Ty Burrell Biography

Tyler Gerald "Ty" Burrell (born August 22, 1967) is an American actor who is best known for his role as Phil Dunphy in the ABC comedy Modern Family, for which he has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2011 and has been nominated another three times so far (in 2010, 2012 and 2013).

Early life

Burrell was born in Grants Pass in southern Oregon, the son of Sheri (née Hauck) and Gary Burrell. He grew up in the small southern Oregon town of Applegate, near the California border, where his family ran a business. He attended Hidden Valley High School in Grants Pass, where he played football and was a lineman for the Hidden Valley Mustangs. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts in 1993. Burrell was the commencement speaker at the school in 2008. While in college he worked as a bartender at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. During this time, Burrell also attended the University of Oregon where he was initiated into the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Burrell continued his education at the Penn State University, where he earned an MFA. In 1999, Burrell worked as a festival actor at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Burrell has also stated that for a period of time in graduate school, he lived out of his van to save money.

Career

Some of his earlier work includes appearances in the movies Black Hawk Down, the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, and appearances in several stage performances (like 2000's Broadway production of Macbeth, and the off-Broadway plays Corners, The Blue Demon, Burn This, and Show People). He was a co-writer and actor in the original production of the offbeat comedy The Red Herring O' Happiness directed by Russell Dyball. Burrell's stage work also includes writing and working in the off-Broadway play Babble with his brother, Duncan. He has also made an appearance as a probation officer in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

After that, he was cast as Oliver Barnes, a shallow but well-meaning plastic surgeon, on the CBS sitcom Out of Practice (2005"06), also created by Christopher Lloyd. The show was canceled in May 2006, with eight episodes remaining unaired in the United States. After the show's cancellation, he played Allan Arbus in the film Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus.

In the Marvel film adaptation of the comic The Incredible Hulk, he played Leonard Samson without any superpowers who had a short relationship with Betty Ross. He recently had a small role in the film National Treasure: Book of Secrets, as the curator of the White House. In 2007, he starred in the sitcom Back to You on Fox. On the show, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, Burrell played a field reporter (alongside Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton). The show was canceled in 2008. His current role is as real estate agent Phil Dunphy in the acclaimed ABC situation comedy Modern Family. For his performance, he has received four Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2010-2013), winning the award in 2011. He also received nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for his role, sharing the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series with his co-stars.

Personal life

Burrell and his wife Holly married in 2000. They resided in New York City until moving to Salt Lake City in 2008. They still own a two-bedroom apartment in the Astoria, Queens neighborhood which they rent out. The couple have since relocated to Southern California for Burrell's work on Modern Family. On March 18, 2010, it was announced that Burrell and his wife had adopted a baby girl, Frances. In March 2012, Burrell and his wife adopted a second daughter. Burrell is an avid fan of Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer, the Oregon Ducks, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the New York Mets.

Filmography

Year	Title	Type of Media	Role	Notes
2000"2003	Law & Order	TV	Paul Donatelli / Herman Capshaw	2 episodes
2001	Evolution	Movie	Flemming
2001	The West Wing	TV	Tom Starks	1 episode
2001	Black Hawk Down	Movie	Timothy A. Wilkinson
2002	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	TV	Alan Messinger	1 episode
2004	Dawn of the Dead	Movie	Steve
2004	In Good Company	Movie	Enrique Colon
2005	Down in the Valley	Movie	Sheriff/Cowboy
2006	Friends with Money	Movie	Other Aaron
2006	The Darwin Awards	Movie	Emile
2006	Out of Practice	TV	Dr. Oliver Barnes	20 episodes
2006	Fur	Movie	Allan Arbus
2007	National Treasure: Book of Secrets	Movie	Connor
2008	Fourplay	Movie	Christopher
2008	The Incredible Hulk	Movie	Doc Samson
2008	Back to You	TV	Gary Crezyzewski	17 episodes
2009	Damages	TV	Douglas Schiff	2 episodes
2009	Leaves of Grass	Movie	Professor Sorenson
2009"present	Modern Family	TV	Phil Dunphy	Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2012) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2011) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2011"2013) TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy (2011) Nominated " Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2011) Nominated " Golden Nymph for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series (2011"2012) Nominated " Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2010, 2012"2013) Nominated " Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor " Series, Miniseries, or Television Film (2010"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 (2011"2013) Nominated " TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy (2010)
2010	Fair Game	Movie	Fred
2010	Glenn Martin, DDS	TV	(voice)	1 episode
2010	The Super Hero Squad Show	TV	Captain Marvel	2 episodes
2010	Morning Glory	Movie	Paul McVee
2010	Top Gear	TV	Himself	Big Star, Small Car Lap Time 1:46.6
2011	Butter	Movie	Bob Pickler
2011	Doc McStuffins	TV	Big Jack	1 episode
2012	Goats	Movie	Frank Whitman
2012	Key & Peele	TV	Colonel Hans Muller	1 episode
2014	Mr. Peabody & Sherman	Movie	Mr. Peabody
2014	Muppets Most Wanted	Movie	Jean Pierre Napoleon
2016	Finding Dory	Movie	Bailey the Beluga