Bowen was born Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Suzanne and John Alexander Luetkemeyer, Jr., a real estate agent. She first attended St. George's School, then Roland Park Country School and continued on to Brown University, majoring in Italian Renaissance studies. In her junior year, Bowen spent a year abroad in Florence, Italy. During college, she had roles in Guys and Dolls, Stage Door, and Lemon Sky. Before graduating, Bowen had the lead role in the independent film Five Spot Jewel. Among other places, Bowen studied acting at the Actor's Institute. Bowen is the middle child of three sisters. Her older sister, Molly Luetkemeyer, is an interior designer who has appeared on Clean Sweep, and her younger sister, Annie Luetkemeyer, is a doctor at the University of California, San Francisco in the HIV/AIDS Division. Bowen married Scott Phillips, a software developer, on September 9, 2004; their son Oliver McLanahan Phillips was born April 10, 2007, in...
