Bronx-born Tyson Beckford, 41, one of the world’s most famous male models, will be inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame this spring. He rounds out a quartet of Bronxites that will be etched into borough history on May 20 during the grand finale of Bronx Week. The other honorees are jazz musician Valerie Capers, cinematographer Sol Negrin and hip-hop legend Fat Joe.

In a candid interview, shown in the video above, Beckford talks about how his brother was “gunned down” in the streets of New York (not sure about where this happened) and how fortunate he was to get into modeling and off those same streets. (He also talks about celebrity, how he talks to girls and the fact that he has between 300-500 pairs of sneakers that he’s never worn — and an entire room in his house dedicated to housing those unworn sneakers. He also says he doesn’t have Blue Steel pose, disappointing “Zoolander” fans everywhere.)

A favorite of gossip magazines and tabloids, Beckford, who co-hosts Britain’s “Next Top Model” reality show, recently made news for saying he “created” a career for his girlfriend, Victoria Secret model Shanina Shaik.

Here’s an excerpt from the press release the Bronx Borough President and Bronx Tourism Council sent out about Beckford earlier today:

“I am very happy to be one of this year’s honorees on the ‘Bronx Walk of Fame.’ I can’t thank my fellow Bronxites enough for supporting me throughout my career. The Bronx is a great place to live in; it’s diverse and filled with great people from all walks of life. I am proud to call myself a Bronxite, and I thank Borough President Diaz for awarding me with this great honor,” said Tyson Beckford.

 

“I am very pleased to have Mr. Tyson Beckford on our ‘Bronx Walk of Fame’ this year. Not only is he a well known figure across the globe, achieving success through his outstanding work as a model and actor in Hollywood, but he continues to give back through his community work and has always positively represented the Bronx along the way,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

 

Bronxite Tyson Beckford was destined to become synonymous with the term “male supermodel.”

 

From the moment his image was first caputred by a photographer’s lens in 1994, Tyson’s modeling career took off when chosen to became the face of another fellow Bronxite, designer Ralph Lauren.

 

Tyson has appeared on countless covers and editorials for Arena, Details, GQ, Essence, and The New York Times Magazine, just to name a few. Tyson’s accomplishments have been widely recognized. In 1995, People Magazine named him one of the “50 Most Beautiful People” and subsequently the “Sexiest Male Model” in its 1997 “Sexiest Man Alive” issue. He was also selected as the “Best Male Model” of the year at the inaugural VH1 Fashion and Music Awards in 1995.

 

In addition to modeling, Tyson has co-starred in the MGM feature “Into The Blue,” starring Paul Walker and Jessica Alba. Some of his other film credits include notable roles in “Zoolander” and “Biker Boyz” and independently produced, “Kings of the Evening,” “Hotel California,” and “Searching for Bobby DeNiro.” Tyson has also appeared on such television programs as Oprah, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Regis & Kelly, and many more.

 

Today, Tyson actively participates in charities such as “Race to Deliver”, an event he has co-hosted for several consecutive years to help homebound people with AIDS. In addition, he is busy developing his motor sports interests, which has led him to become a licensed driving member of Supertuners and host his own auto makeover show, called “Fine Tuned” on the Discovery Turbo channel.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.