Jesse Tyler Ferguson | |
|---|---|
 Ferguson in 2022 | |
| Born | (1975-10-22)October 22, 1975 (age 50) Missoula, Montana, U.S. |
| Education | American Musical and Dramatic Academy |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | www |
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (born October 22, 1975)[1][2] is an American actor. From 2009 to 2020, he portrayedMitchell Pritchett on the sitcomModern Family, for which he earned five consecutive nominations for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
He is also known for his theatrical work, winning aTony Award in 2022 forBest Featured Actor in a Play forTake Me Out, and originating the role of Leaf Coneybear in the original Broadway cast ofThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in 2006.
Ferguson made hisBroadway debut inOn the Town (1998), He has appeared in numerous productions ofShakespeare in the Park, acting inA Midsummer Night's Dream (2007),A Winter's Tale (2010),The Merchant of Venice (2010),The Tempest (2015), andTwelfth Night; or What You Will (2025).
In 2016, he starred on Broadway inFully Committed, for which he won theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson was born inMissoula, Montana,[2] to Anne Ferguson (née Doyle; 1948–2024) and Robert "Bob" Ferguson (born 1946).[3][4][5] He was named after his paternal grandmother, Jessie Uppercue Ferguson,[6] to whom he was very close growing up.[7] He was also named after his paternal great-grandfather, Jesse.[8] He has a brother, Benjamin Ferguson, and a sister, Kelly Ferguson.[5]
His family moved toAlbuquerque, New Mexico, where he was raised.[9] At age eight, Ferguson decided to become an actor, and joined the Albuquerque Children's Theater, where he was a member for six years.[10] While attendingSt. Pius X High School, Ferguson acted in the playsBye Bye Birdie andLi'l Abner. He participated on thespeech and debate team and graduated in 1994.[11] He worked as a dancer/singer atCliff's Amusement Park.[10] Ferguson was 18 years old when his parents divorced. After high school, Ferguson attendedThe American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City.[12]
In New York City, Ferguson worked mainly inOff-Broadway and Broadway theatre, including theTony Award-winningThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, where he originated the role of Leaf Coneybear.[13] Ferguson starred in thePublic Theater's 2007Shakespeare in the Park production ofA Midsummer Night's Dream and 2015 production ofThe Tempest. In the summer of 2015, he played Sir Robin in the Hollywood Bowl production ofMonty Python's Spamalot.
In March 2012, Ferguson was featured asDr. Ilan Meyer in a performance ofDustin Lance Black's play8, a staged reenactment ofPerry v. Brown, the federal trial that overturned California'sProposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage.[14] The production was held at theWilshire Ebell Theatre and broadcast on YouTube to raise money for theAmerican Foundation for Equal Rights, a non-profit organization funding the plaintiffs' legal team and sponsoring the play.[15][16] He appeared in the 2022 Broadway revival ofTake Me Out, for which he won a Tony Award.
On television, Ferguson was among the largeensemble cast on the short-lived CBS sitcomThe Class, playing Richie Velch. Ferguson also played a role in the 2008 thrillerUntraceable.
From 2009 to 2020, he played the role ofMitchell Pritchett, the openly gay lawyer on the ABC sitcomModern Family. For his performance, Ferguson received five consecutiveEmmy Award nominations forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He also appeared as a judge onSo You Think You Can Dance and opposed actressChrissy Metz in a 2017 episode ofTBS'sDrop the Mic. In 2020, he co-hostedHGTV'sExtreme Makeover: Home Edition replacingTy Pennington.
In 2018, Ferguson was one of the actors who voiced the audiobookA Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo.[17]
In 2019, Ferguson appeared inTaylor Swift's music video for "You Need to Calm Down".[18]
.jpg)
In September 2012, Ferguson and his lawyer husband, Justin Mikita, started the non-profit charity Tie The Knot,[19] an effort to raise funds in support ofsame-sex marriage, usingbow ties sold to retail.[20] They officially launched it as their engagement announcement in an online video where they explain only seven states at the time had same-sex marriage.[20][21][22] In an interview Ferguson stated that he wanted to do something that was smaller and manageable in case it did not work out as abusiness model.[23]
The foundation sells limited-edition bow ties to support organizations that advocate for same-sex marriage.[24] Their collections are designed by the couple plus guest designers, and is sold by The Tie Bar, aNaperville, Illinois-based online men's neckwear company.[24]
In January 2013, the couple were recruited by Lieutenant Governor of IllinoisSheila Simon to lobby legislators to pass SB10 which would allow same-sex marriage.[24] The bill passed both legislative houses,[25][26] and GovernorPat Quinn signed the bill into law,[27] going into effect on June 1, 2014.[28]
In October 2013, theAmerican Civil Liberties Union named Ferguson the celebrity ambassador for theLGBT community.[29] He participated heavily in the ACLU's "Out for Freedom" campaign[30][31] They noted that Ferguson travelled to New Mexico, his home state, to take part insame sex marriage efforts. Before the state's full legalization of same-sex marriage on December 19, 2013,New Mexico did not explicitly permit or prohibit same-sex marriage; it was the only state lacking a statute or constitutional provision explicitly addressing same-sex marriage.[32] The couple's non-profit made a grant of US$10,000 to the ACLU of New Mexico for same sex efforts.[30]
In November 2013, apop-up retail store for 'Tie The Knot' was located at the Los AngelesBeverly Center featuring the fourth collection from the couple,[33] including professional athlete designs withScott Fujita andChris Kluwe, andBrittney Griner.[34]
Ferguson uses his full name, as there was already an actor called Jesse Ferguson in the actors' union when he joined.[8]
In September 2012, he announced his engagement to lawyer Justin Mikita, his boyfriend of nearly two years.[35] They married inManhattan on July 20, 2013,[36] with the playwright and screenwriterTony Kushner officiating at their wedding.[8] The couple have two children born through surrogacy;[37] their first son was born on July 7, 2020[38] and their second son was born on November 15, 2022.[39]
On the process ofcoming out, he said he had to tell his father three times (when he was 17, 19 and 21): "It's a coming out process for them as well, and it takes time".[40]
He has a dog named Leaf, named after Leaf Coneybear, a character he created inThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway.[8] He is a supporter of theDemocratic Party and is shown in the2016 Democratic National Convention promotional trailer "Our Fight Song".[41]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Ordinary Sinner | Ogden | |
| 2004 | Mercury in Retrograde | Duane | Short film |
| 2006 | Griffin & Phoenix | Student | |
| 2008 | Untraceable | Arthur James Elmer | |
| 2009 | Wonderful World | Cyril | |
| 2012 | The Procession | Jason | Short film |
| 8 | Dr. Ilan Meyer | ||
| Red | Frank Jenkowski | Short film | |
| 2016 | Ice Age: Collision Course | Shangri Llama (voice) | |
| 2023 | Cocaine Bear | Peter | |
| 2024 | All That We Love | Stan | |
| 2025 | A Very Jonas Christmas Movie | Santa Claus |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sally Hemings: An American Scandal | Young Tom Hemings | TV film |
| 2002 | Absolutely Fabulous | Uncredited | Episode: "Gay" |
| 2006–2007 | The Class | Richie Velch | 19 episodes |
| 2007, 2010 | Ugly Betty | Dr. Gabe Farkas | 2 episodes: "Icing on the Cake" (2007) / "The Passion of the Betty" (2010) |
| 2008 | Do Not Disturb | Larry | 5 episodes |
| 2009–2015 | The Battery's Down | Shamus McKelvy | 2 episodes |
| 2009–2020 | Modern Family | Mitchell Pritchett | Main character |
| 2011–2013 | So You Think You Can Dance | Himself | Guest judge; 7 episodes |
| 2012 | Submissions Only | Jared Halstead | Episode: "Another Interruption" |
| RuPaul's Drag Race | Himself | Episode: "Dads I'd Like to Frock" | |
| Who Do You Think You Are? | Season 5 episode 2 | ||
| 2013 | 2013 Do Something Awards | Honoree | TV film |
| 2013–2014 | Web Therapy | Steve Olson | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Hot in Cleveland | Wes | Episode: "Love Is All Around" |
| Project Runway | Himself | Guest judge; Episode: "Tie the Knot" | |
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Episode: "Jesse Tyler Ferguson Wears a Brown Checked Shirt and Stripey Socks" | |
| Running Wild with Bear Grylls | Episode: "Jesse Tyler Ferguson" | ||
| 2017 | Nightcap | Episode: "Always a Beard, Never a Bride" | |
| Drop the Mic | Episode: "David Arquette vs.Brian Tyree Henry / Jesse Tyler Ferguson vs.Chrissy Metz" | ||
| 2017–2022 | Pete the Cat | Syd | 17 episodes |
| 2020 | Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | Host[42] | 8 episodes |
| A Modern Farewell | Himself | Modern Family documentary | |
| 2021 | The Good Fight | Garrison Vitar | Episode: "And the Two Partners Had a Fight..." |
| Martha Gets Down and Dirty | Himself | Episode: "You Grow Girl"[43] | |
| 2022 | High School Musical: The Musical: The Series | Marvin | Episode: "Into The Unknown" |
| 2024 | Elsbeth | Skip Mason | Episode: "Reality Shock" |
| Dinner Time Live with David Chang | Himself | Episode: "Pumpkin Spice" | |
| 2025 | Mid-Century Modern | Tevin | Episode: "Working Girls" |
| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Glamazon" | RuPaul | Guest star | ||
| 2016 | "Our Fight Song" | Various Artists | Himself | [64] | |
| "Holy Shit (You Got to Vote)" | [65] | ||||
| 2019 | "You Need to Calm Down" | Taylor Swift | Cameo |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |