Part of Modern Family featuring Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Eric Stonestreet.
Rise to Fame
"Happy Gilmore" made her recognizable, but recognition isn't a career. She spent the next decade in smaller roles, including a solid run on the NBC drama "Ed" from 2000 to 2004. The breakthrough was Claire Dunphy on "Modern Family," a character written as the uptight wife everyone half-ignores. Bowen made her the reason people showed up, winning back-to-back Emmys for Supporting Actress in Comedy in 2011 and 2012. The show's premise sold the family. She sold the show.
In the Spotlight
She didn't wait around after "Modern Family" wrapped in 2020. In 2021, her production company Bowen & Sons signed a first-look deal at Universal Television, putting her on the producer side of the business. She returned for "Happy Gilmore 2" on Netflix in 2025 and starred in the horror-comedy series "Hysteria!" in 2024. An NBC comedy called "Taste" is in development with her attached as star and executive producer. She's building the kind of resume that outlasts a franchise ending.
Side Notes
When she was 29, her sister, who was in medical school, listened to her heartbeat out of curiosity and immediately sent her to a cardiologist. The diagnosis: sick sinus syndrome, a heart rhythm disorder. She had a pacemaker installed near her armpit right after shooting the "Ed" pilot and didn't publicize it for over two decades. She went to Brown, majored in Italian Renaissance studies, and is fluent in Italian. She was 8.5 months pregnant with twins when she filmed the "Modern Family" pilot, but the crew hid it behind loose clothes, a laundry basket, and an elevated kitchen counter.