Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet is an American actor best known for his role as Cam Tucker on the hit sitcom *Modern Family*, a performance that earned him two Emmy Awards. Born on September 9, 1971, in Kansas City, Kansas, Stonestreet grew up in a supportive family environment, where he developed interests in both clowning and farming. His early experiences as a performer, including entertaining as "Fizbo the Clown," later influenced his character on *Modern Family*, where Cam is a professional party clown and a loving father.
Stonestreet graduated with a degree in sociology from Kansas State University, where a dare led him to audition for a play, igniting his passion for acting. He honed his craft in Chicago's improv scene before moving to Los Angeles, where he took on various television roles. His portrayal of Cam, who is part of a same-sex couple, contributed to the visibility of LGBTQ+ relationships on television, though Stonestreet himself has emphasized that the show did not aim to make overt political statements.
Beyond *Modern Family*, Stonestreet has appeared in films and shows such as *The Secret Life of Pets*, *Bad Teacher*, and *You're Not a Monster*. He is also known for his deep affection for his hometown and Kansas State University, often seeking to include references to them in his work. Stonestreet's personal life includes a recent engagement to Lindsay Schweitzer, and he remains a notable figure in both entertainment and sports, participating in a group purchase of the Kansas City Royals.
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Subject Terms
Eric Stonestreet
Actor
- Born: September 9, 1971
- Place of Birth: Kansas City, Kansas
Contribution: Eric Stonestreet is an actor best known for his Emmy Award–winning role of Cam Tucker on the sitcom Modern Family.
Background
Eric Stonestreet was born on September 9, 1971, in Kansas City, Kansas, to Jamey and Vance Stonestreet. He and his two siblings were raised in Kansas City, where he played football and dreamed of being a clown in the circus. At eleven, he was already performing as Fizbo the Clown at children’s birthday parties—a detail that was later incorporated into Cam’s character history on Modern Family. Stonestreet’s family also leased forty acres of land on which Stonestreet raised pigs and cows through elementary school and high school. Between his clowning and his pig business, Stonestreet made a decent profit; he even had business cards.
Stonestreet attended Piper High School and Kansas State University (KSU), where he studied criminal justice. Having grown up near the penitentiaries in Leavenworth, Kansas, he hoped to be a prison administrator. On a dare he auditioned for KSU’s production of Prelude to a Kiss during his junior year. He won a small role in the play and has been acting ever since. He graduated with a degree in sociology in 1995. After college Stonestreet moved to Chicago, where he studied improvisational comedy at the city’s famed Second City and performed at the ImprovOlympic (now known as the iO Theater). His work in Chicago made him realize that he could make a living as an actor. He appeared in television commercials and, after two years, moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in television and film.
Career
For many years Stonestreet played small roles on television shows including Party of Five , Spin City, and ER in 2000, The West Wing in 2001, and Crossing Jordan and Bones in 2007. He played a hotel clerk in the Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous (2000), which garnered him more television roles including a recurring role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Stonestreet played a documents tech named Ronnie Litre on thirteen episodes of the show between 2001 and 2005, and in 2003, he starred in the IFC film Girls Will Be Girls, which was selected for screening at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2001 he appeared in a Super Bowl ad for Pepsi alongside former Kansas senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole.
In 2009 Stonestreet guest-starred on the popular shows Nip/Tuck and Monk. That same year he landed the role of Cameron “Cam” Tucker on the ABC mockumentary-style comedy Modern Family about the interlocking lives of one extended family. Cam is the outrageous husband of Mitchell, played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Cam, a professional party clown named Fizbo, becomes the stay-at-home dad of Lily, the couple’s adoptive daughter. Stonestreet and Ferguson, who plays a lawyer with a more low-key personality, have some of the show’s best bits; their onscreen chemistry delights fans and made both men household names. The final season of the long-running show aired in 2020. Stonestreet won an Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series in 2010 and again in 2012; he was nominated in the category in 2011. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2011, 2012, and 2013. The Modern Family cast won four consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for best ensemble in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Stonestreet had many other credits as well. He appeared in the Cameron Diaz comedy Bad Teacher in 2011. In 2013, he appeared in the comedy Identity Thief, in which he teamed up with Melissa McCarthy for a hilarious sex scene. He also provided the voice of Minimus the flying horse in the Disney Junior animated series Sofia the First from 2013 to 2018. Stonestreet went on to host the two-season televised contest The Toy Box (2017) and to star as therapist Max Seward in the first season of the paranormal comedy animation You're Not a Monster, which was released by IMDb in 2019. During this period, he also made numerous guest appearances on television talk shows.
In the mid-to-late 2010s, while remaining with Modern Family, Stonestreet took a handful of film roles as well. He played Marty Landry, one of five philanderers, in The Loft (2015), a poorly received psychological thriller, and portrayed Kenneth Duberstein in Confirmation (2016), an acclaimed political drama about Anita Hill's sexual harassment testimony against then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. In his animation debut, Stonestreet provided the voice of the dog Duke in the talking-animals picture The Secret Life of Pets (2016), which became a box-office hit; he later reprised that role for the less well-received 2019 sequel, The Secret Life of Pets 2. He also appeared in the 2018 comedic documentary Poop Talk. He continued to appear on television in guest-starring roles and animated series including six episodes of The Santa Clauses in 2023.
Impact
For a decade, Stonestreet was half of the most famous gay couple on television, though he rejected the notion that the show tried to make an explicit statement about gay marriage. Still, many have argued that Mitch and Cam’s relationship contributed in some part to the turning tide of the issue. Modern Family was one of the most popular shows on television and introduced a loving gay couple into viewers’ homes each week.
Personal Life
Stonestreet dated Broadway performer Katherine Tokarz for three years. The couple broke up in the summer of 2012. Stonestreet proposed to his girlfriend of five years, Lindsay Schweitzer, in 2021. The couple was building a home in Kansas, where he hoped to stage the wedding.
Stonestreet has great affection for Kansas City and KSU and occasionally asks the writers to insert references to his hometown. For example, on Modern Family, Cam is from Tonganoxie, the town of Stonestreet’s rival high school growing up. Stonestreet requested that they change the city’s location from Kansas (where it really is) to Missouri because the town is the butt of many jokes on the show and he did not want people making fun of Kansas. In 2019, Stonestreet also joined in a group purchase of the Kansas City Royals professional baseball team.
Bibliography
Clack, Erin. "Eric Stonestreet Wants to Have His Wedding at Home--He Just Has to Build It First (Exclusive)." People, 26 Sept. 2023, people.com/eric-stonestreet-wants-wedding-at-home-has-to-build-it-7974827. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Collar, Cammila. “Eric Stonestreet.” AllRovi.com. Rovi Corp, 2013. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
Engle, Tim. “Eric Stonestreet Talks Emmys, Clowns, Gay Marriage and Tonganoxie.” Kansas City Star 21 Sept. 2012. Web. 31 July 2013.
“Eric’s Biography.” Ericstonestreet.com. Eric Stonestreet, 2009. Web. 31 July 2013.
"Eric Stonestreet." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0832314/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
“Eric Stonestreet as Cameron.” Modern Family. ABC, 2011. 31 July 2013.
Malec, Brett. “Melissa McCarthy’s Sex Scene in Identity Thief: ‘We Were Making Sweet, Passionate Love!” E! Entertainment Television. NBCUniversal, 5 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 July 2013.
Simpson, Leah. “Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet Splits from Girlfriend after Three-Year Romance.” Daily Mail [London] 18 Sept. 2012. Web. 31 July 2013.
Stonestreet, Eric. “Eric Stonestreet: Kansas State Proud.” Interview by Susan Peters. KAKE.com. KAKE TV, 2 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.