Jesse Tyler Ferguson (born October 22, 1975) is an American actor, most widely know for his role as Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class.Ferguson was born in Missoula, Montana. At age eight, Ferguson decided to become an actor. He joined the Albuquerque Children's Theater and was a member for six years. In high school, Jesse played Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie and General Bullmoose in L'il Abner. He also joined his high school speech and debate team and worked as a dancer/singer at Cliff's Amusement Park. Jesse graduated from high school in 1994 and attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City. He worked mainly in off-Broadway and Broadway shows, including the Tony Award-winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, where he originated the role of Leaf Coneybear.In the summer of 2007, Jesse stared in the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park production of "A Midsummer's Night Dream."He also recently starred in the 2008 thriller Untraceable.