Tyson was born in Rochester, New York on December 19, 1971. Growing up in Rochester, New York, he attended Bay Trail Middle School in the suburbs of Penfield, NY. He then attended Pittsford Mendon High School in the affluent suburb of Pittsford as a participant in the Urban-Suburban Program, a busing program designed to give educational opportunities to urban youth in the city`s surrounding suburban school districts. Tyson was a member of his high school football and track teams. In 1991, he was recruited to hip hop magazine The Source by a talent scout who had come across him by chance in a New York park. In 1993, Beckford was recruited by Ralph Lauren as the front model for the company`s Polo line of male sportswear. Tyson`s parents are both Jamaican, however his paternal grandmother is Chinese, and his maternal grandfather is Panamanian. This multi-racial ancestry is responsible for the "exotic" look which made Tyson a staple in the fashion world. Beckford was named "Man of the Year" in 1995 by the cable television music channel VH1, as well as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine.

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