# Traylor Howard
**Traylor Howard** (born 1966, though some sources cite 1971, in [Orlando, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-florida)) is an American actress best known for playing Natalie Teeger, the assistant to [Adrian Monk](https://www.edgepedia.org/adrian-monk) on the [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) series *Monk* (2005–2009), and Sharon Carter on the ABC sitcom *Two Guys and a Girl* (1998–2001)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/). Her full birth name is Traylor Elizabeth Howard, and her first name is her mother's maiden name[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966, Orlando, Florida; some sources cite 1971 instead[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/) |
| Signature roles | Sharon Carter on *Two Guys and a Girl* (81 episodes, 1998–2001); Natalie Teeger on *Monk* (87 episodes, 2005–2009)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/) |
| Films | Kathy in *Dirty Work* (1998), Layla in *Me, Myself & Irene* (2000), Tonya Avery in *Son of the Mask* (2005)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/) |
| Award | 2009 Gracie Award, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, for *Monk*[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/traylor-howard/bio/3000029330/) |
| Education | Lake Highland Preparatory School (graduated 1984); Florida State University, degree in communications and advertising with a minor in English[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/) |
| Marriage | Married Jarel Portman on January 1, 2011; two children[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/) |
| Return to Monk | Reprised Natalie Teeger in *Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie* (Peacock, December 2023)[4](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/get-ready-for-an-all-new-monk-movie-on-peacock) |
## Early life and start in commercials
Howard was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, the daughter of Peggy Elizabeth Traylor and Robert McIntosh Howard Jr.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/). Her first professional job came while she was still in high school: a [Juicy Fruit](https://www.edgepedia.org/juicy-fruit) gum commercial, which she filmed as a junior at Lake Highland Preparatory School[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/traylor_howard). She graduated from Lake Highland in 1984 and then from [Florida State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/florida-state-university) with a degree in communications and advertising and a minor in English[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/).
Her first plan was not acting but the production side of advertising. After moving to Los Angeles and working through a series of dissatisfying jobs in that field, she returned to acting and completed more commercials; one reference work counts more than 30 television commercials over her career, including Tidy Cat kitty litter and Milky Way Lite candy bars in 1996[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/traylor_howard) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/howard-traylor-1966-traylor-hall). A 2024 profile credits her career takeoff to a series of AT&T "You Will" commercials in 1994, directed by [David Fincher](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-fincher) and narrated by [Tom Selleck](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-selleck)[7](https://cavemancircus.com/2024/01/15/traylor-howard/).
## Television sitcoms
**Boston Common.** In 1996 Howard was cast on the NBC comedy *Boston Common* as Joy Byrnes, a strong-willed doctoral candidate who is the focus of the show's central conflict, torn between a snide young professor and Boyd Pritchett, a Southerner played by Anthony Clark[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/traylor_howard). The series ran from 1996 to 1997[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115115/).
**Two Guys and a Girl.** Howard then joined *Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place*, later renamed *Two Guys and a Girl*, on ABC, playing [Sharon Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharon-carter) in 81 episodes from 1998 to 2001[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/). In the show's original setup, Sharon was the money-hungry friend of two Boston roommates, Pete and Berg, played by Richard Ruccolo and [Ryan Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-reynolds)[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-07-ca-9206-story.html). During this period she also began a film career, appearing in two films in 1998, *Confessions of a Sexist Pig* and *Dirty Work*, followed by Layla Baileygates in [Jim Carrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-carrey)'s *Me, Myself & Irene* (2000)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/traylor_howard) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/howard-traylor-1966-traylor-hall). She also appeared in the Foo Fighters' music video "Breakout" in 2000 and in the short-lived CBS sitcom *Bram and Alice* in 2002[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/howard-traylor-1966-traylor-hall).
## Monk
Howard's most prominent role came on *Monk*, the USA Network detective comedy starring [Tony Shalhoub](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-shalhoub) as Adrian Monk, a private investigator with obsessive-compulsive disorder[10](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2005/jun/29/a-conversation-with-traylor-howard/). She joined the cast in the middle of the third season, replacing [Bitty Schram](https://www.edgepedia.org/bitty-schram), who had played Monk's first assistant, Sharona Fleming, and whose departure was reportedly tied to a contract dispute[11](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/09/26/arts/replacing-irreplaceable-monk/). USA Network announced her signing in September 2004, describing Natalie as a former bartender and single mom who becomes Monk's assistant[12](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2004/09/traylor-howard-joins-monk-cast/).
The recasting was contentious at first. Half a season in, [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) reported that fans on the show's message boards were resisting the change, though ratings for the Schram-less episodes held at about 3.4 million viewers; producers said Howard and Shalhoub had clicked during her audition[13](https://www.tvguide.com/news/monk-fans-trash-traylor-36281/). Howard herself said she had been unaware of the show's following when she took the part, and that being naive worked in her favor[14](https://archive.vcstar.com/entertainment/monk-role-has-been-a-dream-job-for-traylor-howard-ep-370606019-350502451.html).
Her character differed from Sharona in temperament and background. Natalie is a single working mother with a young daughter, Julie (Emmy Clarke), but she sets boundaries with Monk rather than indulging him; Howard described her as "bright, assertive, and patient" and "almost like a Nancy Drew"[15](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781429903967/monktheofficialepisodeguide/). The character is the black sheep of a wealthy toothpaste-manufacturing family, a background that paralleled Howard's own upbringing as the daughter of a company president[15](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781429903967/monktheofficialepisodeguide/) • [7](https://cavemancircus.com/2024/01/15/traylor-howard/). Howard stayed with the series through its end in 2009, appearing in 87 episodes[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/), and won a 2009 Gracie Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/traylor-howard/bio/3000029330/).
## After Monk
Howard largely stepped back from acting after *Monk* ended. In an interview with former co-star [Jason Gray-Stanford](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-gray-stanford) on The Randy Disher Podcast, she said she left acting to spend more time with her children[16](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/what-the-monk-cast-is-up-to-now). Her credits in the following years were sparse, including a voice role in the short *Simon Says Save the Climate!* (2016)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/).
She returned to the role of Natalie Teeger for *Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie*, a 90-minute Peacock film released December 8, 2023, reuniting Shalhoub with original cast members [Ted Levine](https://www.edgepedia.org/ted-levine), Jason Gray-Stanford, Melora Hardin, and Hector Elizondo[4](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/get-ready-for-an-all-new-monk-movie-on-peacock) • [17](https://apnews.com/article/019871fec9dcaff1f3ec7df66aee8e48). The film came 14 years after the series finale and followed a 2020 pandemic-themed short in which Howard also appeared as Natalie[17](https://apnews.com/article/019871fec9dcaff1f3ec7df66aee8e48) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/).
## Personal life
Howard has been married three times: to Cameron Hall from February 2, 1991, to March 12, 1993; to Christian Navarro from April 26, 2003, to 2006; and to Jarel Portman since January 1, 2011, with whom she has two children[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/). Her children are listed as Sabu Howard Portman and Julien Portman[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/). Portman, born in 1962, is described in a 2024 profile as the CEO of JPX Works, a real estate development company building luxury apartments in Atlanta, Georgia[7](https://cavemancircus.com/2024/01/15/traylor-howard/).
Her birth year is given as 1966 by IMDb, TV Guide, and Rotten Tomatoes, but both IMDb's biography notes and Encyclopedia.com record that some sources cite 1971 instead[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/howard-traylor-1966-traylor-hall). She is 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall and is sometimes credited as Traylor Hall[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/howard-traylor-1966-traylor-hall).
## References
1. [Traylor Howard – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/bio/)
2. [Traylor Howard, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005025/)
3. [Traylor Howard Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/traylor-howard/bio/3000029330/)
4. [Monk Is Coming Back — Get Ready for an All-New Monk Movie on Peacock, Peacock](https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/get-ready-for-an-all-new-monk-movie-on-peacock)
5. [Traylor Howard Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/traylor_howard)
6. [Howard, Traylor 1966(?)– (Traylor Hall), Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/howard-traylor-1966-traylor-hall)
7. [Whatever Happened To Traylor Howard, 'Natalie Teeger' From 'Monk'?, Caveman Circus](https://cavemancircus.com/2024/01/15/traylor-howard/)
8. [Boston Common (TV Series 1996–1997), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115115/)
9. [It Only Looks Like a Ball, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-07-ca-9206-story.html)
10. [A conversation with Traylor Howard, The Spokesman-Review](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2005/jun/29/a-conversation-with-traylor-howard/)
11. [Replacing the irreplaceable on 'Monk', The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/09/26/arts/replacing-irreplaceable-monk/)
12. [Traylor Howard Joins 'Monk' Cast, TVWeek](https://www.tvweek.com/in-depth/2004/09/traylor-howard-joins-monk-cast/)
13. [Monk Fans Trash Traylor, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/news/monk-fans-trash-traylor-36281/)
14. ['Monk' role has been a dream job for Traylor Howard, Ventura County Star archive](https://archive.vcstar.com/entertainment/monk-role-has-been-a-dream-job-for-traylor-howard-ep-370606019-350502451.html)
15. [Monk: The Official Episode Guide, Macmillan](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781429903967/monktheofficialepisodeguide/)
16. [What The Monk Cast Is Up To Now, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/what-the-monk-cast-is-up-to-now)
17. [Tony Shalhoub returns as everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive sleuth in 'Mr. Monk's Last Case', Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/019871fec9dcaff1f3ec7df66aee8e48)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames He to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license