- Born
- Died
- Height5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- James Michael Tyler was born in Mississippi. The youngest of five children, he was raised by a retired United States Air Force captain father and a homemaker mother. At age 11, he moved to Anderson, South Carolina to live with his sister.
A Tigers fan, he enrolled at Clemson University and majored in Geology. While getting his B.S., Tyler joined the Clemson Players and found a love of theatre and started acting. He went on to receive an MFA in Acting from the University of Georgia.
After a brief stint selling cars in Olympia, WA, he moved to Los Angeles, CA. Upon arriving in Hollywood, he worked in both the service and entertainment industries. He was a bar-back at the Palace, sold keyboards at Guitar Center, and was a barista at the Bourgeois Pig. He also worked his way up as an extra and production assistant. Ultimately, Tyler gained acclaim playing the role of Gunther in "Friends".
When not acting, Tyler liked to play Rocket League on PS4 and record music in his home studio.
He was a founding member, along with Keith King, of the collaborative improvisational band "Red Felt Pig".
Tyler preferred to be called by his middle name, Michael.
He lived in Hollywood with his wife Jenn and their leopard gecko, Rodni.
- IMDb mini biography by: JMT
- SpousesJennifer Carno(April 8, 2017 - October 24, 2021) (his death)Barbara Ruth Chadsey(1995 - November 5, 2014) (divorced)
- ParentsDewitt Eugene TylerMary Sue Pullen
- RelativesLinda Tyler(Sibling)
- His bleached-blonde hair
- Deep baritone voice
- He ended up with the role of Gunther on Friends (1994) because he worked at a coffee shop as a barista and was asked if he would be interested in being an extra on the show working behind the counter. It was often reported that he was the only one who knew how to properly work the cappuccino machine, but he later said this was untrue because the coffee machine was a non-working prop.
- His signature peroxide blonde hair was actually accidental. The day before the Friends (1994) audition, one of his acquaintances, who studied to become a hairdresser, experimented on his hair. When he showed up for the audition, the producers liked it so much they decided to keep it.
- Diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer and had been fighting this since 2018 and was, two years later, unable to participate physically in person on the Friends: The Reunion (2021) reunion special, appearing instead via Zoom.
- Son of Dewitt Eugene Tyler (7/21/17-4/13/73), a former captain in the US Air Force, and Mary Sue Pullen (4/9/22-11/28/73). His father died from injuries received in an auto accident and his mother died as a result of breast cancer. He went to live with his sister Linda, in Anderson, SC, after their deaths.
- He attended Clemson University and graduated with a degree in Geology. He earned his Masters in Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Georgia.
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