Ty Burrell’s Wife Holly Has Taught Him ‘Unconditional Love!’ Meet the ‘Modern Family’ Actor’s Spouse

Everybody knows Ty Burrell for playing the loving husband and father Phil Dunphy in the sitcom Modern Family, and his life imitates art! The Emmy winner has been married to his wife, Holly Burrell, since 2000, and they started a family together.

How Did Ty Burrell Meet Holly Burrell?

Ty and Holly met at the opening night of the play Twelfth Night, in which they both were cast as understudies. Their first meeting took place at the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C.

The Back to You alum knew right away that Holly was The One for him on their “first date.”

“I was slow on the uptake, so it took me a couple of years,” he told Redbook in August 2010 of working up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage after dating.

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He explained how he knew it was the right time to pop the question to Holly.

“I was in Mississippi playing Oberon in a not-so-great production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Against her conservative parents’ wishes, she was coming down to live with me in a roach-infested former army bunker,” Ty told Elle in March 2011. “I was making $250 a week and had zero prospects for the future. Driving to the airport, I found myself overwhelmed with emotion, thinking, I need to marry this woman because she clearly loves me for who I am. I had literally nothing going for me, and she was actually seeking me out.”

Ty and Holly got married in 2000 and have strengthened their relationship over the past two decades. “My wife has taught me about unconditional love. When there’s a conflict, there’s never a thought that we won’t work it out,” Ty told Good Housekeeping in March 2014.

“To end an argument with Holly, I apologize. That’s normally the accurate response, because I’m usually wrong,” he added.

The Screen Actors Guild Award winner admitted that he’s not the most romantic person, but he tries his best. “I’m not very romantic,” he said. “My idea of romance is more practical — like washing the car.”

What Is Holly Burrell’s Job?

Ultimately, Holly decided that acting wasn’t something she wanted to do long-term. Instead, she took classes at the French Culinary Institute at the International Culinary Center in New York and is now a professional chef.

“Food is a primary source of joy for us. We both love to eat. We are definitely not in the first category,” Holly told The Utah Farm Bureau Federation in August 2020.

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Ty Burell and Holly Burrell Welcomed 2 Kids

Ty and Holly welcomed two daughters together via adoption, Greta and Frances.

“There’s lots of problem solving in any marriage, but when you have this collective goal that is a human being, it’s an inspiring rally point,” he said.

Ty absolutely loves being a dad to his two daughters, and is grateful for their moments spent together. He also values alone time and date nights with his wife.

“Before we had our two daughters, Holly and I took spending time together for granted,” he said. “Now it requires focus to get away for a date, which I think is kind of cool.”

The girls have the sweetest morning ritual when it comes to waking their dad up.

“My favorite part of the day is the moment when one of our daughters climbs into our bed in the morning and physically opens my eyelids — even if I’m not ready to wake up,” Ty shared.