Many of you do not know this, but two of your favourite ‘Modern Family’ actors were part of the CGI animation flick, ‘Finding Dory’.
‘Finding Dory’, the sequel to the 2003 cult classic ‘Finding Nemo’, is about Dory, an amnesiac Pacific royal blue tang who wants to find out where her long-lost parents are, with the help of the movie heroes, clown fishes, Nemo and his father, Marlin.
Highlights —
- Ty Burell and Bailey, the beluga whale
- Ty Burrell resonated with life from ‘Finding Dory’
- Ty Burrell net worth
The show’s grandfather, played by Ed O’Neill, voices the master of camouflage, the octopus with only seven tentacles (making him ‘septopus’), and his son-in-law, the well-weaning but goofy Phil Dunphy, played by the charming voice of Ty Burrell, Bailey, the beluga whale, who helps Dory find her parents.
Ty Burell and Bailey, the beluga whale
Burrell is widely known for his portrayal of Phil Dunphy, a clumsy father in the mega-hit sitcom ‘Modern Family’.
The 48-year-old says that he felt comfortable having lent his voice to a genius dog in the children’s film ‘Mr Peabody and Sherman’, ‘Storks’ in 2014, and playing a neurotic beluga whale in ‘Finding Dory’.
Burrell’s character, Bailey, is a beluga whale who lives at the Marine Life Institute because he thinks his sonar is dead. Burrell says that since the beluga whale is neurotic, it’s not a stretch for him. He also said that he actually relates to this character even more than he does to Phil Dunphy, in an interview with “Stuff”.
“I very foolishly researched beluga whales, as in, I Googled beluga whales, and realised immediately that it had no bearing. I mean, it was kind of cool to learn a little bit about them, but it didn’t actually help at all.”
‘Finding Dory’ sends the message that some of the best things in life happen by chance. Dory says to her octopus companion Hank in the film, “What is so great about plans? I’ve never had a plan”.
Ty Burrell resonated with life from ‘Finding Dory’
For Burrell, meeting his wife was the best-unplanned thing to ever happen to him, and adopting his two daughters, which he understands may sound strange since they were adopted.
“It wasn’t planned in a strange way, it’s a strange thing how adoptions can sometimes be as irrational as regular birth.”

“My wife, Holly, and I were on an airplane on a flight from LA to New York and we had never intended to have children when we got on the flight. We cried when we got off in New York that we were going to have a kid, so it was unplanned. And then, it was similarly irrational when we did it again”, he stated.
What resonated with Burrell about the story of ‘Finding Dory’ is how friendship can make you feel whole. “Based on what you know to be your weaknesses, you can kind of dwell on your imperfections and feel limited about what you can achieve.”
Ty Burrell net worth
“Variety” reports that he was one of the five cast members of ‘Modern Family’ to be included for seasons 9 and 10 in the new $500,000-per-episode deal; Ty Burrell’s salary for ‘Modern Family’ Season 11 is unknown, like Bowen and Vergara, but it’s at least the same (or higher) as than he’s been making for the past two seasons. In 2017, with a net worth of $13.5 million, “Forbes” reported that he was the sixth highest-paid actor on TV. In 2011 and 2014, he won the Best Supporting Actor Comedy Emmy.
Ty Burrell’s family bought a new house in Cheviot Hills, LA, a few years ago for $4.2 million. In Culver City, CA, Burrell is also the owner of a modern penthouse. The penthouse is on sale right now, and the price is small compared to his recent purchase – it’s only $1.3 million.
‘Finding Dory’ has definitely become everyone’s favourite. Which character do you resonate with? Let us know in the comments section below.
