# Sarah Hyland
**Sarah Hyland** (full name Sarah Jane Hyland; born 1990) is an American actress best known for playing Haley Dunphy, the eldest Dunphy child, on the ABC sitcom *Modern Family* from 2009 onward[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hyland-sarah-1990) • [2](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621211479). She began working as a child in New York theater, film, and television in the late 1990s, made her Broadway debut at 16, and returned to the New York stage in the mid-2020s after more than a decade on television[3](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-the-great-gatsby-to-just-in-time-sarah-hylands-career/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name, birth | Sarah Jane Hyland, born 1990 in New York, NY[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hyland-sarah-1990) |
| First screen role | Howard Stern's daughter in *[Private Parts](https://www.edgepedia.org/private-parts-1997-film)* (1997)[4](https://www.bustle.com/articles/42201-what-has-sarah-hyland-been-in-besides-modern-family-shes-been-acting-for-nearly-her-entire) |
| Breakthrough role | Haley Dunphy on *Modern Family* (2009– ), the show's highest-rated credit on Metacritic at a Metascore of 87[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hyland-sarah-1990) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/sarah-hyland/) |
| Broadway debut | *Grey Gardens*, Walter Kerr Theatre, 2006, at age 16; originated the role of young Jackie and stayed through more than 300 performances[3](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-the-great-gatsby-to-just-in-time-sarah-hylands-career/) |
| Health | Born with kidney dysplasia; received a kidney transplant in April 2012 donated by her father[6](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Sarah%2BHyland-69739) |
| Recent stage work | Audrey in *Little Shop of Horrors* (2024, Off-Broadway), Daisy Buchanan in *The Great Gatsby* (2025, Broadway), Connie Francis in *Just In Time* (Broadway)[3](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-the-great-gatsby-to-just-in-time-sarah-hylands-career/) |
| Hosting | Host of the dating show *Love Island USA* since 2022[7](https://as.com/tikitakas/famosos/el-cambio-fisico-de-sarah-hyland-a-sus-34-anos-despues-de-interpretar-a-haley-dunphy-en-modern-family-n/) |
## Early life and training
Hyland was born in New York to actor Edward James Hyland and Melissa Canaday, who works as a coach for young actors; her brother, Ian Hyland, is also an actor and is four years her junior[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hyland-sarah-1990) • [6](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Sarah%2BHyland-69739). She attended the Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS) in Manhattan from sixth grade and graduated in 2008[8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0405103/bio/). In interviews she has described an informal approach to training: she learned acting from her mother until about age 12 and then taught herself, crediting on-set observation of performers such as [Christine Ebersole](https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-ebersole), Victor Garber, and [Kathy Bates](https://www.edgepedia.org/kathy-bates)[9](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/sarah-hyland-back-stage-exclusive-63067/). She also studied dance, including jazz, hip-hop, ballet, and tap, and performed with her tap and theater dance class at [Lincoln Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-center) as an invited performer[8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0405103/bio/).
## Child and teenage roles
Her first screen appearance was as [Howard Stern](https://www.edgepedia.org/howard-stern)'s daughter in the 1997 film *Private Parts*[4](https://www.bustle.com/articles/42201-what-has-sarah-hyland-been-in-besides-modern-family-shes-been-acting-for-nearly-her-entire). Through the late 1990s and early 2000s she worked steadily in New York productions: Rain Wolfe on the NBC soap *Another World* (1997–1998), Molly in the 1999 Disney television movie *Annie*, young [Audrey Hepburn](https://www.edgepedia.org/audrey-hepburn) in *The Audrey Hepburn Story* (2000), roles on *As the World Turns*, *Falcone*, and *All My Children*, and film parts in *The Object of My Affection* (1998) and *Cradle Will Rock* (1999)[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hyland-sarah-1990). Her stage work in this period included the title role in *Annie* at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, in the 2002–2003 season[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hyland-sarah-1990) • [3](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-the-great-gatsby-to-just-in-time-sarah-hylands-career/).
At 16 she made her Broadway debut in *Grey Gardens* at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 2006, originating the role of Jackie, the young [Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis), and remaining with the production for more than 300 performances until it closed in July 2007[3](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-the-great-gatsby-to-just-in-time-sarah-hylands-career/).
## Modern Family
After the cancellation of her recurring role as Maddie Healy on NBC's *Lipstick Jungle*, Hyland booked *Modern Family* in February 2009; she moved to Los Angeles at 18 and, according to her own account, landed the pilot within two weeks of arriving[10](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/before-haley-dunphy-sarah-hylands-career-before-modern-family/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0405103/bio/). The series, which she has described as her first comedy and first sitcom, became her defining role: Haley Dunphy, the fashion-conscious eldest child of Claire and Phil Dunphy[10](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/before-haley-dunphy-sarah-hylands-career-before-modern-family/) • [11](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/02/sarah-hyland-vampire-academy-style). The show earned a Metascore of 87, the highest of her credited television work, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series[5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/sarah-hyland/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0405103/bio/).
Her work on the series brought ensemble recognition from the [Screen Actors Guild](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild): the Polish film database Filmweb records three SAG Award nominations for the role, with wins in 2011 and 2012, and two Teen Choice nominations[6](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Sarah%2BHyland-69739). A 2014 profile in *Time* noted her rising public profile that year, when she co-hosted the [Teen Choice Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/teen-choice-awards) with [Tyler Posey](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-posey)[12](https://time.com/3072793/sara-hyland-teen-choice-awards-host/).
## Health and advocacy
Hyland has said she was born with kidney dysplasia, a malformation of the kidneys, and underwent a kidney transplant in April 2012 with an organ donated by her father[6](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Sarah%2BHyland-69739). Reporting on her career after the series notes that she went through two kidney transplants overall and has used her public platform to advocate for organ donation[7](https://as.com/tikitakas/famosos/el-cambio-fisico-de-sarah-hyland-a-sus-34-anos-despues-de-interpretar-a-haley-dunphy-en-modern-family-n/).
## Work after the sitcom
Her filmography beyond *Modern Family* spans comedy, drama, and voice work: *[Geek Charming](https://www.edgepedia.org/geek-charming)* (2011), *Struck by Lightning* (2012), *Call Me Crazy: A Five Film* (2013), [Blanche Barrow](https://www.edgepedia.org/blanche-barrow) in *Bonnie & Clyde* (2013), the Seelie Queen on *Shadowhunters* (2016), Lisa Houseman in *Dirty Dancing* (2017), and the voice of Tiifu in *The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar* (2015)[5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/sarah-hyland/). She has also moved into hosting, fronting *Lip Sync Battle Shorties* in 2017, the family competition special *Play-Doh Squished*, and *Love Island USA* from 2022[13](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/6708c840-86e0-411c-959b-a65c3e2462f9) • [14](https://newsroom.hasbro.com/node/32426/pdf) • [7](https://as.com/tikitakas/famosos/el-cambio-fisico-de-sarah-hyland-a-sus-34-anos-despues-de-interpretar-a-haley-dunphy-en-modern-family-n/).
Musical theater became a renewed focus in the 2020s. She joined the award-winning [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) revival of *Little Shop of Horrors* at the Westside Theatre in 2024 as Audrey, stayed about four months, and then moved to Broadway as [Daisy Buchanan](https://www.edgepedia.org/daisy-buchanan) in *The Great Gatsby* in 2025[3](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-the-great-gatsby-to-just-in-time-sarah-hylands-career/). The Broadway cast database IBDB lists her as a replacement playing [Connie Francis](https://www.edgepedia.org/connie-francis) in the musical *Just In Time* from October 8, 2025 through March 29, 2026[15](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/sarah-hyland-449588). Business ventures include a co-founded vitamin supplement line, where she serves as creative director[7](https://as.com/tikitakas/famosos/el-cambio-fisico-de-sarah-hyland-a-sus-34-anos-despues-de-interpretar-a-haley-dunphy-en-modern-family-n/).
## References
1. [Hyland, Sarah 1990–, Encyclopedia.com (Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hyland-sarah-1990)
2. [Sarah Hyland, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621211479)
3. [From Gatsby to Just in Time: Sarah Hyland's Career on Stage, Broadway Direct](https://broadwaydirect.com/from-the-great-gatsby-to-just-in-time-sarah-hylands-career/)
4. [What Has Sarah Hyland Been in Besides 'Modern Family'?, Bustle](https://www.bustle.com/articles/42201-what-has-sarah-hyland-been-in-besides-modern-family-shes-been-acting-for-nearly-her-entire)
5. [Sarah Hyland, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/sarah-hyland/)
6. [Sarah Hyland I, Filmweb](https://www.filmweb.pl/person/Sarah%2BHyland-69739)
7. [El cambio físico de Sarah Hyland a sus 34 años, AS Tikitakas](https://as.com/tikitakas/famosos/el-cambio-fisico-de-sarah-hyland-a-sus-34-anos-despues-de-interpretar-a-haley-dunphy-en-modern-family-n/)
8. [Sarah Hyland Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0405103/bio/)
9. [Sarah Hyland: A Back Stage Exclusive, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/sarah-hyland-back-stage-exclusive-63067/)
10. [Before Haley Dunphy: Sarah Hyland's Career Before Modern Family, DocumentaryTube](https://www.documentarytube.com/blog/before-haley-dunphy-sarah-hylands-career-before-modern-family/)
11. [Sarah Hyland: "Some Days I Want To Look Like Jackie Kennedy", Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/02/sarah-hyland-vampire-academy-style)
12. [Modern Family's Sarah Hyland Will Co-Host Teen Choice Awards, Time](https://time.com/3072793/sara-hyland-teen-choice-awards-host/)
13. [Lip Sync Battle Shorties announcement, Paramount](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/6708c840-86e0-411c-959b-a65c3e2462f9)
14. [IMDb TV Celebrates the Holiday Season With Play-Doh Squished, Hasbro Newsroom](https://newsroom.hasbro.com/node/32426/pdf)
15. [Sarah Hyland – Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/sarah-hyland-449588)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Hu to Ji*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license