Aisha Tyler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aisha Tyler | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 18, 1970 San Francisco, California |
Aisha N. Tyler (born September 18, 1970) is an American actress, stand-up comedian and occasional writer.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Tyler was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Robin Gregory, a teacher, and Jim Tyler, a photographer.[1] Her parents divorced when she was 10 and she was raised by her father. She pursued an early interest in comedy during high school, when she would skip her regular courses to attend local comedy improv classes. She also attended theater classes at San Francisco's School of the Arts High School. She attended Dartmouth College where she earned a degree in government with a minor in environmental policy and was a member of The Tabard, a co-ed fraternity. At Dartmouth, she co-founded and sang in the all-female a cappella group, The Dartmouth Rockapellas, a group devoted to spreading social awareness through song. After briefly working for a San Francisco advertising firm, she toured the country pursuing a comedy career before finally moving to Los Angeles, California in 1996.
[edit] Career
Her career in television took off in 2001 with jobs as the host of Talk Soup and the reality-dating series The Fifth Wheel, although Talk Soup was cancelled the following year and Tyler left The Fifth Wheel in 2002, to pursue other interests. Tyler has devoted a significant amount of her time to independent projects, including a role in the play Moose Mating, for which she received an NAACP Image Award. She also wrote, directed, and starred in the independent short film The Whipper.
Moving into acting, Tyler played the first and only African American recurring character on Friends. She took part in the ninth and tenth seasons. She followed this up with guest spots on CSI: Miami and Nip/Tuck, as well as balancing recurring roles on both CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and 24 during the 2004-2005 TV season. She also filmed her own sitcom pilot for CBS, which wasn't picked up. She has guest-starred in Mad tv
Following her regular role on the CBS series Ghost Whisperer during its first season and in the first episode of season 2. She has appeared in other CBS drama Without A Trace. Tyler appeared in several movies, including The Santa Clause 2, the sequel The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, .45 and the comedy Balls of Fury alongside Christopher Walken. She recently wrapped the thriller Death Sentence and the crime drama Black Water Transit. She also remains a fixture on television, with appearances on Boston Legal, Reno 911!, The Boondocks and as a guest movie critic on several episodes of At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, filling in for the absent Roger Ebert, who was recuperating from surgery.
Tyler has moved into print media as a regular contributor to Glamour and Jane magazines; her first book, Swerve: A Guide to the Sweet Life for Postmodern Girls (ISBN 0-525-94806-6) was released in January 2004. She is often cited as one of the "rising stars to watch" in the entertainment industry. Tyler also plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Childhelp USA charity. She also made a guest appearance on Twista's single "Slow Jamz" which also featured Kanye West and Jamie Foxx.
Tyler appeared in a nude story along with other celebrities in the May 2006 issue of Allure.[2] Allure's annual "Nude Issue" raises money to combat skin cancer.
[edit] Personal life
Since 1992, Tyler has been married to an attorney, Jeff Tietjens. Tyler and her husband are avid fans of beer; both are home brewers. She discussed her love and passion for beer on The Sharon Osbourne Show.[3]
In January, 2008, she participated in a video for Barack Obama produced by Will.I.Am called Yes We Can.
[edit] Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Dancing In September | Woman with Weave |
| 2001 | Moose Mating | Josie |
| 2002 | The Santa Clause 2 | Mother Nature |
| 2003 | One Flight Stand | Alexis |
| 2004 | Never Die Alone | Nancy |
| Meet Market | Jane | |
| 2006 | The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause | Mother Nature |
| .45 | Liz | |
| 2007 | Death Sentence | Detective Wallis |
| Balls of Fury | Mahogany | |
| Black Water Transit | Casey Spandau |
[edit] Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Nash Bridges | Reporter | Guest role |
| Grand Avenue | Girl #1 | TV movie | |
| 1999 | The Pretender | Angela Somerset | Guest role |
| 2001 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Shaq's Girlfriend | Guest role |
| 2002 | The Sausage Factory | Jamie | Guest role |
| 2003 | Friends | Charlie Wheeler | Recurring role |
| CSI: Miami | Janet Medrano | Guest role | |
| 2004 | Untitled Aisha Tyler Project | Melanie Haywood | Rejected TV pilot |
| Nip/Tuck | Manya Mabika | Guest role | |
| 2004-2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Mia Dickerson | Recurring role |
| 2005 | 24 | Marianne Taylor | Recurring role |
| 2005-2006 | Ghost Whisperer | Andrea Marino | Series regular |
| 2006 | For One Night | Desiree Howard | TV movie |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Taryn Campbell | Guest role |
| The Boondocks | Luna | Guest role |
[edit] References
- ^ Aisha Tyler Biography (1970-)
- ^ Stars line up for naked spread
- ^ Aisha Tyler's Home-Brewed Beer. Contact Music (2004-04-02). Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Hal Sparks |
Host of Talk Soup 2001-03 |
Succeeded by Joel McHale (rebranded as The Soup) |
