Born on March 4, 1990 in Columbus, OH, Bowen was one of six children – all of whom pursued acting careers – including older brother Cameron, whose film credits include “Mystic River” (2003) and “Seabiscuit” (2003).
The family relocated to New York City when Bowen was five. The move proved fortuitous when, within a year’s time, she landed the role of Young Cosette in the Broadway production of “Les Miserables.” Still only six years old, she became the youngest person to play the role in the show’s 16-year history. Other stage opportunities quickly followed – she appeared opposite Richard Chamberlain in “The Sound of Music,” and played Adele in the musical version of “Jane Eyre.” During this fruitful period, Bowen also began to make inroads to television and independent film with roles on NYC-based shows like “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC, 1999- ) and “Third Watch” (NBC, 1999-2005) as well as the early Noah Baumbach feature “Highball” (1997) and the Italian TV movie “An Angel in New York” (1996).
During this time, Bowen also enjoyed a recording career, with contributions to the original soundtracks of the aforementioned musicals and as part of the Broadway Kids, a singing group comprised of Broadway performers between the ages of 8-16. (former members include Lacey Chabert).
Bowen relocated to Los Angeles in 2002 to co-star in the fantasy-drama series “That Was Then,” which despite critical acclaim, was cancelled by ABC after just two episodes. She quickly landed appearances in a string of TV series in 2003-04, including “Strong Medicine” (Lifetime, 2000-06) “Nip/Tuck” (FX, 2003- ) and “Boston Public” (Fox, 2000-04), for which she essayed a recurring role as an adolescent genius. She also found frequent employment as a voice-over artist, lending her talented pipes to several animated projects and video games.
In 2004, Bowen vaulted to national attention with the pop culture explosion that was “Desperate Housewives.” As a member of the cast, Bowen earned two Screen Actors Guild Awards (in 2004 and 2006, for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series) and a Young Artist Award nomination in 2004 for Best Performance by a Leading Young Actress. Though the awards and attention were terrific perks, the opportunity to play a diverse character like Julie was the biggest reward for Andrea, who said of her caretaking role: “I have such a fun character – she’s always the mother, which is not always the case on TV.”