Bowen started booking TV-movies and guest spots in her early twenties before a turn as Adam Sandler’s love interest in the 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore led to a handful of big-screen appearances (Multiplicity, An American Werewolf in Paris). But Bowen's primary medium has been the small screen. Perhaps best known for playing a small-town dream girl on the dramedy Ed, she also had recurring roles on ER, Jake in Progress, Lost and Weeds. In 2005, Bowen joined the cast of Boston Legal and injected the quirky legal series with a bit of heart. And in 2009, she signed on to the mockumentary-style sitcom Modern Family, earning raves for her portrayal of exasperated but loving housewife Claire Dunphy, one of the saner members of the eccentric Pritchett clan. Off screen, Bowen enjoys spending time with her husband, software developer Scott Phillips, and their three sons.