Aisha N. Tyler
(born September 18, 1970) is an American actress, stand-up comedian and writer, perhaps best known for her regular role in the first season of Ghost Whisperer
and recurring roles in Friends
and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
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AISHA TYLER TICKETS
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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 improv classes. She attended McAteer High School in San Francisco.
[2] She also attended high school classes at
San Francisco School of the Arts. She attended
Dartmouth College where she earned a degree 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.
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 featured in
Friends
, having a recurring role as first Joey's and then Ross' girlfriend 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 was not picked up. She has guest-starred on
MADtv
.
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 another 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
. In 2007, she filmed the thriller
Death Sentence
and the crime drama
Black Water Transit
. She also continues to appear 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 while he recuperated 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
was released in January 2004.
[3] 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
Kanye West's single, "
Slow Jamz", which also featured
Twista and
Jamie Foxx.
Tyler appeared in a nude story along with other celebrities in the May 2006 issue of
Allure
.
[4] Allure
s annual Nude Issue raises money to combat skin cancer.
In May 2009, it was announced that ABC had given Tyler her own talk show pilot called
The Aisha Tyler Show.
[5]
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 DC 101's Elliot in the Morning and
The Sharon Osbourne Show
.
[6]
In January 2008, she participated in a video for
Barack Obama produced by
will.i.am called "
Yes We Can".
By her own admission, Aisha is an avid gamer, with the
Halo
series being her favorite.
Filmography
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
|
| 2006
| The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
| Mother Nature
|
| .45
| Liz
|
| 2007
| Death Sentence
| Detective Wallis
|
| Balls of Fury
| Mahogany
|
| 2008
| Meet Market
| Jane
|
| Bedtime Stories
| Donna Hynde
|
| 2009
| Black Water Transit
| Casey Spandau
|
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, 8 ep.
|
| 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
|
| 2008
| Million Dollar Password
| Herself
| Celebrity Player
|
| 2009
| Aisha Tyler is Lit: Live at the Fillmore
| Herself
| Stand-up special
|
| Celebrity Jeopardy!
| Herself
| Celebrity episode
|
References
- Aisha Tyler Biography
- Adam Carolla Podcast
- Swerve: A Guide to the Sweet Life for Postmodern Girls
- Carla Gugino - Stars line up for naked spread
- Aisha Tyler Nabs Talk Show Pilot
- Aisha Tyler's Home-Brewed Beer