Tyler Christopher

About Tyler Christopher

Tyler Christopher (born Tyler Christopher Baker on November 11, 1972 in Joliet, Illinois, U.S.) is an American actor, best known for his role as Nikolas Cassadine on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital, a character which he originated in 1996 and has played off and on ever since. He was nominated for Daytime Emmys for the role in 1998, 2005, and 2006. He is sometimes credited as Tyler Baker. He also played Connor Bishop on the show from September 2004 to January 2005.

Christopher was born in Joliet, Illinois and grew up in Delaware, Ohio, the youngest of four children. He is of Native American heritage, as his mother Jimi-Ann is Choctaw and his father Jim Baker is Seneca. His original goal was to be a professional athlete, but his physically small size made this difficult. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University for two years and then moved to Los Angeles.

His first few years in Los Angeles, Christopher worked at "hard labor" jobs, and then he decided to save his money and make a career change after talking to his actor cousin Derk Cheetwood, who currently plays Sonny Corinthos's bodyguard, Max Giambetti on General Hospital. Christopher's first major acting job was in his 20s, when he took the role of Prince Nikolas Cassadine on GH. The character was a major success, and Christopher won the "Best Newcomer" award in 1997 from Soap Opera Digest magazine. He played the character until 1999, and then quit the show to try other acting opportunities. The role of Nikolas Cassadine then went to Stephen Martines.