The Stunning Transformation Of Modern Family Star Julie Bowen

The following article mentions an eating disorder.

When Julie Bowen scored the role of Claire Dunphy on the super popular sitcom "Modern Family," her career went into the stratosphere. During her time on the series, which ran from 2009 until 2020, Bowen won two Emmy awards and the love of critics and fans alike. Not too shabby for someone who once tried to dissuade her agents from sending her on comedy auditions because she doubted her own comedic sensibilities. 

Bowen's rise to fame was steady, and while she was not an overnight sensation, she worked hard making a name for herself in both TV and film. "Happy Gilmore" may have been her big break, but she also stayed busy with shows like "Boston Legal" and "Ed." Even after she became a star on one of the most successful comedy series in recent history, Bowen still didn't see herself as a successful actor. "I suppose I have success in acting because I really love it and didn't look at my failures (there have been PLENTY) and rejections as deterrents," she said in a 2011 interview with the Baltimore Fishbowl. 

Juggling her career and her family life became important as the years went on, and Bowen found she was pretty good at being a mom of three in real life and playing one on TV. From running track to running lines, she has been successful in each of her endeavors. Read on to learn more about the stunning transformation of the "Modern Family" star.

Julie Bowen was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where she and her two sisters entertained themselves by putting on plays. Even though Bowen enjoyed the little productions, her older sister, Molly Luetkemeyer, was considered the actor in the family. Bowen instead aspired to become an artist, but the courses were not as fulfilling as she'd hoped. "I was signed up for weekend drawing classes and I was doing like charcoal studies of an apple and a pitcher with a bunch of 50-year-olds," she shared on "The Great Creators with Guy Raz" podcast.

Acting also happened to pique Bowen's interest, but she was worried about infringing on her sister's dream. It wasn't until many years later when she was in college that she began dabbling in theater, which led to some film work, which led to Bowen finally telling her family that she wanted to pursue a career in acting. "I'm telling my parents that this is what I'm doing ... no one was happy, but that's what I did," Bowen explained.

Julie Bowen spent her early years in Maryland, but as a teen she relocated to New England to attend the prestigious St. George's School in Newport, Rhode Island. "Talk about fantasyland," Bowen told Boston Common about her alma mater (via Newport Stylephile). "It basically is Hogwarts. It's so beautiful."

The school — which also counts politician Howard Dean, former Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson, and TV host Billy Bush as alumni — did not have a girls' cross country track team, so Bowen joined the boys' team instead. The actor excelled in track, but was not so adept at other sports. "I was a runner, I could run in a straight line," the actor shared during an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." "Whenever you introduced balls and or flying objects ... that's where I had to hang up my cleats."

Bowen ran track throughout high school but eventually gave up running competitively due to injuries. But running remained a part of her life into adulthood, and she credited it with helping her stay in shape after the birth of her children. In 2011, she told Runner's World that she tried to go for a jog at least every day, or her mood would dip. "When I don't get to run, I am a grump, but some days my schedule just doesn't allow me to," she explained.

While Julie Bowen was athletic as a teenager, she was also dealing with an issue that put her health at risk. The actor had an eating disorder that lasted for years, which she believed was triggered by the onset of adolescence. "I think a lot of what I was struggling with was puberty and hormones and ... not liking that feeling of changing," Bowen shared during an episode of "Tamron Hall Show."

Bowen credited her family with helping her overcome her disorder, explaining, "God bless my parents, [they] got me all the best help in the whole world ... it was such a long journey." The actor also reflected on the pressure to appear perfect as an adult in the public eye, recalling a time when she was in Hawaii shooting "Modern Family" shortly after giving birth. Paparazzi had taken photos of her wearing a bathing suit and the resulting commentary was unkind, to say the least. "I felt like I had done something wrong," Bowen said. "Like somebody took a picture of you in your most private moment."

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Aside from being a talented actor, Julie Bowen also has quite an impressive academic background. She attended Brown University, an Ivy League school, and majored in Italian Renaissance studies. It may sound like a particularly challenging concentration, but Bowen had a great time completing her studies, especially while traveling abroad to Florence, Italy. "As a blonde, 20 years old, in Italy — you don't have to pay for sh**." she told The Brown Daily Herald.

Freebies aside, Bowen counted herself lucky to have had the opportunity to study at Brown, explaining, "Most people have never had the luxury of this." She spoke about spending a lot of her time in the school's library and recalled being slightly intimidated by her professors. Bowen had a pretty normal college experience, save for the fact that she was studying at one of the country's most lauded institutions.

But she also shared that some aspects of being an actor made her feel a little silly, given her prestigious education. The indignity of having to sit still for hours-long spray tans, for example, presented a particular discomfort. "I'm naked in front of someone sort of lying around ... I feel like I'm betraying something from my past," Bowen told The Brown Daily Herald.

Before getting her big break, Julie Bowen put in the work making appearances in many '90s TV series. She got her start on the soap opera "Loving," and then went on to nab roles on "Extreme" and "Party of Five." But despite her growing resume of television work, it was the 1996 film "Happy Gilmore," starring Adam Sandler, that finally put Bowen on the map. However, she didn't realize at the time that the film would be such a success. "I thought, well no one's gonna see this, and that's fine because my hair is really bad," she shared on "The Skinny Confidential."

Bowen enjoyed working with and getting to know Adam Sandler, whether or not the movie turned out to be a hit. "I was like, 'who cares? This is the greatest thing ever.' Adam's the nicest, coolest person, and I was having the best time," she said.

"Happy Gilmore" was in fact a huge hit with fans, and is still considered a cult classic today. At one point, Bowen was on the fence about ever letting her sons see the movie, and her reason? That haircut that she just couldn't stand. "It's my hair that I'm most afraid of them seeing, not me in lingerie making out with strangers," she told Us Weekly in 2018. In 2024, Bowen revealed that her oldest son, Oliver, finally watched the film, but did not even recognize her. "[H]e did say to me, 'Who are you in it?'" the actor said during an episode of "Sherri."

In 2004, Julie Bowen tied the knot with software developer Scott Phillips. Over the years, Bowen spoke highly of Phillips, crediting him with helping to keep her feet on the ground amid the demands of work and family life. "He is so patient, and takes care of me like nobody's business," she gushed to Us Weekly about her hubby.

In 2007, the couple expanded their family and welcomed their first son, Oliver. Bowen was actually in the middle of filming a scene when she went into labor. "I was at work on 'Boston Legal' pretending to be in labor, and all of a sudden my water broke," the actor revealed in a video about her baby story for The March of Dimes. Two years later, Bowen and Phillips welcomed twin sons, John and Gustav, which made for a pretty rowdy household. "On TV shows, people talk to each other. When you have three boys, it's more like grunting," she joked with Today.

Over the years, Bowen has been candid about how much she loves being a mom to her boys, and credited her time on "Modern Family" with helping her assuage her feelings of guilt over juggling work and family. The role allowed Bowen to work reasonable hours so she could spend time with her kids, and she also expressed that playing Claire Dunphy came with some valuable insights. "[I] really learned a lot from Claire, especially early on," the actor told People.

Although Julie Bowen is known for her role as Claire Dunphy on the long-running sitcom "Modern Family," there was a time when the actor didn't think she had what it took to land comedic roles. During an episode of "The Three Questions with Andy Richter," the actor revealed that she'd been hesitant to audition for certain gigs because she didn't think she had the chops. "I was like, 'I can't tell a joke, I'm not funny — don't give me those three-jokes-a-page kind of things," she said. Ultimately, she drew inspiration from fellow actor Helen Hunt, who she described as having a more understated approach to comedy.

When it came time for Bowen to audition for "Modern Family," there was another not-so-small obstacle that kept her from thinking she'd land the role: The actor was pregnant with her twins at the time, which she thought might be a liability. "They kept bringing me in over and over and sort of staring at my humungous belly, and I thought, 'I'm never getting this job,'" Bowen shared with People.

Of course, she did land the role which ended up garnering her four Primetime Emmy nominations and two wins for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

While Julie Bowen's career was hitting some serious high notes, there was trouble brewing in her personal life. In 2018, Bowen filed for divorce from Scott Phillips after thirteen years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. Although it was a difficult time for the actor, her sons Oliver, John, and Gustav kept her mind off of the painful split. "The beauty of having three children is they don't give you much time for thinking," Bowen shared with Us Weekly, adding, "They're like a crash course in being in the now."

But it wasn't only her children that kept Bowen going during that difficult time, she was also able to lean on her "Modern Family" co-stars for support whenever she needed it. Bowen's castmate Jesse Tyler Ferguson shared that the "Modern Family" family took care to reach out to Bowen, explaining that they had several group chats going in which they all took turns sharing silly pics and videos.

In 2023, Bowen hinted that she was still single, and concentrating on raising her three sons. "[T]hey're terrible dates. They never pay, and they always just stiff me," she joked with People.

Julie Bowen was inspired by her experiences as a mom of three sons to create a skincare line for teen and tween boys. Bowen teamed up with her friend Jill Biren, who worked as the director of Conde Nast beauty, to launch JB Skrub in 2023.

Bowen and Biren, who met while their sons attended school together, came up with the brand to address the hygienic needs of boys who otherwise might not know what products to use. "[T]hey're left out of the conversation," Bowen told Tamron Hall. "We're just like, 'use whatever's in the bathroom.' They don't know what to do with the stuff that's in the bathroom," she explained.

JB Skrub includes products for the face, hair, and body, created with cruelty-free ingredients and sold at a very affordable price. And the brand is marketed to other moms with a sense of humor, as well as a sense of responsibility. Bowen and Biren's mission statement on their website reads, in part, "We love our boys, but they stink. It's something that's long gone unaddressed (though not unnoticed)."

Julie Bowen starred on "Modern Family" for eleven seasons until it wrapped in 2020. Following her super successful sitcom stint, Bowen branched out a bit, and starred in the horror series "Hysteria!" in 2024. But it wasn't so much the horror genre that drew Bowen in as it was the intrigue surrounding her character, Linda Campbell. "We're not sure by the end of the pilot whether she's sane or insane," Bowen explained to Awards Radar.

The actor went on to say that she is not a fan of horror movies, which made seeking inspiration from other thrillers difficult. "Hysteria!" takes place in the '80s, so Bowen instead drew from her own memories of that decade and what it was like seeking information without cell phones and the internet. "I remember there being rumors and complete nonsense that Ouija boards and Dungeons & Dragons were going to get me into Satan or something," the actor shared with "Today Australia" in reference to the satanic panic theme of her new show.

While Bowen seemed to fit right into the horrorsphere, she was not done with comedy just yet. It was announced in December of 2024 that the actor was set to star in the half-hour comedy series "Taste" in which she would play the editor of a food magazine.

While fans will forever love Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy on "Modern Family," others will always think of her as Adam Sandler's love interest, Virginia Venit in "Happy Gilmore." In 2024, Bowen announced she was on board to reprise her role in the film's sequel, "Happy Gilmore 2." The actor kept mum about the film's plot, but teased a little bit of what fans could expect from her character. "There are some flashbacks. I can tell you that we're going to see Virginia Venit through the ages," she told Forbes. "We get to see her from '96, so I get to have the old hair and makeup—the whole rigmarole—which is really fun."

Bowen also opened up about working with her pal Adam Sandler again, and while it's unclear how their characters have changed over the past several decades, Bowen was happy to comment on how much Adam Sandler had matured. "He has become a girl dad in the sweetest, kindest way," the actor told ET. "He's still funny as hell," she said, adding, "He finally grew into those big shorts."

In December of 2024, Netflix released a teaser trailer for the film which features appearances by Margaret Qualley, Bad Bunny, Kid Cudi, and many members of the original cast. In the teaser, Bowen and Sandler's characters are seen sharing a sweet moment together, suggesting that they've stood the test of time.