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IMDbPro

James Michael Tyler(1962-2021)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
James Michael Tyler
Trailer 2 for Friends: The Complete Series
Play trailer2:20
Friends (1994–2004)
1 Video
16 Photos
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.
BornMay 28, 1962
DiedOctober 24, 2021(59)
BornMay 28, 1962
DiedOctober 24, 2021(59)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 2 wins & 1 nomination

Photos16

James Michael Tyler
James Michael Tyler
James Michael Tyler
James Michael Tyler
James Michael Tyler
James Michael Tyler
Heather Medway and James Michael Tyler in Friends (1994)
Jennifer Aniston, James Michael Tyler, and Max Wright in Friends (1994)
Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and James Michael Tyler in Friends (1994)
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, and James Michael Tyler in Friends (1994)
Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, Kim Gillingham, and James Michael Tyler in Friends (1994)
James Michael Tyler in Scrubs (2001)

Known for:

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer in Friends (1994)
Friends
8.9
TV Series
  • Gunther
Matt LeBlanc in Episodes (2011)
Episodes
7.8
TV Series
  • James Michael Tyler
The Gesture and The Word (2020)
The Gesture and The Word
8.0
Short
  • Gilbert
  • 2020
Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters
7.1
TV Series
  • Judge (Fruits de Mer Battle)
  • 2004

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Discover Indie Film (2019)
    Discover Indie Film
    • (Processing) Frank Brandt
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • The Gesture and The Word (2020)
    The Gesture and The Word
    • Gilbert
    • Short
    • 2020
  • Processing (2020)
    Processing
    • Frank Brandt
    • Short
    • 2020
  • Modern Music (2013)
    Modern Music
    • Chad Levitz
    • TV Series
    • 2013
  • Matt LeBlanc in Episodes (2011)
    Episodes
    • James Michael Tyler
    • TV Series
    • 2012
  • Keeping Up with the Downs (2010)
    Keeping Up with the Downs
    • Chase
    • TV Short
    • 2010
  • Jason's Big Problem (2009)
    Jason's Big Problem
    • Blane
    • 2009
  • Live with It (2008)
    Live with It
    • Andrew
    • Short
    • 2008
  • Nobody's Watching (2006)
    Nobody's Watching
    • James Michael Tyler
    • TV Movie
    • 2006
  • Friends: The One with All the Trivia (2005)
    Friends: The One with All the Trivia
    • (voice)
    • Video Game
    • 2005
  • John C. McGinley, Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins, and Judy Reyes in Scrubs (2001)
    Scrubs
    • Therapist
    • TV Series
    • 2005
  • Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer in Friends (1994)
    Friends
    • Gunther
    • TV Series
    • 1994–2004
  • Melissa Joan Hart in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996)
    Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
    • Ethan
    • TV Series
    • 2001
  • Laura San Giacomo, George Segal, Wendie Malick, David Spade, and Enrico Colantoni in Just Shoot Me! (1997)
    Just Shoot Me!
    • Doctor
    • TV Series
    • 2000
  • Melanie Lynskey and Corin Nemec in Foreign Correspondents (1999)
    Foreign Correspondents
    • Randy
    • 1999

Videos1

Friends: The Complete Series
Trailer 2:20
Friends: The Complete Series

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
  • Born
    • May 28, 1962
    • Winona, Mississippi, USA
  • Died
    • October 24, 2021
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(prostate cancer)
  • Spouses
      Jennifer CarnoApril 8, 2017 - October 24, 2021 (his death)
  • Parents
      Dewitt Eugene Tyler
  • Relatives
    • Linda Tyler(Sibling)
  • Publicity listings
    • 4 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    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. He was the only one who knew how to properly work the cappuccino machine.
  • Trademarks
      His bleached-blonde hair

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