The Kid, played by Ty Miller, was originally intended to be the main character of "The Young Riders", but as the show progressed we began to see less emphasis on him and more on the other characters, however, he was one of the key members of the Pony Express group.

The Kid is probably considered one of the most sensitive of the riders. In the beginning, he was a stranger to everyone, and he seems puzzling to those he encountered. His only desire was to find a good horse and a good job. He didn't spend any of his time trying to impress the other riders with his ability with a gun or his ability to stay on a horse. He knows right from wrong and he sticks to his morals. He simply wanted to do his job and do it well.

The Kid was originally from Virginia and he made his way West at fifteen to get away from his family and to start a new life. In his early childhood, he was beaten severely his father. After that, Kid and his brother were sent to live with foster parents, but he didn't stay with them for too long. This may be the reason he never gave anyone his real name. "The Kid" was probably a nickname, although we never found out how he got it. One can only assume the name was acquired due to his wanting to keep his past behind him. Although it is only natural to assume that The Kid may be based on the early life of William H. Bonney, a.k.a. Billy, The Kid, he is not. The Pony Express was began in April of 1860 and Billy, The Kid was born in November of 1859.

It is amazing that through the time of the series, no one learned his name (except for Teaspoon) although an old friend from Virginia almost spilled the beans.

We start to see some of Kid's past surface when he receives a visit from his brother, Jed in the first season. However, when he learns that his brother is in with a gang that makes their living by stealing gold shipments, we begin to understand the reasons he left home. When Jed is killed, Kid shows little sorrow. He gives us the feeling that maybe it was better that way. Although in later episodes, we see the difficulty Kid is having dealing with his brother's death.

When Kid took the job for The Pony Express he had no idea that it would help him discover the love of his life. For the longest time, Kid was the only one who knew about Lou's secret, and it became difficult for him to show his affection for her without arousing the suspicions of the other riders. Not only did he find difficulty in that, but he also had a hard time watching Lou work in such dangerous situations. He felt it was his duty to protect her even though Lou proved to him that she was more than capable of looking after herself. At times, it was difficult to tell if he was protecting her from danger or if it was merely out of jealousy. But after a lengthy courtship with many ups and downs, The Kid and Lou finally married in the last episode. We only hope that it was happily ever after.

The Kid is at most times trying to keep the peace among everyone. If he's not looking after Lou, then he sees the need to look after Jimmy. But it never goes unrewarded. He earns the respect of the riders, not to mention their lifelong friendship.

The Kid undergoes a great deal of character development throughout the series. In the beginning he seems somewhat naive although his intentions are well meant. In the first episode, when the riders capture the men who tried to kill Lou, Kid decides to take them to jail to receive a trial instead of hanging them like the other riders wanted. But in the end, the outlaws escape and Kid just happens to stumble upon their hideout. Kid must fight for his life and as a result, he kills two of the outlaws. Eventhough he was only saving his own life, Kid still couldn't see the justice in it. Not only that, he came close to having to put Katy (Kid's horse) down when she took a bullet. Kid confides in Marshal Cain: "I know what those men where...but it just don't seem right." Sam replies to this by saying, "Go easy on yourself, Kid. Out here you've gotta grow up fast or not at all."

By the end of the series we see a lot of this gone. The Kid did grow up quickly. He became a responsible, morally upright, competent, and trusting individual. He is still trying to do right by everyone, sometimes to a fault, and there's still a touch of that naivete left in him. But by this time Kid is facing new challenges and questions that have arose due to the impending Civil War. But maybe that's what the nickname stood for all that time. He was the innocence lost in the era, and the struggle to keep everything in harmony. And when he married and left the others, that innocence went with him.

Ty Miller, who played The Kid, once hailed by several magazines as "the breakout star of 'The Young Riders'" has been curiously absent from TV and movie screens since the show's cancellation. He did appear in a controversial episode of the hit series "Melrose Place" as the love interest of the show's gay character. And there was an appearance on the cult favorite "The X-Files". He has also made two very forgettable films, Trancers 4: Jack of Swords (1994) & Trancers 5: Sudden Deth (1995).

The reason for this absence might be found in a TV GUIDE article published in 1990 where he alluded to his dissatisfaction and disillusionment with Hollywood. Perhaps he decided he needed a break from it all.

After all, Ty didn't start out to be an actor. He got his college degree in business at USC but fell into modeling and doing commercials. After appearing in more than twenty ads and making numerous television guest appearances, Ty pushed his business interests aside and went into acting full time.

Ty Wesley Miller was born on September 26, 1964 in Granada Hills, California, and if my information is correct, he still lives there. His parents are Stuart and Gari and he has one older brother, Will. This 5'10" actor likes the outdoors and one of his favorite hobbies is guitar. He also enjoys reading and excursions on a mountain bike or horseback riding. He considers his best quality politeness and his worse is that of being a morning grouch. When it comes to personal philosophies, Ty's is "Life's too short to worry about it".

Ty's break came when he landed work on the television series "Hotel" as a regular, co-starring with James Brolin, the father of his future co-star Josh Brolin. Next he had a guest appearance in "Growing Pains" (1985-the Hawaii episode). Ty also had a guest appearance in "General Hospital". Then in 1988, he broke into movies with a typical horror flick called Slaughterhouse Rock. Finally all his hard work as a 'guest' actor paid off when he finally landed the lead role in the new ABC television series, "The Young Riders" as the very moral and sensitive Kid. Ty really enjoyed his role as "The Kid". He turned down four other acting jobs when he landed the role. He personally felt a special closeness to The Kid. Ty described his character as "...a pretty simple person. He absorbs information. He doesn't say much, but if something needs to be done, he does it."

When "The Young Riders" came to an end in 1992, Ty all but disappeared, working only sporadically. We can only hope that he plans a comeback, because what we saw in "The Young Riders" was the rise of a very talented actor, who's abilities reach far beyond that of a horror movie.

So Ty Miller, where are you these days? It might interest you to know, that even though Ty hasn't been seen in front of the cameras lately, he has been been on the stage. Over the past few years, Ty has been focussing his attention on one of his first loves, music. He has been performing with a few bands in the L.A. area. In 1999, Ty returned to the big screen in U.S. Seals, which again, received it's share of negative reviews. Ty has once again been absent from the camera, but we never know when he'll pop up again. Currently, Ty lives in the L.A. area and is keeping himself busy with his business degree.

We wish Ty all the best with his career, where ever it may take him, and we do hope to see him again in the future.

For more information on Ty Miller, please visit IMDB.com.

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