Julie Adams Biography

Julie Adams (Betty May Adams) was an American actress, primarily in television. In the 1950s, she starred in a number of films, including Bend of the River and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Adams was also known for her roles as Paula Denning on Capitol and as Eve Simpson on Murder, She Wrote.

Julie Adams Age

Julie Adams Marriage

Adams was married to Leonard B. Stern screenwriter from 1950/51 to 1953. In 1954/55, she was then married to actor-director Ray Danton from until their divorce in 1981.

Julie Adams Children

Julie Adams and Ray Danton  had two sons: Steven Danton (b. 1956), an assistant director and Mitchell Danton (b. 1962), an editor.

Julie Adams Death

Adams died on 3rd January 2019, on early Sunday morning in Los Angeles, CA, her son Mitchell Danton told the Hollywood Reporter.

Julie Adams Net Worth

Julie Adams’s net worth for 2018/2019 is currently under review.

Julie Adams Career

At the age of 19, in 1946, Adams was crowned “Miss Little Rock” and then moved to Hollywood, California to pursue her acting career. Adams used her real name until 1949, when she began working for Universal Pictures, the same studio where she met unknown stars such as Rock Hudson, James Best, Piper Laurie and Tony Curtis. Adams then became “Julia” and eventually “Julie”. She explained the latter change in 1954, “The studio picked Julia, but I never have felt comfortable with it. I just like the name Julie better and the studio has given me permission to make the change.” Her first movie role was a minor part in Red, Hot and Blue in 1949, followed by a leading role in the Lippert western The Dalton Gang in 1949. Adams was featured as the bathing beauty Kay Lawrence in 1954’s classic science-fiction film Creature from the Black Lagoon.

In 1950s films, Adams co-starred opposite some of Hollywood’s top leading men, including with James Stewart in 1952’s Bend of the River, with Rock Hudson in The Lawless Breed in 1953 and One Desire in 1955, with Tyrone Power in The Mississippi Gambler in 1953, with Glenn Ford in The Man from the Alamo in 1953, with Charlton Heston in The Private War of Major Benson in 1955, with Dan Duryea in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue in 1957 and with Joel McCrea in The Gunfight at Dodge City in 1959.

Adams co-starred with Rory Calhoun in 1955, subsequently of the CBS western television series, The Texan, in the film The Looters, the story of a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains. Part of the picture was filmed about Tarryall Creek at what is now Eleven Mile State Park in Park County in central Colorado. The advertising poster reads: “Five desperate men … and a girl who didn’t care … trapped on a mountain of gale-lashed rock!”

In 1957’s, Adams also starred Four Girls in Town, a romantic comedy about four young women competing for the leading role in a new movie, featuring an international cast. In 1965, she appeared with Elvis Presley in the musical-comedy Tickle Me. Julie Adams thought highly of her co-star, noting: “Despite his status as a superstar singer and stage performer, Elvis took his acting very seriously. He was always prepared and did a good job in the roles he was given. When he did his musical numbers in Tickle Me, sometimes walking from table to table in a nightclub set, Elvis did them perfectly in one take.”

Julie Adams Television

Adams portrayed Mary Simpson on television in 1962, a county nurse and romantic interest of Sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. Adams also made four guest appearances on Perry Mason; the most memorable was the episode of 1963, “The Case of the Deadly Verdict,” when she played Janice Barton, Perry’s only convicted client during the show’s nine-year run on CBS. She played Janice Blake in “The Case of the Missing Button” In 1964. Adams played the role of defendant Pat Kean in “The Case of the Fatal Fortune.” She appeared on The Rifleman as a dubious vixen and romantic interest of lead character Chuck Connors. Adams guest-starred in five episodes of 77 Sunset Strip, on Alfred Hitchcock Presents three times, and on Maverick twice.

More guest-star roles in popular TV series followed, including McMillan & Wife, Police Woman,The Incredible Hulk, The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon, Quincy, M.E. and Cagney & Lacey. In 1971-1972, she co-starred with James Stewart in The Jimmy Stewart Show on NBC. Stewart played a professor, and Adams played his wife. She was cast in the recurring role of real estate agent Eve Simpson for ten episodes of CBS’s Murder, She Wrote.

Julie Adams Writing

Julie Adams (along with her son, Mitchell) has authored a book called The Lucky Southern Star, which is about her life and career, Reflections From The Black Lagoon, which was published in 2011. A limited test print run (100 copies) – with an interview DVD – of the audio book version has been completed. Her son Mitch serves as producer.

Julie Adams Appearances

Julie Adams continued to be busy via making special guest appearances and meeting her fans. She was a guest of honor at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention held at the Shrine Auditorium. (In May 2012, she attended the same convention.) on August 31, 2012, Adams also appeared at the CineCon Classic Film Festival at the Loews Hollywood Hotel. From September 7–9, 2012, she was a scheduled guest at The Hollywood Show in Chicago. On September 20, 2012, an additional book signing was held at Century Books in Pasadena, California. She was back in Berwyn, Illinois for a book signing party on October 13, 2012.

During October, 2012, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected Creature from the Black Lagoon as one of 13 classic horror films to screen in order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Universal Pictures. On October 16 the film was shown (in 3D format) at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. Adams appeared on stage after the screening for a Q&A session where she shared personal memories of her role in the film, as well as several other career projects on which she had worked.

Julie Adams Awards

Julie Adams received a Golden Boot award for her work in Westerns in 1999. In 2000, she was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame. At CineCon in 2011, she was honored with a Film Career Achievement Award. She won the Rondo Award for the Monster Kid Hall of Fame at the annual Wonderfest in Louisville, Kentucky in 2012.

Julie Adams Movies 

• Crooked River (1950) (as Betty Adams)
• Your Show Time (1949) (as Betty Adams)
• Colorado Ranger (1950) (as Betty Adams)
• Bright Victory (1951) (as Julia Adams)
• Hollywood Story (1951) (as Julia Adams)
• The Treasure of Lost Canyon (1952)
• Horizons West (1952) (as Betty Adams) … Lorna Hardin
• Bend of the River (1952) (as Julia Adams) … Laura
• The Lawless Breed (1953) (as Julia Adams) … Rosie
• The Mississippi Gambler (1953) (as Julia Adams) … Ann Conant
• The Man from the Alamo (1953) (as Julia Adams) … Beth Anders
• Wings of the Hawk (1953) (as Julia Adams) … Raquel Noriega
• Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) (credited as Julia Adams) … Kay Lawrence
• The Looters (1955)…(as Julie Adams)
• One Desire (1955) (credited as Julia Adams) … Judith Watrous
• The Private War of Major Benson (1956) … Dr. Kay Lambert
• Studio One (1956) … Anne
• Away All Boats (1956) … Nadine MacDougall
• Lux Video Theatre (1955, 1957)
• Climax! (1957) … Coleen
• Four Girls in Town (1957) … Kathy Conway
• Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957) … Daisy Pauly
• Tarawa Beachhead (1958) … Ruth Campbell
• Playhouse 90 (1958) … Janice Ohringer
• Yancy Derringer (1958–1959) … Amanda Eaton
• Zane Grey Theatre (1958) … Nora Jepson (1958) … Julie Brand
• Goodyear Theatre (1958) … Marion Ewell
• Letter to Loretta (1958) … Milly (1958) (as Julia Adams) … Paula McGill
• The Man and the Challenge (1959) … Linda Webb
• Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond (1959) … Helen Archer
• The Gunfight at Dodge City (1959) … Pauline Howard
• Frontier Justice (1959) … Julie Brand
• The Alaskans (1959) … Clara
• Cheyenne (1960) (2 episodes) … Irene Travers
• Maverick (1960) … Wilma White (1959) … Belle Morgan
• Alcoa Theatre (1960) … Betty Fordham
• The Rifleman (1960) … Nora Sanford
• Tate (1960) … Mary Hardin
• Markham (1960)
• Wrangler (1960) … Eve Browning
• Michael Shayne (1960) … Bea
• Bonanza (1961) “The Courtship” … Helen Layton
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961) … Phyllis Kendall (1959) … Peg Valence (1958) … Carol Longsworth
• Hawaiian Eye (1961) … Gloria Matthews (1960) … Sarah Crane
• Outlaws (1961) … Juill Ramsur
• Surfside 6 (1961) … Julie Owens (1961) … Merilee Williams
• The Underwater City (1962) … Monica Powers
• The Andy Griffith Show (1962) … Mary Simpson
• The Dick Powell Show (1962) … Robin
• Dr. Kildare (1962) … Ginny Nelson
• Checkmate (1962) … Jean Damion (1960) … Janet Evans
• The Gallant Men (1963) … Capt. Meg Thorpe
• Arrest and Trial (1963) … Eleanor
• 77 Sunset Strip (1964) … Anne Kenzie (1961) … Norma Kellogg (1960) … Miriam Galbraith (1959) … Marie La
• Shelle (1959) Margo Wendice
• Kraft Suspense Theatre (1965) … Joanne Clay (1964) … Ellen Yarnell
• Perry Mason (1965) … Patricia L. Kean (1964) … Janice Blake (1963) … Janice Barton (1963) … Valerie
• Comstock
• Twelve O’Clock High (1965) … Lt. Betty Russo
• Burke’s Law (1965) … Carla Cabrial
• Tickle Me (1965) … Vera Radford
• The Long, Hot Summer (1965) … Leona Mills
• The Virginian (1966) … Marian Clay
• The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1967)
• The Big Valley (1966, 1967) … Janet Masters/Edna Wesley
• Ironside (1968) … Norma Howard
• The Outsider (1968) … Laura
• General Hospital (1968) … Denise Wilton
• The Doris Day Show (1969) … Karen Carrathers “Married For A Day”.
• My Friend Tony (1969)
• The F.B.I. (1969) … Denise Kriton
• Dan August (1970) … Patricia Fairley
• The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1970–1971) (Season 2) … Lynn Craig
• The Young Lawyers (1971) … Alice Graham)
• The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971–1972) … Martha Howard
• The Trackers (1971) … Dora Paxton
• Night Gallery (1972) … Gay Melcor
• The Doris Day Show (1972), (1969)
• Go Ask Alice (1973) … Dorothy
• The Mod Squad (1973), (1968) … Samantha Semple
• Search (1973) … Jeanette Lewis
• Mannix (1973) … Edie Reynolds (1967)
• Lucas Tanner (1974) … Mrs. Walker
• McQ (1974) … Elaine
• Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1975) … Mrs. Avery Walker
• Caribe (1975) … Mrs. Bladell
• The Streets of San Francisco (1975) … Judith
• Marcus Welby, M.D. (1975) … Lee Morgan (1969) … Claire
• Psychic Killer (1975) … Dr. Laura Scott
• Ellery Queen (1975) … Jennifer Packard
• Cannon (1975) … Sylvia Killian (1972) … Mrs. Lucas
• Medical Center (1976) … Ellie Wilke
• The Killer Inside Me (1976) … Mother
• Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976) … The Mother
• McMillan & Wife (1977) … Dorothy Wininger
• This Is the Life (1977)
• Police Woman (1978) … Eleanor Simpson
• The Runaways (1978) … Mother
• The Incredible Hulk (1978) … Ellen
• Trapper John, M.D. (1980) … Lorrie Malcolm
• Vega$ (1981) … Margaret Sorenson
• Code Red (1981–1982) … Ann Rorchek
• Cagney & Lacey (1982) … Helen Granger
• Quincy, M.E. (1982) … Dr. Chris Winston (1980) … Sharon Ross (1977) … Mrs. Daniels
• Capitol (1982–1987) … Paula Denning
• Too Close for Comfort (1981-1984) (2 episodes) … Sylvia Walker
• Murder, She Wrote (1987–1993) (10 episodes) … Eve Simpson
• Black Roses (1988) …Arlene Beevis
• Beverly Hills, 90210 (1993) (2 episodes) … Grandma Beevis
• Diagnosis: Murder (1997) … Edie Fallon
• Melrose Place (1999) … Mrs. Damarr
• Sliders (1999) … Old Maggie Beckett
• Family Law (2000) … Bonnie
• Cold Case (2006) … Dottie Mills
• Lost (2006) … Amelia, “A Tale of Two Cities”
• CSI New York (2010)