Tyson Beckford (born December 19, 1970) 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 the most successful male supermodel of all time, achieving fame and huge contracts similar to the female models that had huge success in the 1990s. In 2014, Vogue Magazine named Beckford the greatest male model of all time.
Beckford was born in Rochester, New York on December 19, 1970 to an Afro-Jamaican father of Panamanian descent, Lloyd Beckford, and a Chinese Jamaican mother, Hillary Dixon Hall. Soon after he was born his mother took the family back to Jamaica, where they lived for seven years before returning to New York, finally settling in The Bronx. During his school years, Tyson was often teased about his looks.
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.