Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978), also known simply as Tyrese, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, former fashion model and MTV VJ. After releasing several albums, he transitioned into films, with lead roles in several Hollywood films.
Early life
Gibson was born in Los Angeles, California, growing up in the Watts neighborhood. His mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson (née Durham), raised him and his three older siblings as a single parent after Gibson's father left in 1983. Gibson's career began when he won a talent show at the age of fourteen. An appearance in a 1994 Coca-Cola advertisement, singing the phrase "Always Coca-Cola", led to wider fame, and at seventeen looks paved the way for him to model for Tommy Hilfiger.
Acting
In 1996, Gibson appeared on an episode of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. He also guest starred on the Fox sitcom Martin. Then he guest-starred on an episode of The Parent 'Hood sitcom in 1998. He was given the role originally intended for Tupac Shakur in the 2001 film Baby Boy, and he subsequently appeared in the 2003 film 2 Fast 2 Furious (opposite Paul Walker with whom he formed a close friendship), as well as Flight of the Phoenix (2004), Four Brothers (2005) and Annapolis (2006).
He appeared in the 2007 action film Transformers. The film's director, Michael Bay, had Gibson in mind for the role before he was cast, and thus Gibson did not have to audition for the part. Gibson may also star in a film version of the superhero Luke Cage; as of 2006, the script was being re-formatted. Gibson also appeared in action thriller Death Race.
In 2009, he reprised his role as Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Robert Epps in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He was scheduled to make an appearance in Fast & Furious, the fourth installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series, but it never happened. It is speculated that Gibson may appear in a potential fifth installment.
Gibson also portrayed Kyle Williams in the Sony Screen Gems production Legion.
In 2010, Gibson held a cameo in Lady Gaga's music video for "Telephone" as Beyonce's boyfriend.
Current events
Gibson has been attached to a new R&B supergroup called TGT with Ginuwine and Tank. He is quoted as saying "With all the support our fans have given us individually over the years for our distinct signature styles, collectively we felt our fans deserved to hear great music in a way that they could never have imagined. I've known these guys for years and they truly are like brothers, so it only felt right to come together as a trio to make history". The group is first featured on Tank's remix to the song "Please Don't Go". They also plan an international tour entitled "The Shirts Off Tour" which is set to start in February 2008. Tyrese Gibson is also a artist & member of the Worldwide organization, The Core DJ's.
He has also created a three-issue mini-series called Mayhem!, to be published by Image Comics, one of which is already available as an iTunes LP. He has also released a duet with Jewel entitled "Make It Last". This was intended to be on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack but was instead used for the promotion of his Mayhem! comic.
He will star in the upcoming Transformers 3 movie.
