Tyler Christopher Biography

Although soap opera fans know Tyler Christopher as brooding Greek heir Nikolas Cassadine, the actor actually owes his dark looks to his Native American Ancestry. So perfect is he, though, for the role of Cassadine, he's actually played the role twice in his career.Born Tyler Christopher Baker in Joliet, Illinois, on November 11, 1972, he is the youngest of four children born to a Seneca Indian father and Choctaw Indian mother. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University, and later waited tables with his cousin Derk Cheetwood and J.D. Walters in a Burbank restaurant. He landed his big break in 1996, playing Nikolas Cassadine, the son of Laura Webber and Stavros Cassadine, on the daytime soap opera General Hospital, although at the time he was acting under his given name of Tyler Baker. He left the show in 1999, and was replaced by Stephen Martines.Christopher's first post-General Hospital role was in the film Catfish in Black Bean Sauce, where one of his scenes received special mention from film critic Roger Ebert. He next landed a starring role in the movie Face the Music, alongside Elena Lyons, Patrick Malone, and Ted McGinley. Christopher then had a number of guest-starring roles in quite a few television series, such as Charmed, Angel, and Felicity, and even made a quick return to daytime television in a one day stint on Days of Our Lives. Another big break came his way, as Christopher became a series regular on The Pretender with Michael T Weiss and Andrea Parker, and later filmed a made-for-TV movie, sharing the same name as the series, and reprising the role of Ethan.All this led to two television pilots starring Christopher. The first was starring with Kevin Connolly in Sam's Circus, with Christopher in the title role. The second was a pilot for UPN, One for the Money, which had him starring with Lynn Collins. After a few more guest spots on television series such as JAG, Boomtown, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Christopher made a return to General Hospital, reprising his role as Nikolas Cassadine, as well as also playing the character of Connor Bishop. After breaking his arm in a fall at a restaurant, Christopher was replaced for six episodes by Chris Beetem.It was during Christopher's return to daytime television that he received a daytime Emmy nomination for best supporting actor, and was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Country music fans will recognize Christopher as LeAnn Rimes love interest in her video for And It Feels Like . His love of the theatre prompted him to start a theatre company, 68 Cent Crew, in which he has appeared in several of the productions.Christopher's private life seems to be one that is very busy as well. While presently engaged to actress, model, and producer Brienne Pedigo, he has also dated Natalia Livingston and was at one time engaged to Vanessa Marcil. His most notable relationship, though, was his marriage to Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives, whom he met while she was working on the Young and the Restless.