Happy 40th birthday to Jesse Tyler Ferguson!

I’ve been a big fan of Jesse Tyler Ferguson ever since he played the role of Richie Velch on the late, great CBS sitcom The Class which only lasted one season.

There were bigger things ahead for Jesse, obviously.

He’s gone on to play Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family and has earned him five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Jesse, who turns 40 today, married lawyer Justin Mikita in 2013 and has been a most impressive advocate for LGBT equality.

He’s such a charmer on talk shows – here are some of his appearances on Ellen: