Traylor Howard

Traylor Howard is an American actress known for her television and film work. She was born on June 14, 1966, in Orlando, Florida, where she grew up. She attended Lake Highland Preparatory School and appeared in a Juicy Fruit gum commercial as a student. After graduating in 1984, she earned a degree in communications and advertising from Florida State University, with a minor in English.

Howard's first major television role came in 1996 with the NBC sitcom Boston Common, on which she played Joy Byrnes for two seasons. She then starred as Sharon Carter on the ABC sitcom Two Guys and a Girl from 1998 to 2001, opposite Ryan Reynolds and Richard Ruccolo. In 1998, she also appeared in the film Dirty Work, and in 2000 she had a role in Me, Myself & Irene as Jim Carrey's adulterous bride. That same year, she performed in a play at the Williamstown Theater Festival and appeared in the Foo Fighters' music video for "Breakout."

In 2002, Howard starred in the short-lived sitcom Bram & Alice and guest-starred on The West Wing. In 2005, she appeared in Son of the Mask, and from 2005 to 2009 she played Natalie Teeger, the faithful assistant to Tony Shalhoub's character on the USA Network series Monk. After Monk ended, Howard stepped back from acting to focus on her children. She later reprised her role as Natalie in the 2020 short "Mr. Monk Shelters in Place" and the 2023 film Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie.