Bitty Schram

Actress Bitty Schram first attracted attention as the teary-eyed right fielder in "A League Of Their Own" (1992) but landed her most notable role a decade later when she played Tony Shalhoub's feisty sidekick, Sharona Fleming, in the first three seasons of "Monk" (USA Network 2002-09). Born in New York, Schram attended the University of Maryland on a tennis scholarship, where she studied for a degree in advertising design, before making her on-screen debut as Terry in Paul Mones' crime drama "Fathers & Sons" (1992). In the same year, she was reminded by Tom Hanks that "there's no crying in baseball!" when she played Rockford Peaches' Evelyn Gardner in the comedy-drama "A League Of Their Own" (1992). She subsequently appeared as a pharmacy clerk in the quietly charming romance "The Night We Never Met" (1993). After playing the younger version of Dee Wallace's treasure hunter in the Russian-based children's adventure "My Family Treasure" (1993), Schram was cast as waitress Flo in Dennis Hopper's final big-screen directorial effort "Chasers" (1994), the wife of a "Star Search" reject in erotic thriller "Caught" (1996) and bride-to-be Lauren in romantic comedy flop "The Pallbearer" (1996). Bit parts in family drama "Marvin's Room" (1996), George Clooney's box-office hit "One Fine Day" (1996) and a David Schwimmer vehicle, "Kissing A Fool" (1998), then followed before Schram took the lead as the domineering Hallie Marrs in the creepy psychological thriller "Cleopatra's Second Husband" (1998). Schram's big break arrived in 2002 when she was cast as the unlucky-in-love practical nurse-turned-detective assistant in the light-hearted police procedural series "Monk" (USA Network, 2002-09). The character gradually became a fan favorite and Schram even earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in 2004 but halfway through the show's third season, she was replaced by Traylor Howard over a contract dispute. Along with continuing work as a guest actress on various television series, Schram appeared in the Hollywood satire "A-List" (2006) and TV movie "You've Got A Friend" (2007) before reprising her best-loved role in the "Mr. Monk and Sharona" episode of the show's eighth and final season.