Tyler left the military to more fully focus on acting and has since performed
on cruises ships and at resorts abroad, as a stand-up comedian, a theme
park actor, and voice-over artist, among other notable performances. Tyler
has collected extraordinary credits reflecting work alongside Jay Mohr, Bryan Cranston, Andy Garcia, Colin Farrell, Joel Schumacher, Beau Bridges,
and Tom Hanks – to name a few.
Recently, Cravens was on location in Alabama, where he filmed the
upcoming movie “White Water.” The movie is a story of a 9 year-old black
boy in segregated 1963 Opelika, Alabama. The boy becomes obsessed with
the desire to taste the water from the “white’s only” drinking fountain. The
boy goes through quite a few race issues and by the end of his journey after
drinking from the white water fountain, realizes it tastes just the same as
the water out of the black water fountain. At one point the boy stumbles
and falls, and sees that the water pipe servicing the two fountains are one
in the same. In this film, Cravens plays a bus driver who gives the kid a few
issues with which he has to deal. The actual bus in which Rosa Parks made
her historic stand was utilized in the film. Producers are aiming to have the
film released by February, to coincide with Black History Month.
Cravens was also recently in Key West shooting a Netflix Original Series
titled “Bloodline.” Premiering in March, Bloodline centers on a close-knit
family of four adult siblings whose secrets and scars are revealed when their
black sheep brother returns home. Cravens’ role is a prominent and recurring character in the series, and he has been featured in 3 episodes thus far.
When asked about his appreciation for the citizens of Winter Garden,
Tyler stated that it is difficult to define briefly. “If pressed to summarize,”
Cravens says, “I’d have to say with a feeling of insufficient dynamic, ‘Thank
you.’ In truth however, it really is just that: “Thank you for your patronage
of our business [Thai Blossom], but more so, thank you for the consistent
comments of appreciation for what we do - that not only do we all share
residence in an extraordinary community, but that by creating Thai Blossom Restaurant, my wife and I, along with our dedicated staff, provide a
significant communal component to Winter Garden. When we hear these
things from so many of our regulars it really solidifies our resolve that we
are successful.”
Tyler is married to Patcharee, his wife of many years. When asked about
their relationship, Cravens says, “It should not be ignored that my wife is
instrumental in every element of my life, including the restaurant. For
Thai Blossom we have collaborated on every detail of the operation. She
developed the recipes by combining both family techniques, as well as her
experience in previous Thai restaurant ownership in Los Angeles. The Thai
Blossom logo – the flower – is her drawing, and I had the idea to implement
it between the store name. As for my acting endeavors, she supports me
completely. She even assists me sometimes in preparing auditions. In every
manner of our life together Patcharee and I collaborate: business, love, and
friendship – we don’t use the term soul mates lightly.”
Mr. Cravens has truly had a wide variety of great life experiences, and it
was a pleasure learning more about he and Patcharee during our conversation at the