Discovered in 1992, Tyson Beckford has been modeling—at one point, becoming the face of Ralph Lauren’s Polo menswear—for over two decades. But many may be surprised to know that the fashion industry was never his original pursuit. In fact, Beckford was teased when he was younger because of his “strange looking features.” He says he only turned to modeling as a way to “pay the bills” when acting didn’t initially work out.
But it did work out, more than he ever expected. Beckford was named “Man of the Year” in 1995 by cable television music channel VH1 and one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” by People magazine. He is represented by Soul Artist Management in New York City and D’management Group in Milan. He was ranked at number 38 on VH1’s 40 Hottest Hotties of the ’90s.
Tyson grew up in upstate New York. “My friends were in gangs. Today a lot of them are dead or in jail. It was a horrible time and I vowed once I left I would never go back.”
It’s hard to believe but back then Tyson was skinny with buckteeth. But in his late teens a sudden growth spurt took him from 5ft 8in and 145lb to 6ft 1in and 185lb, and with his body sculpted by weights and athletics, he was soon picked up to be the face of a series of campaigns for Ralph Lauren.
“My natural progression was always to go to acting,” the 53-year-old Beckford says as he turns his attention to Hollywood with starring roles in 2014’s Addicted and Jean-Claude LaMarre’s all-male stripper drama, Chocolate City and the sequel.
But it was one fateful morning that changed Tyson’s life forever and even shaped his thinking in these three areas:
On June 7, 2005, Beckford was injured following a car accident in Secaucus, New Jersey. Shortly before 5:00am, he lost control of his 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 and struck a utility pole. The vehicle caught fire immediately after the collision, but Beckford was able to pull himself out before the red pick-up became fully engulfed in flames. He was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center and hospitalized for head trauma and cuts. During an interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tyson claimed the accident had a profound effect on his spirituality.
The day after the accident, Tyson’s face swelled. He was worried when his son first visited him in the hospital because he didn’t want him to be scared of the way he looked.
Knowing that if he’d been unable to move from his car a few seconds longer, he could have died, Tyson says his entire way of thinking has been altered. Now, he says, “I live every day like it’s the last. I value life more now than I ever did before. My friends used to call me a daredevil, and I think that side of me is kind of gone now.”
“Everyone has to juggle health and work. For me it’s traveling that adds obstacles. For others it’s usually family. Whatever your reason is make sure you…
…figure out a way around it. If your life is different then make your workout different. And never let yourself eat fast food just because you don’t have time. If it matters you’ll make the time. Buying greens and veggies is not expensive. If you have to eat somewhere with no quality choices then just get a small amount of food to hold you over until you get properly nourished.”
Normally it’s a mix of weights and cardio. Some days are light, starting with an ab routine I call “300,” which includes 300 sit-ups, 300 leg lifts or 300 crunches. That’s done first thing in the morning, five days a week. Then I rack out three sets of 100 push-ups on my Beckford Bar, and end the whole routine with six sets of 30-second planks on the Beckford Bar. I’m huge proponent of body exercises. They put less stress on your joints and they give you more functional strength. Being fit full-time means you have to take care of your body so that you don’t get injured or burn out.qq1q
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