Actress Julie Bowen has played several notable roles throughout her career in Hollywood. A recognizable face on television, Bowen’s career has spanned over three decades. While she has found more success on television, Bowen has also starred in several film productions.
She has mostly worked in comedy, co-starring with some of the industry’s big names. Besides her major starring roles, Bowen guest-starred in other popular TV shows like Justice League (2002), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2008), Family Guy (2014, 2017), The Mindy Project (2017), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2021), and American Dad! (2022). Besides these appearances, here are Julie Bowen’s best performances in film and television.
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Julie Bowen debuted in film in 1996, starring in three movie releases that same year. Dennis Dugan‘s sports comedy was her first appearance for the year. Starring alongside Adam Sandler, Bowen played Virginia Venit, a romantic interest of Sandler’s character, Happy Gilmore. Virginia was also the pro golf tour public relations director. She helped Happy learn the etiquette of golf. Happy Gilmore was a commercial success, and Bowen was a delight to watch.
Ed (2000–2004)
The NBC comedy-drama Ed was Julie Bowen’s first major casting in television. She joined the cast in the first season and remained part of the main cast until the show’s finale. Bowen played the former popular high school cheerleader turned English teacher, Carol Phyllis Vessey. The character is the love interest of the show’s titular character, Edward Jeremy “Ed” Stevens (Tom Cavanagh). Set in the fictional Stuckeyville town in Ohio, the series revolved around the life of the lawyer, Ed. After a series of back-and-forths with her feelings for each other, Bowen’s character, Carol, finally marries Ed in the series finale.
Joe Somebody (2001)
Julie Bowen played the supporting role of Meg Harper in the comedy-drama Joe Somebody (2001). She co-starred with Tim Allen, who played the film’s protagonist, Joe Scheffer. Bowen’s character, the Wellness Coordinator at STARKe Pharmaceuticals (the same company Joe works for), later becomes Joe’s love interest. Meg tries to reason with Joe to call off a fight with a bullying colleague, Mark McKinney (Patrick Warburton). Joe Somebody was a critical and commercial flop but provided Bowen enough screen time to showcase her talents.
Boston Legal (2005–2008)
Julie Bowen joined the cast of the ABC legal and comedy-drama Boston Legal in season 2 (2005). She played the character of Denise Bauer, introduced as a young, dedicated attorney. She’s a senior associate at Crane, Poole & Schmidt who’s passed over for partner, despite being worthy. Denise becomes pregnant for Brad Chase (Mark Valley). Later in the series, Denise and Brad get married. Bowen returned in the final season as a guest, having made no appearances in season 4. Boston Legal aired from October 3, 2004, to December 8, 2008.
Conception (2012)
Conception (2012) is a comedy-drama centered around the plot of baby conception. It examines the subject through the lenses of nine couples. The movie has an ensemble cast of several notable actors. Julie Bowen played Tiffany, a divorcee with a daughter. She’s in a relationship with a much younger partner, Will (Gregory Smith). Their relationship in the film mostly focuses on Tiffany trying to get her and Will to make a sex tape. Conception (2012) is a fun movie for anyone looking for a 2010s-based comedy drama.
Modern Family (2009–2020)
Modern Family is Julie Bowen’s longest project on television. Bowen was cast as Claire Dunphy, a character for which she’s famously recognized by film and television audiences. Claire is the daughter of Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill) and Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofía Vergara). She’s married to Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) and mother to the couple’s three children – Haley Dunphy (Sarah Hyland), Alex Dunphy (Ariel Winter), and Luke Dunphy (Nolan Gould). Claire is also Joe Pritchett’s (Jeremy Maguire) and Mitchell Pritchett’s (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) sister. The series begins with Claire as a homemaker. However, she chooses to work for her father’s business, later becoming its Chief Executive Officer. Modern Family aired from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020.
Hubie Halloween (2020)
Julie Bowen played Adam Sandler’s love interest again in Hubie Halloween (2020). Bowen played Violet Valentine, a return to Sandler’s 90s theme of having his lost interests/wife having names starting with “V.” The character is the ex-wife of Sgt. Steve Downey (Kevin James), who later becomes Hubie Dubois’ (Adam Sandler) wife. Hubie Halloween received mixed reviews. Released on Netflix, it is one of Sandler’s film deals with the streaming platform. The movie also features several of Sandler’s friends and cast he regularly stars with.
Mixtape (2021)
Julie Bowen played the grandmother, Gail, in the comedy Mixtape (2021). She becomes protective of her granddaughter, Beverly Moody (Gemma Brooke Allen), after losing Beverly’s parents in a car accident. When Beverly finds her parents’ mixtape, she goes the length to retrieve all the songs after the Walkman damages it. Mixtape holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and enjoys positive reviews from other film review websites.
Hailey’s On It! (2023)
The Disney Channel’s animated science fiction comedy action Hailey’s On It! premiered on June 8, 2023. Julie Bowen voices the character of Patricia Banks, the mother of the titular character Hailey Banks (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho). Patricia is a recurring character in the series and the wife of Kai Banks (voiced by Cooper Andrews).
Totally Killer (2023)
Totally Killer was Julie Bowen’s last movie of 2023. Bowen plays the adult Pam Hughes in Nahnatchka Khan-directed black comedy slasher movie. After the death of three of her high school friends in 1987 by the Sweet 16 Killer, as the lone survivor, Pam has lived in fear for the rest of her life. She gets paranoid as her now-teen daughter turns 16. Although there have been no murders in Vernon since 1987, Pam’s fear rekindles when she gets a note stating, “You’re next, one day.” After she’s attacked and killed, her daughter, Jamie Hughes (Kiernan Shipka), travels back in time to stop her death. Julie Bowen‘s character appears at the start and end of the movie.
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