Tyra Lynne Banks is an American television personality, model, producer, businesswoman, actress, singer and author. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15, and was the first woman of African-American descent to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, on which she appeared thrice. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models.In 2010, she published a young adult novel titled Modelland, based on her life as a model. It topped The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011. Banks is one of four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly been ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine.She is also one of only seventeen models to be ranked as a Legendary Supermodel by MODELS.com.