Julie Adams at 100: Remembering the ‘Creature From the Black Lagoon’ Star Who Loved Westerns

American actress Julie Adams as Kay Lawrence in 'Creature From The Black Lagoon', directed by Jack Arnold, 1954. — Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

On October 17, 2026, actress Julie Adams would have been 100. She died in 2019 at the age of 92, and most movie fans remember her as Kay Lawrence, the beautiful scientist who caught the attention of the Gill-man in the 1954 horror classic Creature From the Black Lagoon. But Adams had a long career that included dozens of Westerns, television appearances and movies alongside James Stewart, Rock Hudson and Elvis Presley.

To mark what would have been her 100th birthday, a new short documentary about Adams has been released, with her official Facebook page announcing the project by filmmaker Amy Corbin.

From Miss Little Rock to Hollywood Westerns

BEND OF THE RIVER, James Stewart, Julie Adams, 1952

Everett Collection

Born Betty May Adams, the future actress grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she became interested in acting as a child. She attended Little Rock Junior College and was crowned Miss Little Rock before heading to Hollywood in 1946.

According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, she initially worked as a secretary while studying acting. Her first movie appearance was an uncredited part in the 1949 musical comedy Red, Hot and Blue. She soon found steady work in low-budget Westerns, sometimes making several movies in just a few weeks. In a 2013 interview with Henry’s Western Roundup, Adams recalled making six or seven Westerns in only five weeks.

She went on to star alongside James Stewart and Rock Hudson in Bend of the River (1952), Van Heflin in Wings of the Hawk (1953), and Glenn Ford in The Man from the Alamo (1953). Adams had always enjoyed Westerns growing up, especially the horses. She told the interviewer that she never felt stuck making them because she loved the genre so much.

The monster movie she almost turned down

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, Julia Adams, 1954

Everett Collection

By 1954, Adams had already worked with several major Hollywood stars when Universal offered her the role of Kay Lawrence in Creature From the Black Lagoon. At first, she wasn’t particularly excited about making a horror movie involving a prehistoric fish-man.

In a 2012 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Adams recalled thinking about turning down the part. However, she realized that refusing it could mean being suspended by the studio without pay. She took the role, and the movie became the one most closely associated with her career. The film, directed by Jack Arnold, was originally released in 3-D and featured Adams in a now-famous white swimsuit. One of its most memorable scenes shows her swimming through the lagoon while the creature follows underwater.

Adams also had an interesting interpretation of the monster. During a 2013 interview with Horror Society, she explained why audiences could feel sympathy for him. “He didn’t invade our world; we went into his world,” she said.

Her long television career and a new birthday tribute

Adams continued working in films and television for decades after Creature From the Black Lagoon. She appeared with Elvis Presley in Tickle Me (1965) and John Wayne in McQ (1974). Television viewers also saw her on Perry Mason, The Rifleman, Bonanza, The Big Valley and The Virginian, among many others.

One of her favorite jobs was playing James Stewart’s wife, Martha Howard, on The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971–72). She later became familiar to Murder, She Wrote fans as Eve Simpson, the flirtatious real estate agent in Cabot Cove. In 2011, Adams published her autobiography, The Lucky Southern Star: Reflections From the Black Lagoon, written with her son Mitchell Danton. She also spent time meeting fans at horror conventions and special screenings.

A new short documentary celebrating Adams has recently been released, giving fans another opportunity to remember the actress and her career. On October 28, 2026, American Cinematheque is holding a special 3-D screening of Creature From the Black Lagoon at the Los Feliz 3 in Los Angeles. The event will include an introduction by film historian Alan Rode and Adams’ son, Mitchell Danton, in honor of her 100th birthday.