# Tyler Blackburn
**Tyler Blackburn** (born 1986) is an American actor, singer, and model best known for playing Caleb Rivers on the mystery drama *Pretty Little Liars* and its spinoff *Ravenswood*, and Sergeant Alex Manes on [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw)'s *Roswell, New Mexico*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2107620/bio/) • [2](https://bi.org/en/famous/tyler-blackburn/) Born and raised in [Burbank, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/burbank-california), he began acting at 17 and built a career across teen television, independent film, and recorded music.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2107620/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tyler Jordon Blackburn, born in Burbank, California, United States[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2107620/bio/) |
| Signature role | Caleb Rivers on *Pretty Little Liars* (ABC Family/Freeform), joined as a recurring guest in 2011 and promoted to series regular in 2012[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tyler-blackburn/) |
| Spinoff lead | Caleb Rivers again on *Ravenswood* (2013), a one-season ABC Family spinoff[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/32641/tyler-blackburn) |
| Second series lead | Sergeant Alex Manes on *Roswell, New Mexico* (The CW, 2019–2022), a gay military veteran discharged after losing part of a leg[5](https://theimagista.com/tyler_blackburn/) |
| Music | Sang his own songs, including the theme song "Save Me," in Alloy Entertainment's web series *Wendy* (2011), in which he played Peter[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2107620/bio/) |
| Awards | Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer TV Star: Male in 2014 and 2015, and Choice TV: Chemistry in 2016[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tyler-blackburn/bio/3030033224/) |
## Early work
Blackburn made his television debut on the [Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon) comedy *Unfabulous* (2004–2007), which starred [Emma Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-roberts), in a guest role.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tyler-blackburn/) His first feature film role came as a French student in the family drama *Next of Kin* (2008).[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tyler-blackburn/) Further guest appearances followed on *Cold Case* and *Gigantic*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2107620/bio/)
**Days of Our Lives.** In 2010 he was cast as Ian, a computer hacker and the love interest of [Stephanie](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephanie) (played by [Shelley Hennig](https://www.edgepedia.org/shelley-hennig)), on the NBC daytime drama *Days of Our Lives*; he has described the short run as his first consistent acting job and strong training, since soap operas allow only one or two takes.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tyler-blackburn/) • [5](https://theimagista.com/tyler_blackburn/)
## Pretty Little Liars and Ravenswood
Blackburn's breakthrough came in 2011, when he joined *Pretty Little Liars*, ABC Family's adaptation of [Sara Shepard](https://www.edgepedia.org/sara-shepard)'s young-adult novels, during its second season.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tyler-blackburn/) His character, Caleb Rivers, was a foster child and "bad boy" who initially set out to sabotage the four leads but became an onscreen love interest for [Hanna Marin](https://www.edgepedia.org/hanna-marin), played by [Ashley Benson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashley-benson).[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tyler-blackburn/) The character's popularity with viewers led to his promotion to series regular in 2012.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tyler-blackburn/) He appeared in 119 episodes of the series, which ran through 2017.[7](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/991980-tyler-blackburn?language=en-US)
In May 2013 it was announced that Caleb would leave the town of Rosewood for *Ravenswood*, a spinoff about five strangers whose lives are intertwined by a generational curse; it aired on ABC Family starting in October 2013 and lasted one season of 10 episodes, after which [Blackburn](https://www.edgepedia.org/blackburn) returned to *Pretty Little Liars* in 2014.[8](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/391702/Tyler-Blackburn) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/32641/tyler-blackburn) The role made him a fixture of teen television, and he won back-to-back Teen Choice Awards for Choice Summer TV Star: Male in 2014 and 2015, followed by a win for Choice TV: Chemistry in 2016.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tyler-blackburn/bio/3030033224/) In later interviews he described the show's final day as going "from bittersweet to almost just bitter," calling the cast his family.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tyler-blackburn/bio/3030033224/)
During the show's run he also worked in film: he played Jesse Pratt in the independent drama *Peach Plum Pear* (2011), which debuted at the Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto, and the lead Jesse in the 2012 film *Hiding*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2107620/bio/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tyler-blackburn/) In 2016 he played Ryan in *Love Is All You Need?*, and in 2017 he played Jack in *Hello Again*, the film adaptation of Michael John LaChiusa's Off-Broadway musical, alongside [Martha Plimpton](https://www.edgepedia.org/martha-plimpton), Audra McDonald, and [Cheyenne Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/cheyenne-jackson).[7](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/991980-tyler-blackburn?language=en-US) • [9](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Tyler-Blackburn/)
## Roswell, New Mexico and later roles
In March 2018 Blackburn was cast in *Roswell, New Mexico*, The CW's modernized reboot of the 1990s series, which premiered in 2019; the production came from [Amblin Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/amblin-entertainment), My So-Called Company, and Bender Brown Productions in association with Warner Bros.[8](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/391702/Tyler-Blackburn) • [10](https://nmfilm.com/assets/uploads/migrated/2020/10/PR_Roswell-S3.pdf) He played Sergeant Alex Manes, an Air Force veteran discharged after losing half of one of his legs, whose storyline involved a queer love affair with Michael Guerin (Michael Vlamis) and an abusive relationship with his father.[5](https://theimagista.com/tyler_blackburn/) The series ran four seasons, with its finale airing September 5, 2022.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/32641/tyler-blackburn) • [11](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2022/08/29/tyler-blackburn-and-michael-vlamis-talk-malexs-cosmic-love-story-on-roswell-new-mexico/) His other television work includes a guest role as Viralis on the 2018 *Charmed* reboot, a Discovery scripted film role as Brad Cavanagh in *Capsized: Blood in the Water* (2019) opposite [Josh Duhamel](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-duhamel), and soundtrack and performer credits on *Stitchers* and *The Fosters*.[7](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/991980-tyler-blackburn?language=en-US) • [12](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tyler-blackburn/credits/3030033224/)
## Music
Alongside acting, Blackburn has recorded music. He sang his own songs in the web series *Wendy* (2011), co-produced by Alloy Entertainment and Macy's, including its theme song "Save Me," and recorded a song for the series *The Secret Life of the American Teenager*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2107620/bio/) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tyler-blackburn/bio/3030033224/) He told [Teen Vogue](https://www.edgepedia.org/teen-vogue) that he had attended a performing arts school and had recorded background music for ABC Family, while keeping acting his main focus.[13](https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/tyler-blackburn)
## Personal life
While filming the *Roswell, New Mexico* pilot, Blackburn came out to series creator Carina MacKenzie.[2](https://bi.org/en/famous/tyler-blackburn/) In a 2019 interview with The Advocate he said, "I'm queer. I've identified as bisexual since I was a teenager," and spoke about the pressure from inside and outside the queer community to identify as gay or straight.[2](https://bi.org/en/famous/tyler-blackburn/) He has since become an outspoken voice on bi erasure and the pressure to "pick a side."[2](https://bi.org/en/famous/tyler-blackburn/)
In 2025 he reunited with former costar Lucy Hale and other friends on a New Year's Eve beach trip that Hale shared publicly.[14](https://nz.news.yahoo.com/lucy-hale-tyler-blackburn-pretty-220404783.html) In a 2026 appearance on Taylor Lautner's podcast *The Squeeze* he discussed bullying, body image, coming out, and his changing sense of self-worth.[15](https://www.castfox.net/podcast/the-squeeze-5966094/episode/tyler-blackburn-healing-self-worth-and-asking-for-help-463482)
## References
1. [Tyler Blackburn – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2107620/bio/)
2. [Tyler Blackburn, Bi.org](https://bi.org/en/famous/tyler-blackburn/)
3. [Tyler Blackburn – Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/tyler-blackburn/)
4. [Tyler Blackburn, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/32641/tyler-blackburn)
5. [Tyler Blackburn, Imagista interview](https://theimagista.com/tyler_blackburn/)
6. [Tyler Blackburn Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tyler-blackburn/bio/3030033224/)
7. [Tyler Blackburn, The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/991980-tyler-blackburn?language=en-US)
8. [Tyler Blackburn Biography and Booking Profile, All American Speakers](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/391702/Tyler-Blackburn)
9. [Tyler Blackburn, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Tyler-Blackburn/)
10. [Roswell, New Mexico Season 3 press release, New Mexico Film Office](https://nmfilm.com/assets/uploads/migrated/2020/10/PR_Roswell-S3.pdf)
11. [Tyler Blackburn and Michael Vlamis Talk Malex's Cosmic Love Story on 'Roswell, New Mexico', The Nerds of Color](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2022/08/29/tyler-blackburn-and-michael-vlamis-talk-malexs-cosmic-love-story-on-roswell-new-mexico/)
12. [Tyler Blackburn List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tyler-blackburn/credits/3030033224/)
13. [Q+A with Pretty Little Liars Star Tyler Blackburn, Teen Vogue](https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/tyler-blackburn)
14. [Lucy Hale and Tyler Blackburn Have a 'Pretty Little Liars' Reunion on New Year's Eve, Yahoo Entertainment](https://nz.news.yahoo.com/lucy-hale-tyler-blackburn-pretty-220404783.html)
15. [Tyler Blackburn: Healing, Self-Worth, and Asking for Help, The Squeeze podcast](https://www.castfox.net/podcast/the-squeeze-5966094/episode/tyler-blackburn-healing-self-worth-and-asking-for-help-463482)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Be to Bl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license