Zachery Tyler Bryan (born October 9, 1981) is an American retired 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.
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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 have four children: a daughter born in April 2022; twins born in May 2023; and another born in 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.
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)
