James Michael Tyler

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.

James is best known for his recurring role in the hit NBC show, Friends, as Gunther - worker and eventually manager of Central Perk. Considered "The Seventh Friend" by many, Gunther never quite managed to penetrate the daily lives of the main characters - but clearly was the secondary reason that Ross and Rachel ended up on a break. Over the ten year course of the series, Gunther appeared appeared in 78 episodes - adored by many, loved by all. Well, Phoebe.