Eric Stonestreet

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For more information contact:

Marci Maullar - KSU Theatre - 532-6878

K-State Alum wins an Emmy for his role in ABC Comedy Series
Eric Stonestreet, alum of Kansas State University (1996) has won an Emmy award for best actor in a comedy series for his portrayal of Cameron on the new ABC sitcom, Modern Family.

See the highlight on YouTube here.

This summer after a visit with his folks in Kansas City, Eric stopped in Manhattan on his way back to L.A. He had lunch with two theatre faculty members and some current students at one of his favorite restaurants, Hibatchi Hut. The Theatre Department hopes to have Eric back in the Fall or Spring semester to work with students in a workshop situation.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Eric Stonestreet grew up far from the bright lights of Los Angeles. As a young man raising pigs, he never would have imagined that he would end up in Los Angeles as an actor. While attending Kansas State University, studying to be a prison administrator, his friend Paul dared Eric to audition for a KSU Theatre production of the play Prelude to a Kiss, As fate would have it, Eric was cast in the play (in the smallest role) and was, as they say, bitten by the bug.

He performed in several more plays with K-State Theatre, including leading roles in All My Sons and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. After graduating with a degree in Sociology, Eric moved to Chicago to study and perform theatre and improv. Chicago brought new challenges and lots of opportunities, and after spending two years working in television commercials and studying with IO (Improv Olympics) Chicago and The Second City, Eric decided to head west to further pursue his dream.

While performing improv with IO West, he continued working in commercials and started to build an impressive resume creating memorable characters on shows including: Dharma & Greg, Malcolm in the Middle, Party of Five, Spin City, ER, The West Wing, American Dad, Providence, Close To Home, Crossing Jordan and Bones. His most notable character is from his recurring turn as Ronnie Litre, the questionable documents tech, on the original CSI. Eric played series regular “Andrew Schoch“ opposite Robert Forster and Mathew Lillard in the Fox pilot “13 Graves.” Eric most recently guest starred in unique roles on television shows such as The Mentalist, N.C.I.S., Nip/Tuck and Pushing Daisies.

Eric’s success on television brought him the opportunity to break ground on the big screen as well. His breakout role came when he played, Sheldon the hotel desk clerk, in Cameron Crowe’s film Almost Famous. That small but memorable role opened many doors for Eric. In 2003 Eric starred in IFC’S cult classic, Girls Will Be Girls, which was an official selection to the Sundance Film Festival.

Over his 13 year career, Eric is most proud of the people he’s met and the friends he’s made along the way. Eric considers himself, “just a guy from Kansas who is fortunate enough to have opportunities to be on T.V.