James Michael Tyler

James Michael Tyler was born in Mississippi. The youngest of five children, he was raised by a retired Air Force captain and a homemaker. At age 11, he moved to Anderson, South Carolina to live with his sister. A Tiger 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. Tyler then moved to Los Angeles, after a brief stint selling cars in Olympia, WA. 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.