R.I.P. Julie Adams, love interest of both Sheriff Andy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon

She's also the wrongly accused victim put in jail that one time Perry Mason lost a case.

Back in 1954, Julie Adams became a sci-fi icon as the bathing beauty Kay Lawrence, who gets abducted by The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Fast-forward eight years later, and the actress played a character who caught the eye of Sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. As Mary Simpson, Julie Adams played Mayberry's newest county nurse, and Andy's so smitten by the new lady in town, he immediately asks for a date. The actress was so lovely, she charmed everybody from the sitcom lawman to the sci-fi Gill-man.

In her Hollywood career, Adams spent the fifties across from the biggest stars of that era. We saw Rock Hudson, James Stewart and Charlton Heston all swoon for the actress on the big screen. (On Saturday, you can head back to the lagoon to watch Adams battle the Gill-man all over again when Svengoolie, a big-time fan of Adams, airs The Creature from the Black Lagoon on Feb. 16 at 8P | 7C.)

Julie Adams with Svengoolie

On television, Adams also featured in four episodes of Perry Mason, including one of the most famous episodes "The Case of the Deadly Verdict." It's pretty much the only time that Perry Mason ever lost a case, and that mistake put Adams' character Janice Barton behind bars and drives Perry Mason to continue working the case long after the verdict. (Don't worry, he sets it right in the end.)

Through the 1960s and 1970s, Adams featured in guest roles on Bonanza, Maverick, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, 77 Sunset Strip, Night Gallery, Mannix, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Incredible Hulk and many more. Her TV work continued through the 2000s, with roles on hit shows like Murder, She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, Beverly Hills 90210, and Cold Case.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Julie Adams passed away on February 3 at the age of 92.

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14 Comments

CarterGranat 47 months ago
Loved her in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Dead Weight" airing in 1959.
RochelleMoros 68 months ago
i love this site !! especially the cartoons and Perry Mason misc
SheriHeffner 68 months ago
Julie starred in one of my most favorite Cold Case episodes as a mother in an episode called Static. She was trying to protect her teenage daughter from what she thought was a lifetime of grief. It was a song from the episode that I fell in love with too, Scarlett Rose. I also enjoyed watching Julie in television programs from the sixties and also in The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Rest In Peace Julie ), : You will really be missed.
DrDonRMueller 69 months ago
The most beautiful nurse on the Andy Griffith Show by far.
BrittReid 69 months ago
Rest in peace Julie.A very nice woman. See you with the Gillman.
Mur67 69 months ago
R.I.P. I got to meet her at wonderfest in Louisville several years ago. She was such nice lady she signed a picture from The Creature from the Black Lagoon,.
MrsPhilHarris 69 months ago
I mix her up with another that was on Andy Griffith and Perry Mason, Beverley Tyler.
MichaelSkaggs 69 months ago
She was in a very good episode of "Bonanza" where she broke Dan Blocker's heart, plus her work on "Murder, She Wrote". Julie Adams was a favorite who will be missed.
jamesreyes65549 69 months ago
RIP Julie Adams, Whose talents are remembered on both the big and small screens. I'll always remember her for her role as the bathing beauty in The Creature from the Black Lagoon. She'll be missed by her fans.
BettyJaneMaye 69 months ago
Great actress - beautiful and intelligent. Enjoyed her on many programs especially my beloved westerns.
ECO473 69 months ago
She will be missed. 92 years of age is a nice long run.
Lacey ECO473 69 months ago
And sought after and appreciated to the end. Who could ask for anything more in life?
69 months ago
Cant stand him. He steals from the beloved old Soupy Sales show and makes jokes about tragic people, like Grady Stiles. we all FF thru his borrowed schtick. Julie did all her acting with her eyebrows.
cperrynaples 69 months ago
I remember that PM episode. She set herself up for murder because she thought a close relative did it and wanted to cover for it. In the end, Mason revealed it was another character with a less noble motive!
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