and listening to Hip-Hop.
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