Birth Date: December 19, 1970
Birth Place: Bronx, New York
Height: 6’2”
Romantic Link: Foxy Brown
Tyson Beckford is the gorgeous man seen in the Toni Braxton video for “Unbreak My Heart.”
Tyson Beckford has eight tattoos on his body.
Tyson Craig Beckford was born on December 19, 1970, in Bronx, New York, but was raised in Rochester and Jamaica.
Growing up mulatto (his mother is part Chinese; his dad is Jamaican) wasn’t easy for Beckford as he was constantly ridiculed for his looks. Being raised on the unforgiving streets of New York sucked Beckford into a life of gangs and violence.
Tyson Beckford Signs With Ralph Lauren
His luck changed in 1991, however, when the editor of the famed hip-hop magazine, The Source, spotted him. Beckford was quickly signed to a New York modeling agency and, by 1993, signed a two-year exclusive modeling contract with Ralph Lauren for the Polo Sports line. Before he knew it, Beckford’s face could be seen on billboards and in magazines all over the world.
In 1995, VH1 named Tyson Beckford the Model of the Year, and one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People In The World, and he began working with the likes of Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.
Tyson Beckford In Zoolander
After appearing in music videos for Toni Braxton, Mia X, Notorious B.I.G. and Shaquille O’Neal, Beckford felt compelled to get into acting and wanted to star in film. So, naturally, he began to study acting.
By the time 2000 rolled around, Beckford had begun to get bit parts in movies like Boricua’s Bond and Zoolander, but they were only cameos.
In 2002, Beckford began to land meatier roles in films like Pandora’s Box and Gully. And in 2003, Beckford starred alongside Laurence Fishburne and Orlando Jones in Biker Boyz.
Tyson Beckford Sues Diddy
But it wasn’t until 2005 that Beckford began to land roles in major film productions like Into The Blue, starring Jessica Alba and Paul Walker.
In June 2005, Tyson Beckford was in a serious car accident when a tractor trailer rear ended him and he ended up in the hospital with severe damage to the right-side of his face. Luckily, there was no scarring and Tyson was able to get back to his career.
In August 2005, Beckford filed a lawsuit against Sean Diddy Combs and his clothing label Sean John, claiming that the company was using his likeness without paying him. Word has it, however, that the two have since patched up the problem, although there’s no word on the lawsuit having been dropped.
It was due, in part, to this lawsuit that Beckford decided to retire from modeling altogether, he claims.
Beckford was busy starring in the movie Dream Street and donated $1 to the production of a documentary called The 1 Second Film, which officially makes him a producer of the doc.
And Tyson’s path into movie stardom is still hot, as he’s set to star opposite Tatyana Ali in Hotel California in 2008.
Tyson wanted Vanessa Minnillo
On the personal front, Tyson tried to make the moves on Vanessa Minnillo (Nick Lachey’s girlfriend) in June 2006, which almost resulted in a barroom brawl. Luckily, Tyson listened to reason and left Vanessa alone.
For now, Tyson is happy to take care of his son Jordan (born in 1998) and live every day like it’s his last.
Resource:
IMDb.com - Tyson Beckford
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