Eric Stonestreet Biography

Eric Allen Stonestreet (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor, best known for his starring role as Cameron Tucker on the ABC comedy Modern Family. Stonestreet has received critical acclaim for his performance on Modern Family, which has earned him three Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nominations, winning in 2010 and 2012.

Early life

Stonestreet was born in Kansas City, Kansas, the son of Jamey Anne (née Ball) and Vincent Anthony "Vince" Stonestreet. He is of part German descent. During his childhood, he wanted to become a clown. At age nine, he created an auguste clown character named Fizbo, and has periodically brought him back, including in three episodes of Modern Family. He is a graduate of Piper High School and Kansas State University (1996). He spent two years doing plays and studying improv at The Second City Training Center in Chicago, then moved to Los Angeles and began his professional acting career. He was also a member of Kansas State's Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.

Career

Stonestreet plays Cameron Tucker on Modern Family on ABC. He is also notable for his role as Ronnie Litre on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Additionally, he has appeared on such television shows as Dharma & Greg, Malcolm in the Middle, The Mentalist, Party of Five, Spin City, ER, The West Wing, Pushing Daisies, Greg the Bunny, Providence, Close to Home, Crossing Jordan, Bones, Monk, NCIS, American Horror Story, and Nip/Tuck. Early on in his career, Stonestreet was featured in Northwestern University's 1996 Football TV commercial campaign as the "purple pride guy." In 2008, he played a private security firm employee and killer in an episode of NCIS entitled "Silent Night." In 2009, Stonestreet appeared on Nip/Tuck as a criminal sentenced to death for the alleged killing of a young girl.

His first major film role came in 2000, when he played Sheldon the desk clerk in Almost Famous. He also played Dr. Benson in Girls Will Be Girls, Ed the Trucker in The Island, and Courtney's Neighbor in Ninja Cheerleaders. In 2007, Stonestreet appeared in the short film "Vinny's Vault," which was produced during the reality show On the Lot, and Identity Thief as Big Chuck.

Stonestreet currently plays the role of Cameron Tucker on the acclaimed ABC sitcom Modern Family. For his performance, he has earned three consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2010, 2011 and 2012), winning the award in 2010 and 2012. He also received three Golden Globe Award nominations (2010, 2011, and 2013) for his work. In 2013, he appeared in a series of advertisements for Australian retail store Big W.

Personal life

Stonestreet often says that he is "openly straight." His openly gay co-star, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Cameron Tucker's partner, Mitchell Pritchett, jokingly calls him "gay-for-pay." Stonestreet is also an avid fan of Kansas State University, cheering for the Wildcats on Jimmy Kimmel Live! after they had beaten the Kansas Jayhawks in men's basketball, as well as appearing on College Gameday Live on October 29, 2011 in full Kansas State jumpsuit and picking them to upset the then No. 9 Oklahoma football team. He is also a hockey fan and a well known supporter of the Los Angeles Kings.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Almost Famous	Sheldon the Desk Clerk
2003	F.A.T.	Ranger
2003	Girls Will Be Girls	Dr. Benson
2003	Street of Pain	Floyd
2004	Straight-Jacket	Labor Organizer
2004	Knuckle Sandwich	Bill
2005	Saddam 17	The Clerk
2005	'	Ed the Trucker
2006	13 Graves	Andrew Schoch
2007	The Drifter	Delivery Guy
2007	Stories USA	Floyd	Segment: "Street of Pain"
2008	Ninja Cheerleaders	Beergut
2008	American Crude	Phil
2009	This Might Hurt	Brad Maynard
2010	Father vs. Son	Doug
2011	Bad Teacher	Kirk
2011	'	Cameo
2013	The Loft	Marty Landry
2013	Identity Thief	Big Chuck

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Dharma & Greg	Chester	1 episode ("See Dharma Run")
2000	I've Got a Secret	Himself	1 episode
2000	Malcolm in the Middle	Phil	1 episode ("Malcolm Babysits")
2000	Party of Five	Irv	2 episodes ("All's Well..." & "...That Ends Well")
2000	Spin City	The Dentist	1 episode ("Smile")
2000	ER	Willie	1 episode ("Mars Attacks")
2001	'	Staffer #1	1 episode ("Bad Moon Rising")
2002	Greg the Bunny	Wilson (uncredited)	1 episode ("Welcome to Sweetknuckle Junction")
2002	Providence	Ted Stout	1 episode ("Eye of the Storm")
2001"05	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Ronnie Litre	13 episodes
2005	Close to Home	Security Officer Andrew Morgan	1 episode ("Under Threat")
2007	Crossing Jordan	Steve Anderman	1 episode ("D.O.A.")
2007	Bones	D.C. Cop	2 episodes ("Stargazer in a Puddle" & "The Boneless Bride in the River")
2007	On the Lot	Actor	2 episodes ("Auditions #1" & "Auditions #2")
2007	American Dad!		1 episode ("Dope & Faith"), voice only
2008	'	Malcom Boatwright	1 episode ("Red Hair and Silver Tape")
2008	Pushing Daisies	Leo Burns	1 episode ("Comfort Food")
2008	NCIS	Harvey Ames	1 episode ("Silent Night")
2009	Monk	Boom Boom	1 episode ("Mr. Monk and the UFO")
2009	Nip/Tuck	Wesley Clovis	1 episode ("Wesley Clovis")
2009	Dancing Stars	Himself	Guest Appearance
2009"present	Modern Family	Cameron Tucker	Main cast Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2010, 2012) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2011"2013) Nominated " Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2011) Nominated " Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor " Series, Miniseries or Television Film (2011"2013) Nominated " Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2011) Nominated " Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2010) Nominated " Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (2012"2013) Nominated " TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy (2010)
2010	Good News Week	Himself	1 episode ("8.37")
2011	American Horror Story	Derrick	1 episode ("Piggy Piggy")