Eric Stonestreet

Eric Stonestreet
Stonestreet at PaleyFest LA in March 2015
Born (1971-09-09) September 9, 1971 (age 53)
Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Alma materKansas State University
OccupationActor
Years active1999–present
Partner(s)Lindsay Schweitzer
(2016–present; engaged)
Awards

Eric Allen Stonestreet (born September 9, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Cameron Tucker in the ABC sitcom Modern Family, for which he received two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series out of three nominations. He first rose to prominence in a recurring role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He has also appeared in films including Bad Teacher (2011), Identity Thief (2013), The Loft (2014), and Confirmation (2016), and provides the voice of Duke in the animated The Secret Life of Pets film franchise (2016–2019).

Early life

Eric Allen Stonestreet[1] was born in Kansas City, Kansas, on September 9, 1971,[1] the son of teacher's aide Jamey Anne (née Ball) and retail business owner Vincent Stonestreet.[2] He is of German descent.[3] His family had a pig farm growing up.[4] As a child, he wanted to become a clown,[5] and created a clown character named Fizbo; by age 11, he was performing at younger children's birthday parties. He recalled in 2012, "I don't know where the name Fizbo came from. I do know one day that's what my dad was calling me and that's the name that I printed on my business cards."[6] The name "Fizbo" was later used for a clown character he periodically played on Modern Family.

Stonestreet attended Piper High School and Kansas State University, where he was in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity,[6] graduating with a degree in sociology in 1996.[7] While there, he made his stage debut when he appeared in Prelude to a Kiss, for which he auditioned on a dare and won the smallest role. He later appeared in All My Sons and Twelfth Night,[7] before studying improv at ImprovOlympic and The Second City Training Center in Chicago, then moved to Los Angeles to begin his professional acting career.[7]

Career

Early work and smaller roles

He made his film debut in Almost Famous, as desk clerk Sheldon. 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. He also appeared in the movies Identity Thief as Big Chuck, and Bad Teacher as Kirk.

He is also notable for his role as Ronnie Litre on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He also guest starred in television shows, such as Dharma & Greg, ER, Malcolm in the Middle, The Mentalist, NCIS, Nip/Tuck, Party of Five, Spin City, The West Wing, Pushing Daisies, Greg the Bunny, Providence, Close to Home, Crossing Jordan, Bones, Monk, and American Horror Story. Early in his career Stonestreet was featured in Kansas State University's 1996 football and the Big 12 Conference TV commercials' campaign as the "purple pride guy."[8]

Modern Family and beyond

Stonestreet at the 2010 SAG Awards

Stonestreet played Cameron Tucker in ABC's Modern Family.[5] His performance in the series was widely acclaimed and earned him numerous awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, four SAG Awards for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series, and nominations for three Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor in Television.

In 2013, he appeared in a series of advertisements for Australian retail store Big W.[9] In the fall of the same year, Stonestreet played the "Fan Coach" in the AT&T "Be A Fan" commercial series that ran during the college football season, in addition to appearing in a MasterCard/Stand Up 2 Cancer commercial as himself.[10] In 2014, he performed in "Weird Al" Yankovic's music video for "Tacky," a parody of Pharrell's "Happy". In the same year he also starred in the remake of the Belgian thriller The Loft.[11][12] He regularly appears onstage at IO West improv Theatre in Los Angeles.[13]

In 2017, Stonestreet hosted the ABC competition series The Toy Box.[14]

In 2020, Stonestreet appeared as a guest judge for a taping of auditions for the fifteenth season of America's Got Talent, in place of Heidi Klum.[15] In the same year he appeared in the music video for Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber's song "Stuck with U".[16]

In March 2021, it was announced that Stonestreet would be hosting Domino Masters for Fox.[17] The competition series premiered on March 9, 2022.[18]

In November 2024, Stonestreet was named as the godfather for the new Norwegian Cruise Line ship Norwegian Aqua.[19]

Personal life

Stonestreet began dating pediatric nurse Lindsay Schweitzer in June 2016,[20] and they became engaged on August 22, 2021.[21]

Although he played a gay character in Modern Family, Stonestreet is heterosexual and has lightheartedly described himself as "openly straight".[22] His Modern Family co-star and onscreen husband Jesse Tyler Ferguson (who is gay in real life) jokingly called him "gay-for-pay".[5][23] Stonestreet supports LGBTQ causes; he refused Republican senator Rick Santorum's request to take a picture with him at the 2014 White House Correspondents' dinner due to Santorum's staunchly anti-gay platform.[24]

A keen sports fan, Stonestreet supports the Kansas City Chiefs football team[25] and joined the new ownership group of the Kansas City Royals baseball team in 2019.[26] He has also driven the pace car at several NASCAR events.[27] He often attends football games at his alma mater, Kansas State University, and stays active with several organizations there.[28]

Stonestreet is also a fan of drums, mainly a collector of them which he talked about on comedian Rob Riggle's podcast Riggles Picks.[29]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Almost Famous Sheldon the Desk Clerk
2003 F.A.T. Ranger
Girls Will Be Girls Dr. Benson
Street of Pain Floyd Short film
2004 Straight-Jacket Labor Organizer
Knuckle Sandwich Bill
2005 Saddam 17 The Clerk Short film
The Island Ed the Trucker
2007 The Drifter Delivery Guy Short film
Stories USA Floyd Segment: "Street of Pain"
2008 Ninja Cheerleaders Beergut
American Crude Phil
2010 Father vs. Son Doug
2011 Bad Teacher Kirk Gay
2013 Identity Thief Big Chuck
2014 The Loft Marty Landry
2016 The Secret Life of Pets Duke (voice)
2019 The Secret Life of Pets 2

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Dharma & Greg Chester Episode: "See Dharma Run"
2000 I've Got a Secret Himself Unknown episodes
Malcolm in the Middle Phil Episode: "Malcolm Babysits"
Party of Five Irv 2 episodes
Spin City The Dentist Episode: "Smile"
ER Willie Episode: "Mars Attacks"
2001 The West Wing Staffer #1 Episode: "Bad Moon Rising"
2002 Greg the Bunny Wilson Episode: "Welcome to Sweetknuckle Junction"
Providence Ted Stout Episode: "Eye of the Storm"
2001–2005 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Ronnie Litre 12 episodes
2005 Close to Home Andrew Morgan Episode: "Under Threat"
2006 13 Graves Andrew Schoch Television film
2007 Crossing Jordan Steve Anderman Episode: "D.O.A."
Bones D.C. Cop 2 episodes
On the Lot Actor
American Dad! Short Order Cook (voice) Episode: "Dope & Faith"
2008 The Mentalist Malcom Boatwright Episode: "Red Hair and Silver Tape"
Pushing Daisies Leo Burns Episode: "Comfort Food"
NCIS Harvey Ames Episode: "Silent Night"
2009 This Might Hurt Brad Maynard Television film
Monk Boom Boom Episode: "Mr. Monk and the UFO"
Scare Tactics Eric the Paranormal Guy Episode: "28 Minutes Later"
Nip/Tuck Wesley Clovis Episode: "Wesley Clovis"
2009–2020 Modern Family Cameron Tucker Main role
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (won 2010, 2012; nominated 2011)
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (nominated 2011–13)
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (nominated 2012–13, 2015)
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (nominated 2010, 2015–17; won 2011–14)
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (nominated 2011)
2010 Good News Week Himself 1 episode
2011 American Horror Story: Murder House Derrick Episode: "Piggy Piggy"
2013–2018 Sofia the First Minimus (voice) 16 episodes
2014 Sesame Street Himself Episode: "Hansel & Gretel Playdate"
2015 Jeopardy! 2 episodes
2016 Blue Peter[30] Episode: "4915"
Confirmation Kenneth Duberstein Television film
2017 The F Word Himself "Episode Seven"
The Toy Box[14] 16 episodes
2019 What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage Episode: "Neighbor"
2020 America's Got Talent Guest Judge (season 15)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Episode: "In The Hot Seat: Eric Stonestreet and Will Forte"
2021 Madagascar: A Little Wild Harley Horns (voice) Episode: "A Roar Is Born"
2022 Domino Masters Himself Main role
2023 American Auto Ian 2 episodes
The Santa Clauses Magnus Antas / Mad Santa Main role (season 2)

Music videos

Year Song Artist Notes
2014 "Tacky" Weird Al Yankovic
2020 "Stuck with U" Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber Cameo [16]

Specials

Year Title Role Notes
2013 TSN: The Hangover Nice Guy Actor Who Got Suckered Into This Movie Cameo

References

  1. ^ a b "Eric Stonestreet". TV Guide. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  2. ^ "Actor Eric Stonestreet, From Kansas Farm to Sitcom Star". Wall Street Journal. March 28, 2017. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "Eric Stonestreet". IMDb.
  4. ^ Bensinger, Graham (September 19, 2024). Eric Stonestreet: Full interview (Video). Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Stated on Inside the Actors Studio, 2011
  6. ^ a b Engle, Time (September 21, 2012). "Eric Stonestreet talks Emmys, clowns, gay marriage and Tonganoxie". Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Kansas. Archived from the original on June 20, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Maullar, Marci (n.d.). "K-State Alum wins an Emmy for his role in ABC Comedy Series" (Press release). Kansas State University Theatre Dept. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  8. ^ Berkman, Seth (April 3, 2019). "Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family". Boston.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  9. ^ Lynchy (April 9, 2013). "Big W recruits Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet for latest campaign via Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney". Campaign Brief. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  10. ^ "30 Amazing Things You Probably Didn't Know About Eric Stonestreet". BoomsBeat.com. March 23, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  11. ^ Moore, Debi (December 22, 2014). "The Loft Arriving One Week Later than Originally Announced". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  12. ^ Sneider, Jeff (May 11, 2011). "Eric Stonestreet, Wentworth Miller in 'Loft'". Variety. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  13. ^ Gropman, Adam (February 21, 2018). "End Scene: L.A.'s iO West Theater to Close Suddenly After 21 Years". LA Weekly. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "ABC Announces Expert Mentors and Young Judges Appearing on Upcoming Toy-Competition Series 'The Toy Box,' Premiering Friday, April 7" (Press release). ABC. January 4, 2017. Archived from the original on April 8, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  15. ^ "Actor Eric Stonestreet to Fill in For Heidi Klum at "AGT" Taping". www.msn.com.
  16. ^ a b "Celeb Cameos in Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber's 'Stuck with U'". Insider. May 9, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  17. ^ White, Peter (March 26, 2021). "Eric Stonestreet To Host Unscripted Competition Series Domino Masters For Fox". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  18. ^ Pedersen, Erik (January 26, 2022). "Fox Spring Premiere Dates: More Masked Singer; 9-1-1 Return; Domino Masters Debuts, More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  19. ^ "NCL Names Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet as Godfather for Norwegian Aqua". www.travelmarketreport.com. November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  20. ^ Corriston, Michele (August 30, 2017). "Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet Is Off the Market". People. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  21. ^ "Eric Stonestreet Engaged to Longtime Girlfriend Lindsay Schweitzer". The Hollywood Reporter. August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  22. ^ "Oprah talks to the cast of Modern Family". The Oprah Winfrey Show. p. 2. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  23. ^ "All In The Family". Out.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  24. ^ Reynolds, Daniel (July 25, 2014). "Modern Family's Gay Dad Says NO WAY to Rick Santorum Photo". The Advocate. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  25. ^ Dixon, John (November 26, 2019). "Actor Eric Stonestreet is among new owners of the Kansas City Royals". Arrowhead Pride. SBNation. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  26. ^ "Eric Stonestreet part of new Royals ownership group". KMBC 9 News. November 26, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  27. ^ Burns, Hilary (October 29, 2014). "Jill Gregory took a bunch of NASCAR drivers to Hollywood. Here's what she's planning next". bizwomen. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  28. ^ "Eric Stonestreet makes an 'official' recruiting visit to K-State football team". The Kansas City Star. August 20, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  29. ^ Eric Stonestreet | Riggle's Picks podcast Ep. 5. Retrieved April 18, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  30. ^ "Blue Peter - what time is it on TV? Episode 4915 Series 0 cast list and preview". Radiotimes.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.