List of Modern Family characters

In the Season 3 episode "Dude Ranch," Phil shows considerable skill both on horseback and with a shotgun, notably shooting two clay pigeons on one foot.

In moments of acute adversity or shock in which most people would curse or swear, Phil utters humorous exclamations: references to food such as, "Sweet Potato Fries!"

"[6] Paige Wiser, a reporter for the Chicago Sun Times, wrote, "Ty Burrell is a genius as a dad who stays hip by keeping up with the numbers from High School Musical.

Far from it: Bowen's wide array of silent gazes at the camera, her slow-burns at her clan's bad behavior, and her ability to freak out without seeming nutso crazy makes her an essential, stand-out part of TV's best freshman ensemble cast.

Throughout Season 6, Haley develops feelings for Jay and Gloria's hired nanny, Andy, with whom she comes to spend much of her time and with whom she begins a relationship in "White Christmas."

At the end of Season 7, Andy is offered a job in his hometown in Utah and initially turns it down, but Haley encourages him to pursue it, insisting that they will figure out a way to be together.

[citation needed] Described in her official ABC bio as "super smart but in a completely likeable way", she is the middle child to a shallow older sister and a goofy younger brother, and enjoys "messing with them".

Haley sincerely tells Alex at one point that she is smart and attractive in a successful effort to get her to give a light-hearted graduation speech instead of a harsh one (it worked well enough that her classmates invited her to a post-ceremony party).

[citation needed] It is established in the episode "Tableau Vivant" that Alex is a light sleeper, as she was surprisingly energetic when staying awake nearly a whole night thinking about her upcoming art project.

In the season 9 episode "Royal Visit," she starts dating Bill (Jimmy Tatro), a firefighter who rescued her when she burned a bagel in her room's microwave.

Subsequent events have borne this out, as he only got into one college he applied to (and did so because Phil gave up some magic secrets to his former rival-turned-Dean of Admissions) but has become a well-paid social fixture at Jay's country club and shows he can use his connections to help his family.

[18][19] Dylan Stardust Marshall (Reid Ewing), sometimes called "D-Money" by Phil, is the on-and-off boyfriend (and eventual husband) of Haley Dunphy, introduced as a senior in high school who plays guitar, sings in a band, and has no plans for college.

Doubts have also been raised about her income: her only mentioned employment was as a hairdresser (and later as a taxi driver), and Claire, Jay's daughter, originally labeled Gloria as a "gold-digger" for marrying her wealthy father.

He is also mature and intuitive for his age and is often shown doing adult-like things, such as writing precocious poetry for his crushes who are mostly older than him, having conversations with Claire about her marriage and kids, and drinking coffee.

[24] Manny is not afraid to take chances, leading him to ask out older girls, and develops a crush on his step-niece Haley, to whom he gave flowers on "Pilot" and even kissed in "Three Turkeys.

Cameron Scott "Cam" Tucker (Eric Stonestreet),[28] (February 29, 1972) is Mitchell's husband of eight years, and one of Lily's fathers, who has a huge dramatic personality.

He was a starting center for the University of Illinois football team (which he and Jay bond over, much to Mitchell's envy) and is a huge sports fan.

Cameron also fosters many unusual hobbies such as collecting antique fountain pens, being adept in Japanese flower arrangement, and is a classically trained Auguste clown named Fizbo.

Cameron is overly emotional about Lily, their adoptive daughter and doesn't approve of Mitchell's more strict parenting methods, such as letting her cry herself to sleep if she wakes up in the middle of the night.

"[27][29] In the show's early seasons, Cameron often dressed her up as famous people for photoshoots, such as Diana Ross, Olivia Newton-John, Madonna and Stevie Wonder.

A running gag throughout the series is that DeDe's arrival is always forewarned by bad omens (birds crashing into the window or peaceful scenarios spontaneously turning chaotic).

[34] Frank is kind of a polar opposite of Jay's (Claire's father) grumpiness and dry manner, as he is seen being laid back, funny and cool most of the time.

When the whole family gathers at Jay and Gloria's house, Cameron wants to prove that he is not that sensitive as Pam accuses him and asks everyone to tell him things they were hiding from him because they were trying to protect him.

Walt then makes things up by generously giving Claire and Phil onions from his garden and tells them that he used to be a fireman, so he never hurts kids, and becomes friends with the Dunphys through his friendship with Luke.

In "Lifetime Supply," he comes over to the Dunphy house with Luke to play video games and, upon entering, tells Gloria to win a war some time, and then they (Americans) would start talking like her.

He appears for the first time in character in the episode "Flip Flop" as he attempts to strike a deal for his buyer through Phil on the home renovated by Claire and Cam.

In the Season 6 finale "American Skyper," Andy reveals to Phil that he already had the engagement ring that he had been saving up for, but is hesitant to propose to Beth because he's still confused about the feelings he has for someone else.

Earl briefly reappears in "Halloween 4: The Revenge of Rod Skyhook" (now played by Robert Costanzo, because Jon Polito died), dressed as the Devil.

She reappeared in "American Skyper" where she seemed to have been responsible for setting Haley's hair on fire and was last seen in "Summer Lovin," where she makes a cameo and she and Andy walk in the park.

Bill (Jimmy Tatro) is a firefighter that meets Alex when she burns a bagel bite in the microwave in her dorm room after overindulging in a pity party over her sister Haley dating her school professor and crush, Arvin.