James Michael Tyler

Infobox Person


image_size = 150px
name = James Michael Tyler
birth_date = Birth date and age|1962|5|28|mf=y
birth_place = Winona, Mississippi
death_date =
death_place =

James Michael Tyler (born May 28, 1962 in Winona, Mississippi) is an actor, best known for playing Gunther on the NBC sitcom "Friends". He is 5ft 11in (1.80 m).

Biography

James Michael Tyler was born the youngest of five children on 28 May 1962 in Winona, Mississippi, USA to a retired Air Force captain and a homemaker. When he was eleven years old, his parents died and James moved to Anderson, South Carolina to live with his sister. He studied at Clemson University and graduated with a degree in Geology. During this time, he was a member of a student theatre group, the Clemson Players. This experience sparked his interest in becoming an actor.In 1988 he moved to Los Angeles and became a production assistant for “Fat Man and Little Boy” and an assistant apprentice film editor. He supports the Lili Claire Foundation and AIDS Project L.A charities.James is married to a personal trainer named Barbara and both are currently living in Hollywood. Tyler plays the keyboard in his studio at home and writes music. He also enjoys playing tennis, golf, and jogging. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0878837/bio]

James Michael Tyler as "Gunther"

From 1994 to 2004 James Michael Tyler played Gunther on the hit NBC sitcom "Friends". Gunther was a coffee shop worker at Central Perk who had a crush on Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston. Tyler, originally a nameless extra, was cast as Gunther because he was the only extra who knew how to operate an espresso machine, having worked in several coffee shops before getting into acting. This led to a ten-year career with appearances in 121 of "Friends"' 238 episodes; he is the show's most-frequently-appearing guest star.

Tyler's signature peroxide-blonde hair was actually accidental: the day before the "Friends" audition, one of Tyler's acquaintances, who studied to become a hairdresser, experimented on his hair. When Tyler showed up for the audition, the producers liked it so much they decided to keep it. Like Tyler himself, Gunther is a cigarette smoker.

Filmography

Films

* "The Disturbance at Dinner" as Wilson Pomade (1998)
* "Foreign Correspondents" as Randy (1999)
* "Motel Blue" as Oscar Bevins (1999)
* "Live With It" as Andrew (2008)

Television

* Friends as Gunther (1994-2004)

Guest-Starring

* Just Shoot Me! as a Doctor (2000)
* Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series) as Ethan (2001)
* Scrubs as Therapist (2005)
* He appeared in the unaired pilot satire sitcom Nobody's Watching, playing himself as a present from the studio executives on the set of Central Perk
* He starred in the music video for Chicane's dance track 'Come Tomorrow', playing the part of a postman, miming the lyrics throughout the video
* He appeared as a judge on Iron Chef America - Morimoto/Flay VS. Sakai/Batali

External links

*imdb name|id=0878837|name=James Michael Tyler
* [http://www.tv.com/james-michael-tyler/person/4159/summary.html?q=James%20MIchael%20Tyler&tag=search_results;title;0 James Michael Tyler] at tv.com
* [http://www.jamesmichaeltyler.co.uk/ James Michael Tyler UK] British site