Zachery Ty Bryan
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Zachery Ty Bryan, born October 9th, 1981, is an American actor and film producer, famously known for portraying Brad Taylor on the ABC sitcom "Home Improvement." He also made memorable appearances in the films "First Kid" and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."
Born in Aurora, Colorado, to Jenny and Dwight Bryan, Zachery's journey into acting began with local print and television advertising in Denver. A showcase in New York City, directed by Peter Seidman, caught the eye of a professional talent representative, paving his way to California. There, he landed the role of Brad, the eldest Taylor child, on "Home Improvement," a character he embodied until the series concluded in 1999. Brad was known for his ever-changing hairstyles and his knack for finding trouble, often finding himself in situations one month younger than his on-screen brother, Randy, played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
Midway through "Home Improvement," Zachery made a guest appearance as Steve on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in 1995. After the sitcom wrapped, he graced the small screen in various shows, including "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as Peter Nicols in 2002, "Veronica Mars" as Caz Truman in 2005, and "Shark" as Scott Natterson in 2006, alongside a guest spot on "Reading Rainbow." He even had a memorable cameo on MTV's "I Bet You Will," where he competed in a wrestling challenge against female convicted felons. In 2001, he played an ice hockey player in "Touched by an Angel" and in 2003, he appeared on "Smallville" as Eric Marsh, a high school baseball player influenced by meteor rock-infused steroids, becoming the second "Home Improvement" alum to guest star on the show after Jonathan Taylor Thomas. In 2005, he took on the role of Bryan Nolan in ESPN's TV movie "Code Breakers." Further television credits include "Cold Case," where he played the young murderer in flashback scenes, and "Burn Notice" in 2008, as a young man hiring a hitman to kill his stepmother.
On the big screen, Zachery played the school bully in the 1996 Sinbad comedy "First Kid." He starred as Jack Carlisle in the 1995 movie "Magic Island," the 1998 TV movie "Principal Takes a Holiday," and the 1999 film "True Heart." He also took on the role of Eric in the 1999 movie "The Rage: Carrie 2." Later, he portrayed defender Harry Keough alongside Gerard Butler in the 2005 film "The Game of Their Lives," also known as "The Miracle Match," chronicling the 1950 US upset at the World Cup. In 2006, he played the villain Clay in "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," followed by a deputy role in the 2009 NBC mini-series "Meteor." He also embodied Thor in the made-for-TV Syfy film "THOR: Hammer of the Gods," which aired on November 29, 2009.
In 2009, Zachery Ty Bryan stepped away from acting. However, in 2022, he returned for a small role in "The Guardians of Justice."
Personally, Zachery's cousin is former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn. On March 10, 2007, he married Carly Matros, whom he met at La Cañada High School. They welcomed twin girls on June 23, 2014, a third daughter on June 7, 2016, and a son on March 18, 2019. Zachery and Carly divorced in September 2020 after 13 years of marriage. On November 17, 2021, Zachery announced his engagement to model Johnnie Faye Cartwright. They welcomed a daughter in April 2022, and together share three children, with twins born in May 2023 and a third prior to January 2025.
During an arrest in Oklahoma in October 2024, Zachery expressed his disdain for California, stating, "I hate that place," while revealing he was "running" from his longtime home. Despite this, he still maintains residency in La Quinta, California, where he currently faces a drunk driving-related charge.
Zachery has faced legal challenges, including an October 2020 arrest in Oregon on charges of felony strangulation, assault, and interfering with a police report. He pleaded guilty to menacing and fourth-degree assault in February 2021, receiving three years of probation. In June 2023, he was accused of running a fraudulent agriculture-technology startup scheme, reportedly earning close to $50,000 from fake contracts. On July 28, 2023, he was arrested again in Oregon for domestic assault, pleading guilty to felony assault in the fourth degree constituting domestic violence and receiving supervised probation and jail time. In 2023, a Los Angeles court ordered him and his production company to pay over $108,000 to an investor for scamming money for a film.
On February 17, 2024, Zachery was arrested for alleged DUI in La Quinta, California, marking his fourth DUI charge. He was released on bail and later received an additional felony charge related to driving under the influence with prior convictions. On October 24, 2024, he was arrested in Oklahoma for driving under the influence, his second DUI offense of the year, and for driving without a valid license. He was released on bail, and dashcam footage revealed he refused a sobriety test and admitted to drinking. On January 2, 2025, he was arrested in South Carolina for second-degree domestic violence, with the victim identified as Cartwright. On November 29, 2025, he was arrested in Oregon for violating his probation, with Cartwright also arrested on separate charges.
Zachery Ty Bryan's acting accolades include a 1994 Young Artist Award for Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series for "Home Improvement," shared with Taran Noah Smith and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. He also received the 1999 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama or Comedy Series – Leading Young Actor, and the 1999 YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series, both for "Home Improvement." He was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 1993 and a YoungStar Award in 1998.
Zachery Tyler Bryan (born October 9, 1981) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for his role as Brad Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement. He also appeared in the films First Kid and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
== Early life ==
Bryan was born in Aurora, Colorado, to Jenny and Dwight Bryan.
== Career ==
Bryan started off his career by appearing in local print and television advertising in Denver. He then appeared at a showcase in New York City, directed by Peter Seidman, where he was seen by a professional talent representative. This, and his interest in acting, soon brought him to California, where he was cast in the role of Brad, the oldest Taylor child, in the show Home Improvement, a role he played until the series ended in 1999. His character was known for experimenting with different hair styles as well as being the child most often in trouble. He is one month younger than Jonathan Taylor Thomas, who played his younger brother Randy on the show.
In the middle of Home Improvement Bryan made an appearance as Steve on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1995. After Home Improvement ended, Bryan made brief appearances in many other television shows including (2002) Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Peter Nicols, (2005) Veronica Mars as Caz Truman, and (2006) Shark as Scott Natterson, as well as a guest appearance on an episode of Reading Rainbow. Additionally, he made a cameo appearance on MTV's I Bet You Will in which he portrayed himself and competed in a challenge where he wrestled female convicted felons. In 2001, he portrayed an ice hockey player in an episode of Touched by an Angel. He also appeared on Smallville in 2003 where he played Eric Marsh, a high school baseball player using steroids made from meteor rock. He was the second Home Improvement alum to make a guest appearance on the show after Jonathan Taylor Thomas. In 2005, Bryan appeared as Bryan Nolan in ESPN's TV movie Code Breakers. Bryan also guest starred in Cold Case (as the young murderer in the flashback scenes) and in 2008 as a young man hiring a hitman to kill his stepmother on the show Burn Notice.
Bryan's film roles include the school bully in the 1996 Sinbad comedy First Kid. He starred in the 1995 movie Magic Island as Jack Carlisle, the 1998 TV movie Principal Takes a Holiday, and the 1999 movie True Heart. He also starred as Eric in 1999's The Rage: Carrie 2. Later, he played defender Harry Keough alongside Gerard Butler in the 2005 movie The Game of Their Lives otherwise known as The Miracle Match about the 1950 US upset at the World Cup. In 2006, he played a villain named Clay in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, then a deputy in the 2009 TV mini-series Meteor, which aired on NBC. He also played Thor in the made-for-TV Syfy channel film THOR: Hammer of the Gods. The film originally aired on November 29, 2009.
In 2009, Bryan retired from the acting profession. In 2022, Bryan was cast in a small role in The Guardians of Justice.
== Personal life ==
Bryan's cousin is former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn.
On March 10, 2007, he married Carly Matros, whom he met while attending La Cañada High School. They have twin girls born on June 23, 2014, a third daughter born on June 7, 2016, and a son born on March 18, 2019. Bryan and Matros divorced in September 2020 after 13 years of marriage.
On November 17, 2021, Bryan announced his engagement to model Johnnie Faye Cartwright. Bryan and Cartwright had a daughter in April 2022. Together, Bryan and Cartwright share three children: twins born in May 2023 and a third prior to January 2025.
During an arrest in Oklahoma in October 2024, Bryan revealed that he was now "running" from his previous longtime home of California, stating, "I hate that place." Despite leaving the state, Bryan still has residency in La Quinta, California, where he is currently facing a drunk driving related charge.
=== Legal issues ===
In October 2020, Bryan was held on several charges including felony strangulation, misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree assault and interfering with making a police report, after an apparent argument with his girlfriend in their apartment in Lane County, Oregon. In February 2021, Bryan pleaded guilty to two of the charges, menacing and fourth degree assault, while six others were dismissed. He was sentenced to three years of bench probation and ordered to partake in a batterer intervention program and to have no contact with the victim.
In June 2023, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Bryan was accused of running a fraudulent agriculture-technology startup scheme. Four sources told the publication that the scheme involved them giving Bryan individual payment amounts ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 in exchange for fake contracts that actually had no value. The amount of money Bryan earned from the scheme is said to have totaled close to $50,000.
On July 28, 2023, Bryan was arrested for domestic assault again in Eugene, Oregon. Bryan had been charged with fourth degree robbery and harassment. On October 25, 2023, Bryan pleaded guilty to Felony Assault in the Fourth Degree Constituting Domestic Violence. As part of his plea deal, another count that Bryan was charged with was dismissed. Bryan was sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation, seven days in jail and was required to abide by a set of conditions typical of domestic violence cases, including no contact with his victim. Bryan was also warned that failure to comply with the probation terms would result in him serving 19–20 months in prison.
Also in 2023, the Superior Court of Los Angeles ordered Bryan and his production company, Lost Lane, to pay $108,940.57 to an investor, after finding him guilty of scamming money for a film featuring Thomas Jane, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Alex Pettyfer.
On the morning of February 17, 2024, Bryan was arrested for alleged DUI after a traffic collision in La Quinta, California. Bryan was charged with both misdemeanor contempt of court and a felony for operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This was his fourth DUI charge. He was released the same day after posting a $50,000 bail, with a court hearing also scheduled for April 3. On March 27, 2024, it was revealed that Bryan had also received an additional felony charge related to driving under the influence after having three or more DUI convictions in the last ten years.
On October 24, 2024, Bryan was arrested in Custer County, Oklahoma for driving under the influence, his second DUI offense in the year 2024, and also for driving without a valid license. The Custer County Sheriff's Office's website shows that Bryan was booked into the jail shortly after 8:30 a.m. that morning. His Oklahoma DUI charge was described as a "driving under the influence - second felony offense." On October 27, Deadline Hollywood reported that on the day of his booking, Bryan was able to get released after posting a $65,000 bail. On October 29, 2024, additional dashcam footage obtained by Fox News was released that confirmed that Bryan was arrested after refusing to take a sobriety test, and that he also admitted to driving after a night of drinking during his arrest. In this dashcam video footage, Bryan stated that the DUI charge that resulted in his license getting suspended was issued in 2021.
On January 2, 2025, Bryan was arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and charged with second-degree domestic violence. He was released from the J. Reuben Long Detention Center the following day. The victim was later identified as Cartwright.
On November 29, 2025, Bryan was arrested in Eugene, Oregon, for violating his probation; Cartwright was also arrested on separate charges. He was denied bail and is due for release on December 3, 2025.
== Filmography ==
== Awards ==
=== Wins ===
1994 – Young Artist Awards for Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series (Home Improvement) **Shared with Taran Noah Smith and Jonathan Taylor Thomas**
1999 – Young Artist Awards for Best Performance in a TV Drama or Comedy Series – Leading Young Actor (Home Improvement)
1999 – YoungStar Awards for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series (Home Improvement)
=== Nominations ===
1993 – Young Artist Awards for Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series (Home Improvement)
1998 – YoungStar Awards for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Miniseries/Made-for-TV Movie (Principal Takes a Holiday)
== See also ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Zachery Ty Bryan at IMDb
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