Rico Rodriguez

A child star with an old soul, Rico Rodriguez delighted audiences with his mature-beyond-his-years comic chops. Born July 31, 1998 in College Station, TX, Rico Rodriguez cut his professional teeth with a small role in "Epic Movie" (2007) and a string of TV guest spots on such programs as "ER" (NBC, 1994-2009), "Cory in the House" (Disney Channel, 2007-08) and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (ABC, 2003- ). Gifted with a precocious intelligence and screen presence, he landed roles on "iCarly" (Nickelodeon, 2007-12), "Nip/Tuck" (FX, 2003-2010) and "My Name Is Earl" (NBC, 2005-09) before booking his star-making role as Manny Delgado, the old man trapped in a kids' body who happens to be the son of Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and stepson of Jay (Ed O'Neill) on the Emmy-winning smash "Modern Family" (ABC, 2009- ). One of the show's breakout stars, Rodriguez charmed fans of all ages and shared several Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble and won a Best Supporting Actor ALMA Award and a Young Artist Award. With his massive profile boost came a string of fun jobs, including cameos on "Sesame Street" (PBS/HBO, 1969- ) and in the feature film reboot "The Muppets" (2011) as well as seeing himself parodied by Bobby Moynihan on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ).

By Jonathan Riggs