Ty Burrell's Major Age-Gap Marriage Is Turning Heads

There isn't a list of top TV husbands that Ty Burrell isn't on. The actor had women swooning and kids dreaming over his affable sitcom dad character, Phil Dunphy, in "Modern Family" for 11 seasons. The Dunphy patriarch may have gotten under his TV wife Claire's (Julie Bowen) skin from time to time, but their hilarious and loving relationship only became more of the marriage ideal as the show went on. Based on details of Ty's real love life, it seems he has that same kind of coveted relationship with his actual wife.

Yes, we're all sad to learn that Ty and Bowen aren't off-screen husband and wife, too. But the "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" star has been happily married since before the series even aired. Ty and his real-life partner, Holly Burrell, tied the knot in 2000, after meeting at the Shakespeare Theater in Washington, D.C. while they were both pursuing an acting career in the '90s. The pair has quite an age discrepancy; there's approximately an eight-year difference between them. At their wedding, Ty was 33, while Holly was only 25. However, their relationship has proven the age-old axiom that "age is just a number." They're certainly not the most sensationalized age-gap couple in Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio has had a litany of far more scandalous age-gap relationships, and it's nothing compared to Al Pacino and Noor Alfallah's 50-year age gap. Still, their age difference is notable.

It didn't take long for Ty Burrell to fall for his wife. In an interview with Redbook Magazine, the actor said he knew he wanted to marry her after their first date. "It was the opening night of a play we were in," he said. "We were understudying lovers in 'Twelfth Night.'" But he didn't propose right away, telling the outlet, "I was slow on the uptake, so it took me a couple of years."

There's a method to their marriage. Ty told People that he and Holly follow one common rule that keeps their relationship strong: "Don't go to bed angry." "Both of us make sure that if something's wrong, by the end of the night, we have at least had some discussion about it," he said, adding that they have always been good communicators — a feat that many relationships can't achieve, and one that is all the more impressive given their age difference.

The couple has set up a beautiful life in Utah with their two children. Holly graduated from the International Culinary Center's pastry program in New York and works as a professional chef. When she told Utah Farm and Fork about her simple, at-home family meals, her husband interjected to brag on behalf of her tasty creations. "[Holly] regularly surprises us with things that she considers basic but, to the three of us, feel like little miracles," he said. "Gelato, a rustic Galette, homemade breads, cakes, shortbreads, etc. Most of her 'basic' meals are accompanied by one or more of those beautiful, delicious things." It's clear the age-gap pair are proud of each other and have built a loving and trusting relationship.