Burt Hummel

Burt Hummel is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Mike O'Malley, and first appeared on Glee in the fourth episode of the first season, "Preggers". Burt was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. He is the father of gay glee club member Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), and works as a mechanic in Lima, Ohio where the series is set. He eventually begins a relationship with Carole Hudson (Romy Rosemont), the mother of another glee club member, and the two marry in the second season episode "Furt". In the third season, Burt runs in a special congressional election and wins. O'Malley was a recurring cast member during the first season, and was upgraded to a series regular for the second season of the show, but returned to the recurring cast for the third season.

The character has been well received by critics. James Poniewozik of Time wrote, "the fact that Dad (Mike O'Malley, who has turned out to be a pretty good character actor) ends up not being the boor we think he's going to be is one of the first signs that Glee is growing up as a series, that having established a world of primary-color stereotypes, it's now willing to subvert those expectations."IGN's Robert Canning commented that the Hummels' relationship is "the most affecting" of the show, and praised O'Malley's "outstandingly nuanced" performance as Burt. Murphy has said, "Mike's talent is deep. I will always write for Mike O'Malley." O'Malley was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Comedy Series in 2010 for his portrayal of Burt.