High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Julie Bowen (born March 3, 1970) is an American film and television actress. She played Carol Vessey on Ed and Denise Bauer on Boston Legal. She is best known for playing Claire Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011. She was also nominated in 2010.