Childhood & Early Life
Tyler Mane was born Daryl Karolat on December 8, 1966, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was raised in Saskatoon where he attended ‘Walter Murray Collegiate Institute.’
During his teenage years, he started training with professional wrestler Stu Hart in Calgary. At the age of 19, he began training with American wrestler Red Bastien. He also trained with Mexican-American wrestler Mando Guerrero before starting his wrestling career.
He started his professional wrestling career in Canada in 1986 after assuming the ring name ‘Skywalker Nitron.’ The following year, he wrestled in South Africa and was subsequently invited to wrestle in the United Kingdom.
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Wrestling Career
Tyler Mane joined the famous Japanese promotion ‘New Japan Pro Wrestling’ in 1988. In 1989, he made an appearance in the now defunct American wrestling promotion ‘WCW.’ In 1990, he joined ‘All Japan Pro Wrestling’ and took part in the promotion’s annual tournament ‘World's Strongest Tag Determination League.’ For his performance in the tournament, Mane won the ‘New Wave Award’ along with another wrestler named Butch Masters.
In 1993, he was signed by ‘WCW’ where he teamed up with Kevin Nash after assuming the ring name ‘Big Sky.’ However, he left ‘WCW’ following Kevin Nash’s exit from the promotion. In 1994, he joined ‘Universal Wrestling Federation’ (UWF) which was founded by professional wrestling promoter Herb Abrams.
He found success at ‘UWF’ as he became the ‘UWF MGM Grand Champion’ after defeating Steve Ray. However, he quit wrestling in 1996 when ‘UWF’ was dissolved following the death of Herb Abrams.
Film Career
Mane made a guest appearance in the 1992 Mexican film ‘Starfighters.’ When he was signed with ‘WCW,’ he played a minor role in a TV series titled ‘Smokey and the Bandit.’ But it was not until his retirement from professional wrestling that he started focusing on his acting career.
In 1999, he played Mr. Mayhem in one of the episodes of the American teen television series ‘Party of Five.’ He received his big breakthrough in 2000 when he was cast to play Sabretooth in the Bryan Singer-directed superhero film ‘X-Men.’ Before filming, he purchased many comic books to prepare for his role. In 2001, he made a guest appearance in the popular comedy-drama TV series ‘V.I.P.’ In the same year, he played Bondi in the adventure comedy film ‘Joe Dirt.’
In 2002, he played a minor role in ‘The Scorpion King’ and then played Thorn in a Hong Kong action film titled ‘Black Mask 2: City of Masks.’ In 2003, he was seen in many documentary films, such as ‘X-Men Production Scrapbook,’ ‘X-Men: Ellis Island Premiere,’ and ‘X-Factor: The Look of X-Men.’
He was cast to play Ajax in the popular 2004 war film ‘Troy.’ In 2005, he played Rufus ‘RJ’ Firefly, Jr. in the horror film ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ and then played Antaeus in a miniseries titled ‘Hercules.’ The following year, he was seen in a couple of television series, namely ‘Monk’ and ‘My Boys.’
In 2007, he was cast to play the popular fictional character Michael Myers in the Rob Zombie-directed slasher film ‘Halloween.’ Standing at 6 feet, nine inches tall, Mane became the tallest actor to portray Michael Myers. He reprised the role in the film’s sequel ‘Halloween II’ in 2009.
He played Jack in the 2010 Canadian western comedy film ‘Gunless’ and then played Wade in the 2011 suspense thriller film ‘247°F.’ From 2011 to 2012, he played the lead role of Jeremiah Carver in a TV series titled ‘Chopper.’
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In 2013, he co-wrote and starred in the American supernatural thriller film ‘Compound Fracture.’ He also produced the film along with Renae Geerlings, Anthony J. Rickert-Epstein, John Saunders, and Robert Ziglar.
In 2015, he played prominent roles in a couple of short films titled ‘Twiztid: Boogieman’ and ‘Slayer: Repentless.’ In 2017, he played Deputy Stacks in the action-thriller film ‘Check Point’ and also worked as the film’s associate producer. In the same year, he was seen in an episode titled ‘Last Temptation of Midnight’ in the American TV series ‘Midnight, Texas.’
In 2018, he played Bernie the Cyclops in the adventure-comedy film ‘Abnormal Attraction’ and then played Andrew Woodsman in a horror film titled ‘Entrenchment.’ In the same year, he was also cast to play Jared McLaren in a film titled ‘Psychosis.’
In 2019, Mane became part of several films, namely ‘East Texas Oil,’ ‘The Silent Natural,’ ‘Penance Lane,’ ‘Bring Me a Dream,’ ‘Witchula,’ and ‘The Horror Show.’ In the same year, he was also seen in a TV series titled ‘Knight's End.’
Family & Personal Life
Tyler Mane dated Jean Goertz before marrying her on September 19, 1988. Mane and Goertz had two children before parting ways. Their divorce case was settled on August 21, 2003. He then started dating American actress, singer, writer, and producer Renae Geerlings. He married Renae Geerlings on September 3, 2007.
Mane is active on social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California along with his wife Renae Geerlings.
Facts About Tyler Mane
Tyler Mane, known for his towering presence on screen, is actually a skilled martial artist and has trained in various forms of combat.
In addition to his work in film and television, Mane is also a successful businessman, having owned and operated a wrestling promotion company.
Despite his intimidating roles, Mane is known to be a friendly and approachable actor, often taking time to engage with fans at conventions and events.
Mane is a passionate animal lover and advocate for animal rights, frequently using his platform to raise awareness for various animal welfare causes.
In his free time, Mane enjoys woodworking and has been known to create custom furniture pieces as a hobby.
