Whatever Happened to Julie Sommars, ‘Matlock’s Julie March?

MATLOCK, (from left): Julie Sommars, Andy Griffith, 1986-95 — Viacom/Everett Collection

What To Know

Julie Sommars, known for her role as Assistant District Attorney Julie March on Matlock, was already an acclaimed TV actress with a Golden Globe win for The Governor & J.J. before joining the series.
Her career spanned notable guest roles on classic television shows and film appearances, but she is best remembered for her long-running part on Matlock, which earned her another Golden Globe nomination.
After retiring from acting in the mid-1990s, Sommars dedicated herself to public service roles in California and now lives a private life at age 85.

Julie Sommars played Assistant District Attorney Julie March on Matlock, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The actress joined the show in its second season, and became a beloved series regular — but prior to Matlock, she was already a TV legend. In fact, she’d already won a Golden Globe almost a decade earlier, for a now nearly-forgotten show called The Governor & J.J.

How did Julie Sommars begin her career?

Julie Sommars, at Ralph Helfer's Africa USA animal compound in Soledad Canyon, California, in a dress by William Travilla, 1970.

Don Ornitz / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection

Sommars was born on April 15, 1940, in Fremont, Nebraska, and raised across Iowa and South Dakota. Her path into acting was unconventional. While still a teenager, she auditioned for legendary director Otto Preminger after her father entered her in a talent search without telling her. Although she did not land that role, the experience gave her an interest in acting. By 1960, she made her television debut on The Loretta Young Show.

Throughout the ’60s, Sommars became one of television’s most recognizable guest stars. She appeared on Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Get Smart and Love, American Style. Her big breakthrough came in 1969, when she was cast as Jennifer Jo “J.J.” Drinkwater opposite Dan Dailey in The Governor & J.J. The series ran for two seasons and in 1970, Sommars won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy for the role.

THE GOVERNOR & J.J., Julie Sommars, 1969-70.

Everett Collection

Film roles followed alongside her television success. In 1965, she starred opposite Joseph Cotten in the Western The Great Sioux Massacre. The next year, she played the female lead in The Pad and How to Use It. Many Disney fans remember her as Diane Darcy in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, where she co-starred with Dean Jones and Don Knotts. Even as films came and went, television remained her home base, particularly in movies made for TV throughout the ’70s.

Viacom/Everett Collection

By the time Sommars joined Matlock, she brought decades of experience to the role of Julie March. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 1990. Sommars stayed with the show through much of its original run, making the character one of the longest and most visible roles of her career.

Where is Julie Sommars today?

After stepping away from acting in the mid ’90s, Sommars shifted her focus entirely. She became active in public service, serving on the California Commission on Judicial Performance from 1999 to 2000. She was later appointed to the State Bar of California’s Board of Governors, where she served from 2000 to 2003. Now retired, Sommars is 85 years old and has largely stayed out of the public eye.