
In 2010, Ty Burrell received a nomination for the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, winning in 2011. Hank Stuever from The Washington Post wrote, "A standout performance from Ty Burrell's new twist on the doofus-dad stereotype." Paige Wiser, a reporter for the Chicago Sun Times, wrote, "Ty Burrell is a genius as a dad who stays hip by keeping up with the numbers from High School Musical." Robert Canning of IGN in a review of the season loved Ty Burrell's performance of Phil Dunphy and named him one of two characters that stood out to him saying "actor Ty Burrell owned this part, and his well-intended faux pas throughout the season were stellar." Accolades Ty Burrell had received many positive reviews for his performance. or he might make a historical reference such as " John Philip Sousa!" It is revealed in " Tableau Vivant" that Phil had once tried to break up with Claire but didn't dare to do so.Ī running gag in the show has Phil running up the stairs (often when carrying an object) and tripping on a loose step, which causes him to quickly and hastily say: "Gotta fix that step!" In moments of acute adversity or shock in which most people would curse or swear, Phil utters humorous exclamations: references to food such as, "Sweet Potato Fries!" or "Chicken in a basket!", etc. In the Season 3 episode " Dude Ranch," Phil shows considerable skill both on horseback and with a shotgun, notably shooting two clay pigeons on one foot. He often seeks approval from Jay, who generally does not openly show approval of anyone.

Phil seems oblivious as to what he says by miscalculating (if at all) the consequences of his expressions, such as "Phil Dunphy is no straight guy" (when he is referring to not being a straight man) or "If you ain't white, you ain't right" (referring to the color of a team that he was playing on). In college, he was a cheerleader at Fresno State and his birthday is on April 3. However, he says he "would never stray from Claire," although Gloria did kiss him during a "kiss cam" segment at a basketball game in the final episode of season 1, " Family Portrait." He is also staring at her when she does something that makes Phil think she is sexy.

He at times shows a sort of crush-like affection for Gloria. Throughout season 1, his ongoing project is fixing the step. Phil appears to love home repair yet never seems to get around to any of the jobs requested by Claire.

Phil once dresses up as a clown for a kids' party but has a panic attack when he catches his reflection in multiple mirrors. This may stem from Phil's having found a dead clown in the woods when he was a child. Phil is a real estate agent who is very confident in his work, once saying, "I could sell a fur coat to an Eskimo." Phil has a severe case of coulrophobia, which is first revealed when despite Mitchell's objection, Cameron comes to Luke's party dressed as a clown. Ty Burrell portrays Phil Dunphy, the father of three children and Claire's husband. He has a very juvenile attitude and is referred to by Claire as the "kid married to." He uses a parenting method that he calls "peerenting", which is a combination of talking like a peer but acting like a parent.

He is seen as very competitive, one example being his always beating his son at basketball. He dotes on his wife Claire and constantly tries to find ways to bond with his three kids. Philip Humphrey "Phil" Dunphy ( Ty Burrell) is Claire's husband of 15 years who sees himself as the "cool dad". Rexford Tucker-Pritchett (adoptive nephew by marriage) Lily Tucker-Pritchett (adoptive niece by marriage) Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (stepmother-in-law)
