James Michael Tyler ✝

James Michael Tyler (May 28, 1962 – October 24, 2021) was an American actor who played Gunther on the NBC sitcom Friends. Prior to acting, he was an assistant film editor and production assistant. His early works included being the production assistant for Fat Man and Little Boy. He also portrayed Oscar Bevins in the 1997 thriller film Motel Blue. James Michael Tyler was born on May 28, 1962, the youngest of five children, in either Greenwood, Mississippi or Winona, Mississippi. When Tyler was ten years old, his father, a former USAF captain, died. Just one year later, when Tyler was age eleven, his mother passed away. Afterwards, Tyler moved to Anderson, South Carolina to live with his sister. Tyler graduated from T.L. Hanna High School in 1980.