Gunther was a character in the popular television sitcom Friends played by James Michael Tyler. Gunther was the manager of the Central Perk coffeehouse, where the six main characters spent a great deal of their free time. A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Friends is a situation comedy about a group of six friends living in New York City. ... James Michael Tyler in a promotional picture for Friends, courtesy of NBC. James Michael Tyler (born May 28, 1962 in Winona, Mississippi) is an actor, best known for playing Gunther on the hit NBC sitcom Friends. ... Central Perk logo. ...

Gunther
Gunther, promotional photo
First appearance	The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate
Statistics
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Age	unknown
Occupation	Central Perk Manager
Title	none
Family	unknown
Children	unknown
Relatives	unknown
Portrayed by	James Micheal Tyler

Image File history File links Jamesmichaeltyler. ... Image File history File links Jamesmichaeltyler. ... Central Perk logo. ...

History

Over the course of the series it emerged that Gunther had a crush on Rachel. He often fantasized about marrying her and let slip to Joey that one of the perks of his job was being able to stare at her all day. At Ross's bachelor party before his marriage to Emily Waltham he thanked Ross for not marrying Rachel. Gunther made several other comments that if put together, might show his love for Rachel, but since they were said to various characters, no one put it together. For at least part of the series, Rachel mistakenly thought that Gunther was gay, and in one episode, in what she thought was an encouraging remark, told him one day he would make "some guy the luckiest man in the world". Rachel Karen Green (born May 5, 1970) is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends (1994-2004), played by Jennifer Aniston. ... Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani in Joey Joseph Joey Francis Tribbiani, Jr. ... Dr. Ross Eustace Geller, Ph. ...

He was nearly always a peripheral character in the series, generally only adding a humor component or fulfilling his role as coffee-shop guy, and almost never involved in the plot. However, he played a pivotal role in the arc of the entire storyline when he revealed to Rachel that Ross had slept with the copy-shop girl while Ross and Rachel were "on a break" in their relationship. When Ross identified him as a link in the chain of people who had found out about his tryst (Gunther found out about it from his roommate Jasmine, one of Phoebe's massage parlor co-workers; oddly enough, the fact that Gunther shared an apartment with a beautiful woman was never brought up again.), he said "Gunther, please tell me you didn't say anything to Rachel about me and the girl from the Xerox place." Gunther, eager to see Rachel get back on the market, responded with mock innocence: "I'm sorry. Was I not supposed to?" This marked the breakup of Ross and Rachel and the beginning of the turbulence that characterized their relationship in the rest of the series.

Gunther was a permanent fixture in the everyday lives of the friends, yet he never penetrated their inner circle. This became a running joke. At Ross' bachelor party, Chandler announced that he wanted Gunther to be his best man. Gunther immediately asked Chandler what his last name was; Chandler thought about it before defeatedly answering "Gunther Centralperk?" His last name remains unknown to the audience for the entire series. Another example of this is when Ross is celebrating getting tenure. Ross asks Gunther for 6 glasses, to which Gunther asks hopefully "You want me to join you?" to which Ross replies "Oh, I thought Joey was here, 5 is good." Gunther was fluent in Dutch, once calling Ross an 'ezel' (literally: donkey). When Ross looked up the word 'ezel' in the dictionary he added that Gunther was an 'ezel' himself. Gunther overruled Ross by saying "jij hebt seks met ezels" (literally: You have sex with donkeys), leaving Ross baffled, not knowing what the sentence meant. Chandler Muriel Bing was a fictional character on the popular US television sitcom Friends (1994–2004), played by Matthew Perry. ...

Gunther's peroxide blonde hair was also a source of much entertainment. Rachel described it as being "as bright as the sun", and when Gunther told Joey he had an appointment to have it dyed, Joey said, "but I love your natural colour". When guessing the identity of the father of Rachel's baby, Phoebe asked, "Is it Gunther?" which Rachel denied and Phoebe said "Thank God, because that hair on a baby?" The hair colour was actually an accident. The day before his audition, one of the actor's friends who studied to become a hairdresser experimented on his hair. When he showed up the producer liked it so much they decided to keep it.

Gunther used to be an actor, having played a character called Bryce in All My Children. The character was eventually killed off after being buried in an avalanche, which he reveals to Joey after Joey's Days of Our Lives character is killed off that series. All My Children is an American soap opera that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the ABC TV network since January 5, 1970. ... A Himalayan avalanche. ... Days of our Lives is a long-running American soap opera. ...

Gunther is commonly used as an unattractive alternative to the main friends, but confusingly, is sometimes seen as somewhat of a sex symbol (towards the end of the show). In season 5, when helping Rachel get over Ross, Monica lists prospective dates, including Gunther. Rachel begins to say "I guess he is kind of cute" before having her attention turned to an attractive guy she flirted with in the past. When she chooses him over Gunther, Gunther throws the guy out of Central Perk. Ross and Monica's mother, Judy Geller, remarked Gunther was a "sexy blonde" and prominently added him to her "list", which is a list of people she can have sex with outside her marriage. Phoebe also gave small impressions that she may secretly be attracted Gunther, despite often mocking him before ("That hair on a baby!"). She once remarked "Sure, Gunther is sexy in an obvious way...", and when referring to the number of attractive men in Paris, said "it's like a whole city full of Gunthers".

Love for Rachel Green

In the Series finale of Friends, Gunther finally tells Rachel about him having a crush on her. This is seen throughout the show, when, at times, Gunther would become jealous when Rachel was with a boyfriend. Rachel, on her way to Paris for her new job, said how it was so sweet and that she would think of him in Paris. However, she never talks about loving him back, although she does say, "I love you, too. Probably not in the same way, but I do." This still shows no evidence that Rachel ever loved Gunther back. Friends is a situation comedy about a group of six friends living in New York City. ... Rachel Karen Green (born May 5, 1970) is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends (1994-2004), played by Jennifer Aniston. ... Part of the Paris skyline with from left to right: Montparnasse Tower, Eiffel Tower, and in the background, towers of neighboring La Défense. ...

Trivia

• Tyler was cast as Gunther because he was the only extra who knew how to operate an espresso machine - imperative to working in a coffee house.
• Gunther and Chandler were both smokers. This was revealed in an episode where Chandler bribed Gunther with a puff of his cigarette in order to smoke inside Central Perk. ("Oh, dark mother, once again I suckle at your smoky teat," he exclaimed.)