The Talk's Aisha Tyler first gained notoriety in the early 2000s as Ross Gellar's girlfriend, Charlie Wheeler, on the hit TV show, Friends. Recent audiences know her as Andrea Marino from Ghost Whisper - or as The Talk's newest co-host.

Tyler was born on Sept. 18, 1970, in San Francisco, Calif., and showed an early predilection for comedy and improv when she joined the McAteer School of the Arts at her high school, McAteer High in San Fran.

Graduating near the top of her class, Tyler switched gears in college, studying environmental policy at Dartmouth College.

But she didn't abandon performance altogether. Tyler performed with the Dartmouth Rockappellas, an all-female a capella group she co-founded alongside a fellow freshman friend and that still exists today. The Rockappellas sing to raise social awareness to a variety of issues.

Following graduation, Tyler used her degree in environmental policy to get a job in advertising and develop a stand-up comedy routine - one that would take her to comedy clubs across the United States.

Tyler's Big Break
In 1996, Tyler decided to take a chance and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. Her first big break came when it was announced she would be the fourth host of E! network's popular Talk Soup clip show. Talk Soup, unfortunately, was cancelled the next year.

Tyler moved on to host The Fifth Wheel, a dating show that mixed comedy with reality TV. She stuck with the program for a year before moving on.

And move on she did, to the most popular sit-com of its era, Friends. Tyler landed the role of Charlie Wheeler, a hip, young twentysomething who first dates Joey, a lovable lunkhead, before dating Ross, the nerdy scientist. She played the recurring character for two seasons before moving on.

Tyler maintained her ability to create memorable recurring roles by joining the shows 24 and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for a season apiece in the mid-2000s.

From there, she landed her first co-starring role in the popular TV series Ghost Whisperer, starring as Andrea Marino, Jennifer Love Hewitt's character's best friend. Her character unexpectedly dies at the end of the first season, in a memorable twist reminiscent of the film The Sixth Sense.

Tyler followed up her primetime time with silver screen time, starring in a number of films including The Santa Clause 2 and 3, Balls of Fury and .45. She also made guest appearances on Reno 911! and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Choosing to Talk
After the somewhat controversial departure of former co-hosts Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete, Tyler was cast as the second replacement for CBS's morning ensemble talk show, The Talk.

Tyler has made a smooth transition to the program and is seemingly enjoying her time. Her quick wit and ability to connect quickly with guests has made her an invaluable bonus to the young program.

Fast Facts

• Was raised by her father, a photographer, after her parents were divorced when she was 10.
• Was a member of The Tabard, a co-ed fraternity at Dartmouth.
• Won an NAACP Image Award for her work in the play Moose Mating, a paranoid romantic comedy about the mating rituals of contemporary New Yorkers, according to Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
• Was a guest movie critic on At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper.
• Is married to Jeff Tietjens, an attorney.
• Plays on the World Poker Tour for charity.
• Voices the character Lana Kane on fx's Archer.
• Is a home brewer and an avid video gamer.
• Hosts the popular podcast Girl on Guy, which invites guests to talk about things guys love.
• Is a regular contributor to magazines like Glamour and Entertainment Weekly.
• Almost had her own talk show, The Aisha Tyler Show, in 2009. The show would have been a mix of daytime and late-night talk shows.