Best known as Ralph Lauren Polo, Tyson Beckford is an American actor and a fashion model.
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Personal life
Born on December 19 in the year 1970, Tyson Beckford is known as the most successful and renowned black male model of all times, despite having retired from the position a few years ago. Beckford was born in Rochester, New York to parents of varying ethnicity. While his father Lloyd Beckford is a Jamaican, his mother Hillary Dixon Hall is a Chinese Jamaican. Unfortunately, Tyson used to get belittled in school for being a part of such a rare race. Soon after he was born, Tyson’s mother took the family back to Jamaica. Tyson is 6 feet tall and currently, he is 45 years old.
Before Tyson’s career as a model took off in 1992, he used to play both his track teams and also his high school football. In 1990s, he worked as a Ralph Lauren underwear model. Tyson has a son named Jordan Beckford, who was born in 1998, from a previous relationship with stylist April Roomet. Currently, April appears on the E! Television program called Candy Girls. Since Tyson is no longer a model, he runs a non-profit organization called Kick 4 Life, an organization which uses soccer to engage endangered children in holistic care and support. Tyson is an Ambassador of this organization.
Career
As stated earlier, Tyson’s career commenced in 1992 when he was recruited to hip hop magazine named ‘The Source’ by Jeff Jones, who is a talent scout. In the following year, Tyson was recruited by Ralph Lauren as the front model for his company’s Polo line of male sportswear. Two years later in 1995, Tyson was named “Man of the Year” by music channel VH1 and he was also shortlisted in “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” by People magazine. In the year 2003, he appeared on the ABC network’s celebrity reality game show called “I’m a Celebrity….. Get Me Out of Here!”
Tyson Beckford co-hosted a modeling contest named “Make Me a Supermodel”, which appeared on the television channel called ‘Bravo’. In the year 2012, Tyson participated in Fox’s dating game show called ‘The Choice’. He has also made an appearance in Britney Spears’ music video for the song “Toxic”.
However, Tyson’s path in this field hasn’t always been smooth. He is said to have turned down a spot on the highly desired ‘Milan Fashion Week’ catwalk because he felt that the event organizers were being racists as he was the only black man to be invited to the event.
Tyson’s career has been has been like a roller coaster. From being hailed as one of the most successful black male models of all time to struggling to get a role in movies, he has been through it all. While his exotic eyes and high cheekbones help him to stand out of the crowd, his introvert and shy nature has constantly been a deterrent between him and his Hollywood dreams.
Last Modified: Mar 8, 2020
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