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

Biography

James Michael Tyler was born the youngest of six children on 28 May 1962 in Winona, Mississippi, USA to a retired Air Force captain and a homemaker. When he was 11 years old, his parents died and Tyler 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. Tyler 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. He is set to appear in a new pilot entitled "The Valentines" in early 2010.^[1]

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 131 of Friends' 238 episodes; he is the show's most-frequently-appearing guest star.

In honour of Friends' 15th anniversary in 2009, Tyler opened to the public a Central Perk replica in Carnaby Street, London, open for two weeks from September to October.^[2] 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.

Filmography

Film

• 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 (1994-2004)
• Just Shoot Me! as a Doctor (2000)
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series) as Ethan (2001)
• Scrubs as Therapist (2005)
• Iron Chef America - Morimoto/Flay VS. Sakai/Batali

References

1. ^ http://allseriesmag.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/james-michael-tyler-se-une-a-the-valentines/
2. ^ Thorley, Chantelle (September 15, 2009). "London to celebrate 15 years of Friends with Central Perk pop-up". Event (Haymarket Media). http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/news/search/938562/London-celebrate-15-years-Friends-Central-Perk-pop-up/. Retrieved September 22, 2009.  

External links

• James Michael Tyler at the Internet Movie Database