| Bitty Schram | |
| Birth Name: | Elizabeth Natalie Schram |
| Birth Date: | July 17, 1968 |
| Birth Place: | Mountainside, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 1992–2016 |
| Alma Mater: | University of Maryland |
Elizabeth Natalie Schram (born July 17, 1968) is an American actress best known for playing Sharona Fleming in the television series Monk and for playing Evelyn Gardner in the film A League of Their Own (1992).
Born in Mountainside, New Jersey, Schram attended Jonathan Dayton High School, where she was a competitive athlete.[1] She studied at the University of Maryland on a tennis scholarship and graduated with a degree in advertising design. Bitty was a nickname she decided to use when she became an actress.[2] Schram is Jewish.[3] [4]
The role that initially brought her note was that of Evelyn Gardner, the Rockford Peaches' right fielder, in the Penny Marshall film A League of Their Own. Her character was the recipient of the classic admonition by manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), "There's no crying in baseball!"[5] Her character was also the mother of the obnoxious little boy, Stilwell.
During 1993-95, she appeared in the original Broadway production of Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor.[6]
In 2002, Schram landed a major role opposite Tony Shalhoub on the USA Network series Monk. She was released midway through the show's third season. The network stated it had "decided to go in a different creative direction with some of its characters." The Hollywood Reporter reported that "some members of the series' supporting cast, including Schram, Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford, attempted to renegotiate the terms of their contract[s]" and cited Schram's departure as evidence of the industry's "hard line against raise-seeking actors who aren't absolutely essential to the show." Levine and Gray-Stanford remained on the show.[7] Natalie Teeger, played by Traylor Howard, replaced Schram's character as Monk's assistant. Schram made a guest appearance on one episode of the show's eighth and final season, titled "Mr. Monk and Sharona".[8]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Fathers & Sons | Terry | ||
| 1992 | Evelyn Gardner[9] | |||
| 1993 | Pharmacy Clerk | |||
| 1993 | My Family Treasure | Young Alexandra | ||
| 1994 | Chasers | Flo | ||
| 1994 | Full Cycle | Sofie | ||
| 1996 | Caught | Amy | ||
| 1996 | Lauren | |||
| 1996 | Marvin's Room | Janine | ||
| 1996 | One Fine Day | Marla | ||
| 1998 | Kissing a Fool | Vicki Pelam | ||
| 1998 | Cleopatra's Second Husband | Hallie Marrs | ||
| 2001 | Gina | Short | ||
| 2002 | Unconditional Love | Waitress | ||
| 2004 | Christine Bigbee | |||
| 2006 | A-List | Samantha | ||
| 2016 | Moments of Clarity | Officer Lori[10] | Nominated–Maverick Movie Awards for Best Ensemble Acting (Feature) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Episode: Long Island Fever | Penny | TV film | |
| 1999 | G vs E | Ani | Episode: "Gee Your Hair Smells Evil" | |
| 2001 | Destiny | TV film | ||
| 2001 | Strong Medicine | Juno Bouvoir | Episode: "Fix" | |
| 2001 | Roswell | Bunny | Episode: "Secrets and Lies" | |
| 2001–2002 | Felicity | Rita | Episodes: "Moving On", "A Perfect Match", "The Paper Chase" | |
| 2002–2005, 2009 | Monk | Sharona Fleming | Regular Seasons 1-3, Guest Season 8 Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical) | |
| 2005 | Kitchen Confidential | Reese Ryder | Episode: "Exile on Main Street" | |
| 2006 | Thief | Lila Granville | TV miniseries | |
| 2007 | You've Got a Friend | Jackie Nelson | TV film | |
| 2009 | Ghost Whisperer | Jody | Episode: "This Joint's Haunted" |