Traylor Elizabeth Howard (born June 14, 1966) is an American actress. From 2005 to 2009, Howard played Natalie Teeger in the USA Network television series ''

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

''. She has also starred on the sitcoms '' Boston Common'' (1996–1997) and '' Two Guys and a Girl'' (1998–2001), while her film credits include '' Dirty Work'' (1998), '' Me, Myself & Irene'' (2000), and '' Son of the Mask'' (2005).

Early life

Traylor Elizabeth Howard was born on June 14, 1966, in Orlando,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, to Peggy (née Traylor) and Robert M. Howard, Jr. She is the middle of three children, with an older brother, John R. Howard, and a younger brother. She attended Lake Highland Preparatory School, and worked at

SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld Orlando is an animal theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Although separately gated, it is often promoted with neighboring parks Discovery Cove and Aquatica as well as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, all of which are owned and operated ...

as a teenager. After graduating from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

with a degree in communications, advertising, and English, Howard moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where she worked for a public relations firm and a greeting card company while performing in local theater productions.

Career

While in high school, Howard appeared in a Juicy Fruit chewing gum commercial. In 1994 she appeared in one of the AT&T Corporation's " You Will" television commercials. Howard landed her first major television role in 1996 for the NBC sitcom ''Boston Common'', portraying Joy Byrnes, a doctoral student and the love interest of Anthony Clark's Boyd Pritchett, throughout the show's two-season run. Her hometown newspaper, The Orlando Sentinel, panned the show as "magna cum lousy." From 1998 to 2001, Howard starred as Sharon Carter, the titular "girl" of the ABC sitcom '' Two Guys and a Girl'' (titled ''Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place'' for the first two seasons), opposite Ryan Reynolds and Richard Ruccolo. In 1998, Howard starred as the romantic lead in the film '' Dirty Work'' opposite Norm Macdonald. In 2000, Howard appeared in the film '' Me, Myself & Irene'' as Jim Carrey's adulterous bride. She also featured in

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

' music video " Breakout", which served as a tie-in to the song's appearance in the film. That same year, Howard performed in the play ''How I Fell in Love'' by playwright Joel Field at the Williamstown Theater Festival in North Adams,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. It was reported that actor George Clooney visited Howard during her time at the festival. In 2002, Howard starred in the short-lived sitcom '' Bram & Alice'' alongside Alfred Molina. That same year, she made a guest appearance in the third season of '' The West Wing''. In 2005, Howard starred in the film '' Son of the Mask''. From 2005 to 2009, Howard starred opposite

Tony Shalhoub Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; ; born October 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for a variety of roles ranging from comedic to dramatic on stage and screen. He has received several accolades including five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, s ...

on the USA Network comedy-drama detective series ''

'' as the titular character's faithful assistant, Natalie Teeger. Following ''Monks conclusion, Howard stepped back from acting to spend more time with her children. Howard reprised her role as Natalie Teeger in Peacock's ''At-Home Variety Show'' short episode " Mr. Monk Shelters in Place" and ''Monk'' follow-up film '' Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie'', which were released on May 11, 2020, and December 8, 2023, respectively.

Personal life

In 1991, Howard married Cameron B. Hall in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. The couple then lived in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

. In April 2003, Howard married wine merchant Christian Navarro. The couple divorced in 2005. In November 2006, Howard gave birth to a son, Sabu. In 2011, Howard married Jarel Portman, son of architect John C. Portman Jr. They have a son, Julien. In July 2019, Howard was interviewed by Jane Mayer for a '' New Yorker'' piece detailing sexual misconduct allegations against former United States Senator Al Franken, with whom Howard performed on a USO tour in 2005. Howard defended Franken, saying, "I get the whole #MeToo thing, and a whole lot of horrible stuff has happened, and it needed to change. But that's not what was happening here. Franken is a good man."

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Music video

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Traylor 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Orlando, Florida American film actresses American television actresses Florida State University alumni Living people Lake Highland Preparatory School alumni 1966 births