Gunther (Friends character)
Gunther was a character in the popular televison sitcom Friends played by James Michael Tyler. Gunther was the manager of Central Perk, where the six main characters spent a great deal of their free time.
Over the course of the series it emerged that Gunther had a crush on Rachel. He often fantasied about marrying her and let slip 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. In the final episode, as Rachel prepared to leave for Paris, Gunther declared his undying love for her. He was politely turned down.
Gunther was a permanant 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 if he knew Gunther's last name, Chandler thought hard before defeatedly answering 'Centralperk?'.
Gunther's peroxide blonde hair was also a source of much entertainment. Rachel described it as being "as bright as the sun", and when he told Joey he had an appointment to have it dyed, Joey said, "but I love your natural colour".
