For over a decade, actress Julie Bowen played the iconic Claire Dunphy character in the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Although she became known for the role, Bowen is no stranger to television audiences of the late 90s and early 2000s. Although mostly known for her work in television, Bowen has also had a relatively successful film career.
Julie Bowen, whose career began in 1992, marked a career milestone in 2022, celebrating three decades in the industry. Having graced television screens as Claire Dunphy from 2009 to 2022, the character has been Bowen’s most successful and popular role as an actress. Away from television, Bowen has had an active career in film since Modern Family ended. For more about the American actress, here are 7 things you probably didn’t know about Modern Family‘s Julie Bowen.
Other TV Shows You Recognize Julie Bowen From
Although she made her acting debut on television in 1992, she only appeared in guest-starred roles and television films until the late 90s. Julie Bowen joined the cast of the super-successful NBC medical drama ER in 1998. Bowen appeared in the show in 9 episodes as Roxanne Please, John Carter’s (Noah Wyle) girlfriend. Bowen exited the show in 1999. In 2000, Julie Bowen was cast in the lead role as Carol Phyllis Vessey in the NBC comedy-drama Ed. Bowen’s character was created as Edward Jeremy “Ed” Stevens’ (Tom Cavanagh) love interest. Carol and Ed later married in the series’ finale.
Before her casting in Modern Family, Julie Bowen starred in two prominent TV shows in the mid to late 2000s. She joined the cast of Lost as Sarah Shephard. Her character appeared in seasons 1, 2, and 3, from 2005 to 2007. While on Lost, Julie Bowen also joined the ABC legal comedy-drama Boston Legal in season 2, in 2005. Bowen played Denise Bauer, who was introduced as an aggressive young attorney. Audiences followed the character through her personal and professional life.
She Was Born In Baltimore
Although she uses only her first and middle name, the actress was born Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 3, 1970. Her father, John Alexander Luetkemeyer Jr., is a reputable commercial real estate developer. Bowen’s mother, Suzanne Luetkemeyer, gave birth to three daughters, with Bowen being the middle child. Bowen was raised in Maryland and attended four schools, with one in Rhode Island.
She attended the independent, non-sectarian, co-ed Calvert School in Baltimore, then moved to Garrison Forest School, a private denominational boarding and day school college, in Owings Mills, Maryland. From there, she attended an independent all-girls college preparatory school, Roland Park Country School. She completed her High School at the private, Episcopal, co-ed boarding school, St. George’s School, in Middletown, Rhode Island.
Julie Bowen Is The Older Sister Of Annie Luetkemeyer
Annie Luetkemeyer might not be a familiar name to film and television audiences, but at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Luetkemeyer was instrumental in the clinical trial of remdesivir. Annie is the younger sister of actress Julie Bowen. She’s a renowned infectious disease specialist and a Medicine and Infectious Diseases professor at the University of California, San Francisco.
Acting Wasn’t Julie Bowen’s Initial Career Choice
Although she wasn’t rebuffed with the idea of acting, it wasn’t something Julie Bowen considered as a career while she was young. Besides, growing up in Maryland, located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, Los Angeles was as far away as her dreams of being an actress. After graduating from St. George’s School, Bowen attended Brown University, where she majored in Italian Renaissance studies. As such, she spent her junior year in Florence, Italy.
While at Brown University, Bowen began participating in plays and enjoyed acting. She starred in productions such as Guys and Dolls, Lemon Sky, and Stage Door. Although she starred in an independent film while in college, she chose to have an acting career after graduating. Leaving Rhode Island, Bowen moved to New York to study at the prestigious Actors Studio.
She Is A Mother Of Three…Just Like in the Show
Julie Bowen married Scott Phillips on September 9, 2004. The couple had their first child and son, Oliver McLanahan Phillips, in April 2007. Bowen gave birth to twin sons, John Phillips and Gustav Phillips, two years later in May 2009. Bowen’s husband is a real estate investor and software developer. After 14 years of marriage, Bowen filed for divorce in February 2018, and it was finalized in September 2018.
Interestingly, all of her children made appearances on TV shows while she was pregnant with them. While filming one of her last episodes on Boston Legal, Bowen’s actual labor began when she was trying to fake labor in a scene. Fast-forward to 2009, while filming the pilot episode of Modern Family, Julie Bowen was visibly pregnant. However, to conceal it from viewers, she hides her stomach area behind several objects – a laundry basket, door, clothes pile, cereal box, and blanket. It’s easy to see if you know what you’re looking for.
Julie Bowen Has A Pacemaker
Since her early years, Julie Bowen has suffered from bradycardia. It is a cardiovascular condition that describes a resting heart rate under 60 beats per minute (BPM). As a result of Bowen’s low heartbeat, a pacemaker was implanted in her heart to maintain an adequate heart rate. Since the implant, Bowen has led a relatively healthy life.
Julie Bowen Won Two Consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards
Although Julie Bowen had a relatively successful career on television before being cast in Modern Family, she has received her biggest accolades from the show. Her performance in Boston Legal earned her four Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations but never an Emmy. However, in the second year of playing Claire Dunphy, Bowen received her first Primetime Emmy Awards nomination in 2010. Although she lost the nomination, Julie Bowen won two Emmys consecutively, in 2011 and 2012, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards. In total, Julie Bowen has received six Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. If you enjoyed reading about Julie Bowen, here are 6 things you didn’t know about Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet.
