Julie Bowen is an American actress. She’s famous for playing Claire Dunphy in the ABC sitcom Modern Family (2009–2020), a role that brought her significant acclaim, including two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Early Life & Education
Julie Bowen, originally named Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer, was born on March 3, 1970, in Baltimore, Maryland. She spent her childhood in Ruxton-Riderwood, Maryland, alongside her mother Suzanne, father John (who worked as a real estate developer), older sister Molly, and younger sister Annie.
Julie went to Calvert School, Garrison Forest School, Roland Park Country School, and St. George’s School in Rhode Island.
After completing high school, she went to Brown University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Renaissance studies in 1991.
In college, Julie Bowen was involved in productions like “Guys and Dolls,” “Lemon Sky,” and “Stage Door,” and she spent her junior year in Florence, Italy.
While attending college, Julie landed a leading role in the independent film “Five Spot Jewel,” which premiered in 1992. After graduating, she moved to New York City and studied at the prestigious Actors Studio.
Julie Bowen’s Career
In 1992, Bowen guest-starred on an episode of the ABC soap opera “Loving.” She also appeared in the TV series “Lifestories: Families in Crisis” (1993), “Class of ’96” (1993), and “Acapulco H.E.A.T.” (1993).
She also acted in the television films “Runaway Daughters” (1994) and “Where Are My Children?” (1994). In 1996, she played Virginia Venit in the Adam Sandler movie “Happy Gilmore” and shared the screen with Michael Keaton in “Multiplicity.”
She started a recurring role on the NBC medical drama “ER” back in 1998, where she played Roxanne Please for nine episodes.
In 2000, she also guest-starred on “Dawson’s Creek” and took on the role of English teacher Carol Vessey in NBC’s “Ed.” The show aired 83 episodes over four seasons and won a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Television New Comedy Series in 2001.
Julie Bowen starred alongside Tim Allen in the 2001 movie “Joe Somebody.” Then in 2005, she started her role as attorney Denise Bauer on “Boston Legal,” featuring in 50 episodes of the show, which also had William Shatner, James Spader, and Candice Bergen.
For 11 seasons, she portrayed Claire Dunphy on the acclaimed ABC sitcom “Modern Family.” In 2013, the show was ranked #43 on “TV Guide” magazine’s “60 Best Series of All Time” and #34 on the Writers Guild of America’s “101 Best Written TV Series Of All Time”.
While she was part of “Modern Family,” Julie also featured in several films, including “Crazy on the Outside” (2010), “Jumping the Broom” (2011), “Conception” (2012), and “Life of the Party” (2018). Additionally, in 2011, she took on the role of Rhonda Harken in “Horrible Bosses,” which made $209.6 million at the box office.
In 2020, she teamed up again with Adam Sandler for the Netflix flick “Hubie Halloween” and participated in “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” scoring $500,000 for the charity Baby2Baby. She also revived her role as Virginia in Happy Gilmore 2 in 2025.
Personal Life
On September 9, 2004, Julie Bowen married Scott Phillips, who is a real estate investor and software developer. They had their son Oliver on April 10, 2007, and then twins John and Gustav on May 8, 2009.
Sadly, Julie and Scott divorced in September 2018, and Phillips retained their $5.4 million home in Studio City as part of the divorce settlement.
Net Worth
Julie Bowen is an American actress, director, and producer with a net worth of $20 million. She’s most famous for her roles as Carol Vessey on “Ed” (2000–2004), Denise Bauer on “Boston Legal” (2005–2007), and Claire Dunphy on “Modern Family” (2009–2020). Her work on “Modern Family” won her two Primetime Emmys.
