David Hornsby

David Alan Hornsby (born December 1, 1975 ) is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role as defrocked priest Matthew "Rickety Cricket" Mara on the FX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for which he also writes and produces. Hornsby had a regular role on the NBC comedy-crime series Good Girls (2018–2020). He was also the voice of the titular character Fanboy in the Nickelodeon animated TV series Fanboy & Chum Chum. Hornsby earned a Tony nomination for co-writing the musical adaptation of The Lost Boys, which opened on Broadway in April 2026.

Early life Hornsby was born in Newport News, Virginia, on December 1, 1975. He grew up in Houston, Texas, and majored in acting at Carnegie Mellon University. He is a cousin of musician Bruce Hornsby.

Career Hornsby plays defrocked priest Matthew "Rickety Cricket" Mara on the FX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, also serving as an executive producer and writer on the show. He appeared as Steve "The Hutch" Hutchinson on The Joe Schmo Show, and as Patrick on Six Feet Under. His first animated role was Fanboy in Fanboy & Chum Chum. He also starred in the independent film Pretty Bird.

Hornsby appeared in Pearl Harbor, Minority Report, and Flags of Our Fathers (in which he played USMC photographer Louis R. Lowery). He created and performed in the podcast Yoda and Me along with Loren Tarquinio. He adapted and created the CBS sitcom How to Be a Gentleman, serving as its lead actor, writer, and producer; CBS canceled the series in its first season. Hornsby co-wrote, designed characters, and lent his voice to FX's cartoon Unsupervised, which lasted for one season. Most recently, he created the NBC pilot for Mission Control, produced by Gary Sanchez Productions for NBC a workplace sitcom set at NASA's Johnson Space Center .

Hornsby portrayed executive producer David Brittlesbee in Mythic Quest, a comedy web television series starring Rob McElhenney for Apple TV+. Hornsby also served as a writer and executive producer for the show which ran for four seasons, premiering on February 7, 2020 and concluding on March 26, 2025.

Personal life On September 25, 2010, Hornsby married actress Emily Deschanel in Pacific Palisades, California. They have two sons together: Henry Lamar (b. September 21, 2011) and Calvin (b. June 8, 2015).

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2001 Pearl Harbor Flyer with Murmur 2002 Minority Report Pre-Crime Public Service Announcer 2004 Christmas with the Kranks Randy Becker 2006 Flags of Our Fathers Louis R. Lowery 2007 Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem Drew Roberts 2008 Pretty Bird Kenny 2017 The Layover Writer 2023 Fool's Paradise PilotMerry Little BatmanJoker, Fireman (voice)Voice; direct-to-streaming film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1999 ER Strauss Episode: "Choosing Joi" 2003 The Joe Schmo Show Steve "The Hutch" Hutchison 10 episodes Six Feet Under Patrick 7 episodes 2003–04 The Mullets Denny 11 episodes 2005–06 Jake in Progress Ken 17 episodes Threshold Roberts 2 episodes 2006 The West Wing Fred Episode: "Institutional Memory" The X's Brandon (voice) Recurring role 2006–present It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Matthew "Rickety Cricket" Mara Recurring role (26 episodes)2007Random! CartoonsFanboy, Kid #2 (voice)Episode: "Fanboy" 2009–12 Fanboy & Chum Chum Fanboy (voice) Main role 2011–12 How to Be a Gentleman Andrew Carlson Main roleCreator, writer, executive producer 2012 Unsupervised Joel Zymanski (voice) Main roleCo-creator, writer, executive producer 2013 Ben and Kate Matt Swan Episode: "B-Squad" 2013–15 Sanjay and Craig Tyson, Vivian, Edwardo, Radley (voice) 4 episodes 2013 Hello Ladies Andy Episode: "The Dinner" Bones Priest Episode: "The Woman in White" 2014 Mission Control Writer and creator 2016 New Girl Ed Warner Episode: "James Wonder" 2016–18 Ben 10 Wildvine, additional voices 14 episodes 2016, 2017 Baskets Pastor Episode: "Funeral" 2017 The Goldbergs Kyle Schnitz 3 episodes Idiotsitter Dana Recurring role 2017–19 Welcome to the Wayne Leif Bornewell III (voice) Recurring role 2018–20 Good Girls Boomer Recurring role 2018 We Bare Bears Harry (voice) Episode: "Christmas Movies" Big Mouth Consulting producer; 7 episodes 2020–25 Mythic Quest David Main role Writer, executive producer 2021 DC Super Hero Girls Riddler (voice) 2 episodes 2025 Bat-Fam Joker (voice) 3 episodes St. Denis Medical Harry Episode: "No Wonder His Kidney Wants Out" 2026 The HawkRadford10 episodes

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2020 Fallout 76: Steel Dawn Buck

Web Year Title RoleNotes 2022 The Always Sunny Podcast Himself/Guest 1 episode