Julie Adams (born Betty May Adams; October 17, 1926) is an American actress, primarily in television. She starred in a number of films in the 1950s, including Bend of the River and Creature from the Black Lagoon. She is also known for her roles as Paula Denning on Capitol and as Eve Simpson on Murder, She Wrote.
Julie Adams was born as Betty May Adams on October 17, 1926 in Waterloo, Iowa. Her family moved a great deal; the longest she lived in one town was eight years in Blytheville, Arkansas. Adams worked as a part-time secretary and began her film career in B-movie westerns. In 1946, at the age of 19, she was crowned "Miss Little Rock" and then moved to Hollywood, California to pursue her acting career.
She used her real name until 1949, when she began working for Universal Pictures, the same studio where she met unknown stars such as Piper Laurie and Tony Curtis. She then became "Julia" and eventually "Julie". In 1954, she explained the latter change, "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."