Julie Sommars | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sommars in 1970. | |
| Born | April 15, 1940 Fremont, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1960–1994 |
| Known for | The Governor & J.J. Matlock |
Julie Sommars (born April 15, 1940) is an American actress. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her role in The Governor & J.J. in 1970, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television for Matlock in 1990.[1]
Sommars was born in Fremont, Nebraska, on April 15, 1940.[2][3] She was raised in Iowa and South Dakota.[4]
Sommars is best known for her work on television. She made her television debut in 1960, at the age of 18, in an episode of The Loretta Young Show.[4] She later appeared in Gunsmoke; Shirley Temple's Storybook; The Great Adventure; Bonanza; Run, Buddy, Run; Perry Mason; Ben Casey; Death Valley Days; The Fugitive; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; Get Smart; and Love, American Style.[5]
From 1969 to 1970, Sommars starred as Jennifer Jo "J.J." Drinkwater, the daughter of Dan Dailey's the "Governor" in the CBS comedy series, The Governor & J.J.. In 1970, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her performance on the show.[6] The series was canceled after two seasons.
After The Governor & J.J., Sommars played the leading roles in a number of made-for-television movies and starred in several pilots. She guest-starred on The Rockford Files; Harry O; McCloud; McMillan; Barnaby Jones; Fantasy Island; Magnum, P.I.; and Diagnosis: Murder. In 1984, she was a regular cast member in the short-lived syndicated soap opera, Rituals. From 1987 to 1994, Sommars played Assistant District Attorney Julie March on the NBC legal series, Matlock.[7] This role also garnered her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 1990.[6]
Sommars has appeared in four films. She played the female lead in the 1965 Western The Great Sioux Massacre with Joseph Cotten. The following year, she starred with Brian Bedford in the comedy The Pad and How to Use It. In 1977, Sommars co-starred with Dean Jones and Don Knotts as the beautiful, assertive Diane Darcy in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.[8]
