Guess This Sitcom Star's Age!
- by Yael Blechman
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Tons of sitcoms have come and gone since the advent of television. They never fail to make us laugh and brighten our days. We always manage to love the relatable characters and find their traits in ourselves. From Black-ish to Full House to How I Met Your Mother to Friends, each sitcom is unique and teaches our emotions in a irrevocable way.
We identify with so much of our favorite sitcoms, finding a little bit of ourselves in the characters and their often exaggerated yet oddly relatable habits and situations. Monica Geller's apartment holds a special place in our hearts; Barney's catchphrases ring in our ears; Phil Dunphy's magic tricks leave us wondering how they were done. But what about the actors? Do we know John Stamos' nickname or Zooey Deschanel's mother's name? Probably not. This quiz will challenge our knowledge of the real life people who are paid to play the characters whom we feel we do know inside and out. But just because they play some of our favorite people doesn't mean we actually know anything about them.
Some of them play characters who are younger than them and some play older ones. Can you guess how old these stars are?
Sarah Hyland
Sarah Hyland plays the beloved Haley Dunphy from Modern Family. Not the brightest girl, she lives in her parents' basement and uses social media to make a living. The oldest daughter of Phil and Claire, she's portrayed as vain, ditzy, and slow. Her popularity in high school got to her head and she ignored her studies. Her love for drinking influenced her greatly as a teen and young adult, but she began to work on herself to become a better person after dating Andy.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston has made many movies in her recent years, but she is known best for her timeless role in Friends as Rachel Green. Rachel grew up in a household that had money. She planned to get married to a man named Barry who was an orthodontist, but left him at the altar. After she fled, she found Monica and they reconnected as friends. She got herself a real job and made her own money for the first time in her life, helping her to evolve past the vapid daddy's girl she'd been growing up.
John Stamos
John Stamos is known for his role in Full House as Jesse Katsopolis, the good-looking uncle to the Tanner kids. A bit of a layabout, he was the only one in the family not to have a high school diploma but went to night school, graduating as valedictorian. He started the show as a troublesome boy without responsibility, but changed his ways after meeting Rebecca and having two beautiful sons with her. He was always portrayed as a great uncle and father.
Yara Shahidi
A young activist, Yara Shahidi gained fame from her role as Zoey Johnson from Black-ish. She plays the perfect young adult since she is incredibly smart, has many friends, and a loving family. She feels a great sense of entitlement and privilege, focusing on material objects and social media fame. She doesn't wear her emotions on her sleeve, and instead pokes fun at her family rather than caring openly for them. Her relationship with her father has been great, and they act both as friends and as father and daughter.
Sofia Vergara
Known for her Colombian accent and fun personality, Sofia Vergara plays Modern Family character Gloria. Gloria was first judged by her husband, Jay's, family due to their age gap and physical differences. They worried that Gloria was nothing but a gold digger who married Jay for his money. After time time and adjustment, Gloria and her son, Manny, are slowly accepted into the family and become Dunphys. She is a superstitious woman who is known for her loud voice and expressive personality.
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is best known for playing Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother. Barney was a player, there's no getting around that. By using The Playbook, a book he wrote himself, he used moves to pick up and sleep with as many women as he could. He tried to settle down a few times, but only changed his ways when he married Robin. The two ended up divorcing, but he welcomed another special lady into his life shortly after: a daughter.
Ariel Winter
Modern Family has a character named Alex Dunphy who is played by Ariel Winter. The young actress plays the role of a girl who studies too much and does not have much of a social life. She makes fun of her siblings whose intelligence levels are far lower than her own and works hard in school to get good grades. Since she is aware of her superior intelligence, she speaks to others condescendingly. She even helps her mother and father parent herself and her siblings when they fall short.
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld played a character based on himself in his show, Seinfeld. The sitcom followed the activities of Seinfeld and his friends and all of the arguments and craziness that went on. A lot of the comedy was derived from Seinfeld acting as the voice of reason amidst a group of irrational friends. He speaks sarcastically and gets his audience laughing by using dry humour. He had many relationships throughout the show, but they all ended quickly. He was also obsessed with cleanliness and order.
Matthew Perry
Chandler Bing from Friends was portrayed by Matthew Perry as a sarcastic, emotionally stunted, loving, and joking friend. He started off as someone who could never maintain a long-term relationship due to his emotional instability and fear of commitment. By the end of the series, however, Chandler had married Monica and together they adopted twins. While his personality evolved from immature to stable, he never relinquished his amazing sense of humour. Matthew Perry created a character that we fell in love with.
Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Plaza is an actress with a chronic sarcastic tone and deadpan delivery. She played April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation, a young woman who seemed as if she had no hope. Her mentor, Leslie Knope, worked hard to soften April up and prepare her for a future. April eventually gets married and has a son, even moving up in the ranks and becoming passionate about her career. The series ends showing the birth of her first child on Halloween and her pregnancy with a second child.
Jim Parsons
The Big Bang Theory is a show about four scientists and the girl across the hall. Slowly, the characters evolve and more girls enter the equation, but science is never out of the picture. Jim Parsons plays Sheldon Cooper, the smartest scientist of the bunch and he doesn't let anyone forget it. His aversion to touch combined with his need for constant order and the following of rules adds up to create an eccentric character that is completely unforgettable to his audience.
Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell plays the slightly slow, adorable, and funny Phil Dunphy from Modern Family. Phil amuses his audience with his love for magic, crazy antics, and relationship with his wife. His love for his children is immense, as he always manages to be there for them even when it means letting go. From watching his kids go off to college to role playing with his wife, we have smiled and laughed and even felt emotional when watching Ty Burrell's lovable Phil Dunphy.
Jessica Walter
Jessica Walter is known for many roles, including Malory Archer on the animated sitcom called Archer. Flashbacks in the show reveal that she was not a very loving mother to her son while he grew up, leading him to be the flawed man that he portrays. She is shown to enjoy drinking quite often, including during the day, and that she does not focus on the ethics behind her actions and spy organization. She's also fostered quite a reputation among many powerful men.
Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt has starred in many movies recently, including Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. He is also known for his role in Parks and Recreation as Andy Dwyer, the sweet and naive man that married April Ludgate. He was not the brightest character who often had us laughing by saying silly things or getting himself into unnecessary predicaments. He tried to make a living by playing in a band, but also worked for Leslie and took a class at college, courtesy of Ron Swanson.
Nolan Gould
A genius, Nolan Gould is a member of Mensa and nothing like his character on Modern Family. Luke Dunphy is missing a couple IQ points, completely contrary to Nolan in real life. Avid Modern Family fans have watched Luke grow up from a slow, confused, bumbling kid into a young man who is still not the brightest, but at least managed to get into one college. He is the youngest of Phil and Claire's three children, and arguably the one with the greatest likelihood of living in his parents' basement long-term.
Matt LeBlanc
Matt LeBlanc is best known for his character, Joey Tribbiani, from Friends. Joey was simply slower than the rest of his friends, as it often took him a few moments later to grasp something than the rest. With his role on Days Of Our Lives as Doctor Drake Ramoray, Joey had us laughing until our stomachs hurt. Even though he was not very smart, we were able to relate to his sweet personality, love for pizza and sandwiches, and loyal character.
Rainn Wilson
You might remember Rainn Wilson as that funny guy from The Office. Yes, that's where he's from, when he played Dwight Shrute. Dwight was the assistant TO the Regional Manager who sold paper and was looked upon as a nerd. There were a myriad of television shows that he enjoyed, including Lost and The Amazing Race, but he loved Battlestar Galactica most of all. Dwight had training and experience in many fields, such as surveillance, knowledge, and seduction. He had us laughing with every line as we watched his office antics.
Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane is known for pushing boundaries a little farther than is socially acceptable. Many of his shows displays this magnificently. Most notable is Family Guy which has been cancelled but brought back mroe than once. In it, MacFarlane voices a few characters: Peter Griffin, the large and terrible father; Stewie Griffin, the talking and genius baby; Brian Griffin, the family dog and well-read intellect; and Glenn Quagmire, the womanizing neighbor. Together, they and the rest of the characters combine to create a hilarious atmosphere that keeps us laughing every episode.
Kaley Cuoco
Besides being known for her role on The Big Bang Theory as Penny, Kaley Cuoco is an avid tennis player and loves horseback riding. She seems bright and happy. On The Big Bang Theory, Penny is known for being the beautiful girl next door. She ends up dating Leonard on and off and becomes friends with the other girlfriends of the boys she lives across the hall from. She has a great sense of fashion, a good social life, and is ultimately the opposite of boys down the hall.
Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis has acted in many movies and TV shows, but has regularly starred in the animated sitcom, Family Guy and originally found fame (and met her future husaband) playing Jackie on That 70's Show. These days, she voices Meg Griffin, the overlooked and bullied daughter of Peter and Lois. Meg is quite a departure from her original role as a pretty, popular cheerleader, being opposite in just about every way other than being in high school. How old is Mila Kunis?
Zooey Deschanel
The star of New Girl, Zooey Deschanel plays a girl with a vibrant personality who is trying to get back on her feet after breaking up with her cheating boyfriend. Jess Day moves in with three boys and the comedy that the creators of New Girl have created from it is astronomical. Her career has been oriented around education and she chooses to attempt to follow that career path even after being fired from her job. She also has a complicated romantic story with one of her roommates.
Josh Radnor
Josh Radnor is the star of How I Met Your Mother, searching for a wife from day one. The show is a long, complicated, detailed story that Ted Mosby is telling his children so that they can know the story of how their parents met. He is a sweet man who we relate to every time he loses hope in finding happiness or clings to his faith that there is a woman out there for him somewhere. Ted also tries his best but messes up at times, leading to a comedic tale that we get to enjoy.
Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet plays the hilarious character Cam on Modern Family. Cam is a southern man who refuses to give up certain parts of his past. He is also quite flamboyant and emotional, inducing tears of laughter from his audience, and loves to pick fights with his husband, Mitchell. The couple go head to head in almost every episode, especially when it concerns raising their sarcastic and genius daughter. Cam keeps the audience laughing with his varying loud shirts and dramatics.
Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox has appeared in several shows and movies but is best known for playing Monica Geller in Friends. Monica is a neat freak who takes Rachel in during the first episode. She is kind but ultimately assumes the role of boss. Monica makes sure that her home is always spotless and panics if a mess arises. She is also a good friend to her gang, a loving girlfriend to Chandler, even teaching him how to be in a relationship and marrying him.
Steve Carell
Steve Carell is a hilarious actor known for his many cameos and roles, including playing Michael Scott in The Office. Michael Scott was a regular on the show beginning with the pilot until season 7 when he became a guest star instead. Michael was from a broken home and was not shy to share it with the camera. He behaved quite inappropriately at work since he could never seem to leave his personal life at home. He also tried very hard to befriend his coworkers at every chance he got.
Alyson Hannigan
Known for her role on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Alyson Hannigan got her role on How I Met Your Mother as an already esteemed actress. She played Lily Aldrin, the sweet kindgarten teacher who was estranged from her father. She was in a relationship with Marshall Eriksen for the majority of the show with only a short lived breakup in the middle. Although she played a genuinely kind person in pursuit of goodness, she did have her moments of thievery and death glares too.
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler may be known for Saturday Night Live, her friendship with Tina Fey, and so many movies, but she stays close in our hearts for her role in Parks and Recreation. Amy Poehler played Leslie Knope, the woman with huge aspirations and a hard work ethic. She worked so hard to have a park built behind her newfound best friend, Ann's, house. Her shenanigans were closely followed while Parks and Rec aired and she has still not been forgotten by old fans or new ones.
Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson is one of the most popular characters to ever be created on a sitcom. On Parks and Recreation, Ron was a man who lives in the past. He had an aversion to technology since he could not understand it, a love for meat and the outdoors, and lots of hidden gold. Ron also tried to mentor Leslie and April, but gave up on Leslie and had lots of hope for April. His speech delivery was always deadpan and he had a concealed love for all of his coworkers.
Julie Bowen
Julie Bowen plays Claire Dunphy in the sitcom, Modern Family. Claire is an uptight mother of three who is married to the easy going Phil. A wild young woman, Claire used to party a lot and rebel against her parents. She became pregnant with Haley before marrying Phil, but got married quickly and together they had two more kids. She changes from being a housewife to taking over her father's closet company and transitions into a working woman who is proud of her accomplishments.
Cobie Smulders
Famous for playing Robin Scherbatsky on How I Met Your Mother, Smulders had us laughing for all nine seasons. She played the only Canadian in the group of friends and used to be a Canadian pop star before moving to New York and becoming a news anchor. In the beginning of the show she owned five dogs, a goal that many viewers have. She dated Ted for awhile and then Barney. She then married and divorced Barney, ending up with Ted in the series finale.
Kat Dennings
Kat Dennings plays the hilarious role of Max Black on the sitcom, 2 Broke Girls. Max shares an apartment with her best friend, Caroline, and together they work as waitresses at Williamsburg Diner. She is known for her sarcasm, wit, street smarts, exuberant personality, and her mess of a family. She has a slightly unhappy streak, but she works hard to hide it with sarcasm and humour. She makes a goal to own a cupcake business with Caroline, and the show revolves around the two of them.
Johnny Galecki
Johnny Galecki plays Leonard Hofstadter in the Big Bang Theory. Leonard had extreme mommy issues since his mother is a distant woman who is more like his stark roommate Sheldon then her own son. He has expressed his frustration with Sheldon about their various roommate problems numerous times, including the Roommate Agreement that unsurprisingly favors Sheldon. The two squabble often, since Leonard has very little patience for irrationality. He develops a crush on Penny early on, and the two end up dating.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow played Phoebe Buffay on the famous and timeless sitcom, Friends. Her character was quirky, superstitious, and lots of fun. She had a twin sister who she fought with, an adoptive mother who committed suicide, a birth mother, an estranged father, a grandmother that died early in the series, and a half-brother. She had a difficult childhood and was even briefly homeless, having to sometimes live in a box. Phoebe worked as a masseuse to earn a living and married Mike Hannigan. She also carried triplets for her half-brother, whom she loved very much.
Jason Segel
The actor behind Marshall Eriksen on How I Met Your Mother, Jason Segel never failed to make his audience laugh. The sitcom centred around Ted's friendship with the crew and since Marshall had been friends with Ted since college, he was always in the thick of the comedy. He was essentially a giant teddy bear who was ready to be rough if need be. He and Lily had a great romance based on trust and a foundation of friendship. Marshall was a good friend and fun to watch.
David Schwimmer
The nerdy palaeontologist named Ross Geller on Friends was played by none other than David Schwimmer. Ross was Monica's brother, a lover of dinosaurs, in love with Rachel Green since adolescence, and the smartest one in the group. He parented two children: the first was with his wife Carol who turned out to be a lesbian, and the second was with Rachel accidentally. He was his parents' favourite child but tried to get them to love Monica more after enjoying the favoritism at first.