Modern Family utilizes the mockumentary sitcom style popularized in the 2000s by shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation. The critically acclaimed show followed the lives of a large, blended family, attracting high praise from critics and fans alike. The show won numerous accolades, including a whipping 22 Emmys and ran for 11 seasons from 2009 to 2020, ending its reign as one of the longest airing sitcoms.

Fans have watched the extended Pritchett-Delgado-Dunphy-Tucker clan grow, both as the fictional family gains members and as the show's cast ages. Before all those changes, fans might wonder: how old were the actors when they stepped into their roles? The show's producers took great care in casting the family members, and on the whole, most of the actors' ages match their characters closely; still, there are a few that may surprise unsuspecting viewers.

11 Jay Pritchett

Played by Emmy-nominee Ed O'Neill

The family's patriarch is the often cranky and secretly sentimental Jay Pritchett. The show follows him and his new wife, the spirited Colombian stay-at-home-turned-realtor Gloria, who brings with her a son from her previous marriage. Their marriage might seem odd at first sight, but there's a true and quite passionate love at the center of their relationship.

In the Modern Family fourth season episode, "Bringing Up Baby," Jay finds that Gloria is pregnant on his 65th birthday. Running the numbers, it's clear Jay was 61 at the start of the series. Pritchett is played by Ed O'Neill, who rose to fame with his leading role in the subversive 90s sitcom Married... with Children. O'Neill was 63 when Modern Family began, making him only a tad older than his character.

10 Gloria Delgado-Pritchett

Played by Emmy-nominee Sofia Vergara

Playing opposite O'Neill is Colombia actress Sofia Vergara, who earned critical and audience acclaim for her role as the feisty Gloria Delgado-Pritchett. Gloria begins the series as an outsider, having recently married Jay and sharing a tense dynamic with his daughter, Claire, who considers her a gold-digger. Gloria soon grows to be an integral part of the family, developing close bonds with everyone.

During the Season 4 episode, "New Year's Eve," Jay drags the family to a hotel he says he last visited in 1974, prompting Gloria's response that she was only two. Gloria was likely born sometime in 1972, the same as Vergara. Thus, both Gloria and Sofia Vergara were 37 when Modern Family began.

9 Manny Delgado

Played by Rico Rodriguez

Manny Delgado, Gloria's child from her first marriage, serves as the family's consummate sophisticate. As Gloria's partner in crime before her marriage to Jay, Manny is exceptionally mature for his age, to the point where he drinks coffee and has extensive knowledge about literature, cooking, and even alcohol. His overly grown-up attitude often confuses and concerns Jay, who encourages him to act more his age.

Manny is played by child actor Rico Rodriguez, who was 11 when he began the role, the exact age of his character. In one episode, Manny's birthday is stated to be in January, whereas Rodriguez's is in July, meaning Manny is slightly older than Rico.

8 Claire Dunphy

Played by Emmy-winner Julie Bowen

Two-time Emmy winner Julie Bowen plays Claire Dunphy, Jay's oldest child, Phil's wife, and the mother of Haley, Alex, and Luke. Claire is the apple of her father's eye and takes firmly after him, acting very much like a Type A personality. While she is driven and expects a lot from those in her life, she gives her all to the people she loves.

Bowen was 39 when the first season of Modern Family aired. In the show, Claire was around the same age, likely born in 1970, the same year Bowen was born. It is mentioned that Claire is 14 months older than her stepmother, Gloria, which is only a few months less than the actual age difference between Bowen and Vergara. Bowen might not be similar to her character, but the two at least have their ages in common.

7 Phil Dunphy

Played by Emmy-winner Ty Burrell

Ty Burrell joined the cast for the sitcom's first season as Phil Dunphy, who is the epitome of all dorky, dedicated dads and one of Modern Family's most likable characters. Phil acts as the good cop to Claire's bad cop, always laid back to balance her intensity. Critics and audiences lauded Burrell's performance, and he won two Emmy Awards from eight consecutive nominations - the most out of any actor on the show.

At 42, Burrell joined Modern Family. When Phil and Claire eloped, Phil was in his mid-twenties. He was born on April 3rd, though his exact birth year is not given. However, Phil is a few years older than Claire, so Burrell's real-life age is likely quite close to his character's. He might be 40 or 41 in the first season, but everyone knows his mind is much younger.

6 Haley Dunphy

Played by Sarah Hyland

Hayley is Phil and Claire's oldest daughter, a beautiful party girl with little to no ambition other than being popular and looking her best. She undergoes a significant change throughout the show, becoming more mature and welcoming twins in season 10 with her high school sweetheart, Dylan.

Sarah Hyland was 19 when she began her role as Haley on Modern Family. However, her character was only 16 in the first season and later celebrated her 21st birthday in Season 6, making the age gap between her and her character one of the most significant in the series. Hyland's acting chops and petite stature serve her well, though—most fans would never expect that, in reality, she is more than three years older than Haley.

5 Alex Dunphy

Played by Ariel Winter

Ariel Winter plays high-achieving brainiac Alex Dunphy, one of television's iconic know-it-alls. As the middle child in the Dunphy family, Alex is often overlooked in favor of Haley's rebellious attitude and Luke's wild antics. However, she enjoys her place as it allows her to observe and make snarky comments about her family's unconventional nature.

Alex is three years younger than her older sister, Haley, and therefore thirteen at the show's start. In real life, Winter was only 11 when the first season aired and is eight years Hyland's junior. However, the actresses excel at the type of squabbling that anyone who grew up with a sister close to their age remembers well. Their dynamic on-screen translated to a friendship off-screen that endures today.

4 Luke Dunphy

Played by Nolan Gould

Luke Dunphy, played by Nolan Gould, is Claire and Phil's youngest son, a dimwitted child who is close friends with Manny despite their opposing personalities. He undergoes an extreme transformation over the show's tenure, both in appearance and personality. All the other characters grow in age, but Luke might be the one who changes the most drastically in appearance throughout Modern Family.

Gould was 11 during the show's first season, the same age as his character. Luke and his close friend and step-uncle, Manny, are the same age throughout Modern Family, even graduating in the same high school class in Season 8. Gould is also only a few months younger than Rodriguez in real life.

3 Mitchell Pritchett

Played by Emmy-nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Mitchell Pritchett is played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who offers a perfect performance that earned him five consecutive Emmy nominations. Mitchell's slightly neurotic personality might originate from an overbearing older sister and a strained relationship with his parents. Still, he remains a loving father and husband, forming one of sticoms' best and funniest families, even if his uptight, anxious, and worrying personality often clashes with his husband's, Cam.

The show states that Mitchell is around two years younger than his sister, which would make him 36 in the first episode. On the contrary, Ferguson was only 34 in Modern Family's first season, making him five years younger than Bowen, the actor who played his fictional sister.

2 Cameron Tucker

Played by Emmy-winner Eric Stonestreet

Just as Phil balances out Claire, Mitchell's anxiety is complemented by his husband Cameron (Eric Stonestreet). The loud, larger-than-life Cam is never afraid to be himself; he is unafraid to express his feelings and do what he loves, including performing as his alter-ego, the auguste clown Fizbo. Stonestreet's performance received universal acclaim and earned him two Emmy Awards.

In the third season, Cam celebrates his 10th birthday because he was born on a leap day, which would mean he was born in 1972 and was 37 in the first season. Meanwhile, Stonestreet was 38 when he stepped into the role, making him only a year older than the beloved and dramatic Cam.

1 Lily Tucker-Pritchett

Played by Aubrey Anderson-Emmons

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons is Lily, the brutally honest, dry-humored daughter of Cam and Mitchell. She appears in the first episode as a one-year-old when the couple adopts her and remains with the show until the end. Lily might be Modern Family's youngest cast member, but she is arguably the meanest, delivering sass left and right without caring about other people's feelings.

Initially, a pair of twins played Lily as a baby. Anderson-Emmons permanently stepped into the role in 2011, when she was 4. Meanwhile, Lily would have been 3, although the difference was hardly noticeable. Anderson-Emmons deserves credit for being consistently funny despite her age, something not many child actors can achieve, especially among such a talented cast.

Modern Family is available to stream on Hulu in the United States and Canada.

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