Tyler Blackburn is an American actor, singer, and model. He is best known for playing Caleb Rivers in Pretty Little Liars.
A California native, Tyler began acting as a teenager, appearing in Nickelodeon’s Unfabulous, and later in small guest appearances in Days of Our Lives, Cold Case, and movies like Peach Plum Pear. His breakthrough came in 2010 when he joined the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars as Caleb Rivers. Initially introduced as a recurring character and love interest to main character Hanna Marin, Caleb became a central part of the show and was promoted to series regular. The role made him a teen heartthrob, earning him multiple Teen Choice Award nominations and wins. He continued playing Caleb through the show’s 7-season run, and reprised his role in the spinoff Ravenswood, which only lasted one season.
After Pretty Little Liars ended, he played Sgt. Alex Mane on The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico. Alex is a gay military veteran who returns to Roswell after serving overseas. His storyline explored sexuality, family expectations, and queer love. This role became important in Tyler’s life. While filming the pilot, he came out to series creator Carina MacKenzie. Tyler explained that playing Alex gave him a character through whom he could explore experiences of repression, family expectations, and self-doubt. In a 2019 interview with The Advocate, he said:
I understood feeling oppressed. I understood having issues with my father [wanting to be] accepted by him. I understood wanting something but being afraid to have it…I’m queer. I’ve identified as bisexual since I was a teenager. I just want to feel powerful in my own skin, and my own mind, and in my own heart.
He also explained that he had dated women in his early 20s but had always felt an underlying curiosity about men. What complicated his understanding of his sexuality was the pressure from both inside and outside the community to identify as gay or straight.
I heard so many things from within the queer community about bisexuality being a cop-out or bullshit or the easy way out…I felt the pressure from all sides to have [my sexuality] figured out.
Since Roswell, Tyler has taken on fewer acting roles. He appeared in the 2023 independent horror film The Bigfoot Trap. In 2026, he reunited with his Pretty Little Liars castmates for a charity PSA to support a nonprofit organization.
By coming out after years of keeping his sexuality private, Tyler has become an outspoken voice when it comes to bi erasure and asking people to “pick a side”. Today, his legacy as Caleb and Alex is joined by his personal journey as an actor who ultimately chose to stop hiding and live out his bisexuality proudly.