Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer (born March 3, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Claire Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family, Carol Vessey on Ed, and Denise Bauer on Boston Legal. She began her acting career in the soap opera Loving in 1992. In 1994, she played the lead role opposite Paul Rudd, in the television film Runaway Daughters. Throughout the 90s and early 2000s, she had roles in numerous films including Happy Gilmore (1996), An American Werewolf in Paris (1997), Joe Somebody (2001) and Kids in America (2005). She gained recognition on the television series Ed, where she played high school English teacher Carol Vessey, the love interest of of the series' protagonist, Ed Stevens. She has had guest roles in many television series including Party of Five, Jake in Progress, ER and Strange Luck. In the cult serie...