Julie Sommars

Born Juliana Edith ("Julie") Sommars in Fremont, Nebraska on April 15, 1940, the pert and pretty flame-haired actress grew up in the Midwest -- both Iowa and South Dakota. As she matured, she showed early signs of talent as a public orator in high school and won awards for her abilities. This confidence steered her towards an acting career following graduation.At age 18, Julie won her first television role as 'Loretta Young' (qv)'s teenage daughter on a late episode (1960) of Young's eponymous television series. From there, her career took off with a plethora of 1960's TV episodes of "Sea Hunt," "Shirley Temple's Storybook," "Outlaws," "Bonanza," "Flipper," "Mr. Novak," "Perry Mason," "Ben Casey," "Gunsmoke," "Death Valley Days," "The Fugitive," "The Invaders," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "The Name of the Game," "Get Smart," "The Felony Squad," "The Virginian" and "The F.B.I."Julie made an inauspicious film debut with _Sex and the College Girl (1964)_ (qv) followed by the reenactment of Custer and the battle at Little Big Horn in _The Great Sioux Massacre (1965)_ (qv). While she did manage to turn heads co-starring in the sexy movie comedy _The Pad (and How to Use It) (1966)_ (qv), she found TV a much more salient medium in her career progress. By the end of the decade, she broke through the ranks co-starring with 'Dan Dailey' (qv) on _The Governor & J.J. (1969)_ (qv). Although the run itself was brief (two seasons), it was enough to earn both actors Golden Globe 'Awards' (qv) and the show "Best Comedy" for 1969. She tied with 'Carol Burnett' (qv) in the "Best Actress" category.In the early 1970s, Julie played some perky as well as vulnerable young beauties in a slew of popular TV movies including _How to Steal an Airplane (1971)_ (qv), _Five Desperate Women (1971)_ (qv), _The Harness (1971)_ (qv), _Fools, Females and Fun (1974)_ (qv), _Sex and the Single Parent (1979)_ (qv), _Emergency Room (1983)_ (qv), _Cave In! (1983)_ (qv) and _Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin (1991)_ (qv) and several more guest spots on such popular dramatic programs as "Owen Marshall," "The Rockford Files," "McCloud," "McMillan & Wife," "Barnaby Jones," "Magnum, P.I.," "Rituals" and "Diagnosis Murder,." On film, she co-starred as a young race car driver in the zippy Disney adventure comedy _Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977)_ (qv) co-starring 'Dean Jones' (qv) and 'Don Knotts' (qv).She won the long-running part of Asst. D.A. Julie March opposite 'Andy Griffith' (qv) on the whodunnit _Matlock (1986)_ (qv) series in 1987. Nominated for a Golden Globe for that role, she left the series after five seasons and retired from acting altogether in 1992, save for one return guest appearance in 1994. Divorced three times, including those to actor 'Jack Donner' (qv) and TV executive producer 'Stuart Erwin Jr.' (qv), the latter with whom she has three children, Julie is now married (since 1984) to John Harris Karns.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net