Julie Sommars

A Quiet Landing on Television

Julie Sommars landed on 1960s television without making much noise. Her face began appearing in productions such as The Loretta Young Show and The Fugitive. The parts were small, but they helped pay the bills in an industry that chewed up actresses at a frantic pace.

In 1964, she appeared in the movie Sex and the College Girl. It was one of her few forays into mainstream film before she realized her place was on the small screen rather than in movie theaters.

And that was enough.

During that early stage, Sommars paid her dues within the Hollywood studio system. She wasn't chasing instant fame, because she knew endurance was worth more than a splash. So she accepted every invitation to appear in Westerns and medical dramas while waiting for a solid break.

The Governor's Office

Her real break came in 1969 with The Governor & J.J.. Sommars played Jennifer Jo, the daughter of a widowed governor, and that family dynamic connected with American audiences. The role demanded a delicate balance between light comedy and the institutional weight of the storyline.

In 1970, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.

It was a breakthrough that put her in a privileged position within the CBS lineup. But audiences are fickle, and the series ended after two seasons. Sommars didn't despair over the cancellation and returned to the circuit of guest spots on massive hit shows such as The Rockford Files and Barnaby Jones.

Seventies television was fertile ground for high-caliber supporting actors.

In 1977, she joined the cast of Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. She worked alongside Dean Jones on a Disney production that aimed to capitalize on the success of the most famous car in film. It was a technically demanding and complex shoot that gave her insight into how major family productions of the era operated.

The Courtroom Years Alongside Ben Matlock

Years passed between TV movies and one-off episodes until, in 1987, she signed on for Matlock. Playing District Attorney Julie March gave her the professional stability she had been looking for after nearly two decades of jumping from one project to the next.

The chemistry with Andy Griffith was obvious.

Her character remained in the storyline until 1992 and racked up 94 episodes along the way. These were long shoots, where the actress proved she could hold her own against veterans of the courtroom genre without losing her rhythm. In 1990, she received a Golden Globe nomination for this work (though she didn't take the statuette home this time).

Many expected that after leaving the series in 1992, she would pursue a leading role in another major production. Nothing of the sort happened. Sommars decided her time in the spotlight had come to an end and voluntarily stepped away from sets to focus on her private life.

She simply stopped accepting scripts.

There were no dramatic statements or farewells on talk shows. In 1994, she appeared in the special The Matlock Vacation, which was her last credited appearance in the entertainment industry before her full retirement in California.