Gunther is an employee at Central Perk, where the six main characters spent a great deal of their free time. He is portrayed by James Michael Tyler. He's the character with most appearances after the main cast, with 131 episodes.

James Michael Tyler was cast as Gunther because he was the only extra who knew how to operate an espresso machine - imperative for a worker in a coffee house. Gunther didn't have a line until the 33rd episode he was in, in which he only had one word to say: "Yeah".

Gunther has a smoking habit in common with Chandler.