Happy Gilmore fans mindblown after realising where they recognise Happy's love interest from

Fans have been left speechless after discovering that one of the stars of movie Happy Gilmore has starred in another hit TV show.

Released back in 1996, the sports-comedy starred Adam Sandler as the titular unsuccessful ice hockey player who is surprised to discover he has a talent for playing golf.

The movie had huge commercial success, grossing around $41.2 million (£32.5 million) worldwide and cementing Sandler's place as one of the leading stars of Hollywood.

Following confirmation that the movie would be getting a long-awaited sequel on Netflix, Happy Gilmore is back in the spotlight and it turns out fans were surprised to learn about the career of one its stars.

Playing the role of Virginia Venit - Happy's love interest and pro-golf PR director - was actress Julie Bowen, with the film remaining one of the biggest in her career.

Does she look familiar? That's because she also starred in one of the biggest US sitcoms.

Julie Bowen in Happy Gilmore. (Universal Pictures)

Alongside her roles in Horrible Bosses and ER, Bowen is no doubt best known for her role as Claire Dunphy in ABC show Modern Family, which ran from 2009 until 2020.

The role was a massive one for Bowen seeing her win multiple awards, including two Emmy Awards in 2011 and 2012.

However, it turns out that many viewers had never made the connection between the two characters, with several fans taking to X to share their revelations.

"The girl on Happy Gilmore and the mom on Modern Family ... SAME WOMAN," one user commented, alongside images of Bowen in character as Virginia and on the red carpet.

"I was today years old when I learned that the love interest in Happy Gilmore is the same person as the mom in Modern Family," a second user wrote.

While a third added: "I was today years old when I realized the love interest in Happy Gilmore was played by the same chick that played Claire Dunphy on Modern Family."

ABC

Meanwhile Happy Gilmore was confirmed to be getting sequel today, with Deadline announcing that Netflix had agreed to create a follow-up movie with Sandler.

It remains to be seen if Bowen will be reprising her role as Virgina in the follow-up movie as further details about the film's cast and plot are yet to be revealed by Netflix.

However, it's safe to say that if she does reprise her role there will be plenty more surprised fans making the connection between her two roles.