James Michael Tyler

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James Michael Tyler (born May 28, 1962 in Winona , Mississippi ) is an American actor , best known for his role as Gunther on the NBC sitcom Friends .

Life

James Michael Tyler was born in Winona, Mississippi, USA on May 28, 1962, the youngest of five children to a retired Air Force captain and a housewife. He lost his parents at the age of 11 and moved to live with his sister in Anderson, South Carolina. He graduated from Clemson University with a degree in geology. During this time he was a member of a theater company at his university and discovered acting for himself for the first time. In 1988 he moved to Los Angeles, where he became a production assistant for Fat Man and Little Boy was (Fat Man and Little Boy), as well as an extra.

James Michael Tyler as Gunther

Tyler played the supporting role of Gunther on the NBC sitcom Friends from 1994 to 2004 . He starred in 78 out of 236 episodes of Friends (or appeared in 131 out of 236 episodes), making him the actor who, apart from the six main cast, appears most often. His role was that of a waiter in a New York café (Central Perk), where the main characters often stayed. Gunther went from being a background extra to a popular supporting character who had amorous feelings towards Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston .

Tyler got the role because he was the only extra who knew how to operate an espresso machine (he had worked in various cafes before he became an actor). His trademark, hydrogen-blonde hair, was originally an accident that happened the day before the casting for Friends. An acquaintance of Tyler's, who was a budding hairdresser, had experimented with his hair and it got that color. However, Friends producers liked the color so much that Tyler kept it.

Filmography (selection)

Movies

  • 1997: The Hawking Affair (Motel Blue)
  • 1998: The Disturbance at Dinner
  • 1999: Foreign Correspondents

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Guest appearances

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Tyler, James Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 28, 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH Winona , Mississippi