James Michael Tyler
Actor
BORN MAY 28, 1962 – DIED OCTOBER 24, 2021, AGED 59
JAMES Michael Tyler found fame as Central Perk manager Gunther in Friends because he was the only extra who could operate the espresso machine.
By the series finale, 10 seasons later, his character had become the show’s “seventh Friend” and was as much a part of the furniture as the iconic orange sofa the main six drank their coffees on.
Tyler’s comedic skills and chemistry with the main cast of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry made his scenes a treat to watch.
With peroxide hair and an eager smile, he failed to woo Aniston’s Rachel Green or penetrate the group’s inner circle. But when Gunther finally admitted his love for Rachel in the Friends finale, she replied: “I love you too... probably not in the same way. But when I’m in a cafe having coffee and I see a man with hair brighter than the sun, I’ll think of you.”
Tyler, who revealed in June that he was battling stage 4 prostate cancer, was too ill to appear in this year’s Friends reunion, although he appeared via Zoom to say how the show “was the most memorable 10 years of my life, honestly”.
James Michael Tyler was born in Mississippi, the youngest of five children.
His father died in a road accident when James was 10. A year later his mother died from cancer and he went to live with an aunt and uncle. He studied geology at Clemson University, where began acting.
He later moved to LA where he sold keyboards and worked as a barista before getting his first break as a production assistant.
Tyler is survived by his wife, Jennifer Carno.