Neile Adams was born María Ruby Neilam Arrastia y Salvador on July 10, 1932, in Manila, the Philippine Islands, to a Eurasian family with a 26% Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian, 7% Polynesian, and 67% Spanish Basque and English ancestry.
Growing up in Japanese-occupied Manila during World War II, Adams moved to America in 1948 and attended Rosemary Hall in Greenwich, Connecticut, graduating the following year. She then pursued a dance career in New York, receiving a scholarship at the Katherine Dunham School of Dance.
To avoid being typecast as a "señorita" or in Spanish-speaking roles due to her name, Adams' mother claimed "Adams" was her father's middle name, as she had never met her father. Adams became one of the lead dancers in the Broadway production of "Kismet" in 1953, before being offered a showy role in the Versailles Nightclub.
There, she was discovered by George Abbott and Bob Fosse, who offered her the role of Carol Haney in "The Pajama Game" in 1955. Adams married Steve McQueen four months after their introduction and had two children, Terry and Chad McQueen. The couple divorced in 1972, and Adams remarried Alvin Toffel in 1980, remaining married until his passing in 2005.
Adams' Broadway credits include "Kismet," "The Pajama Game," and "At The Grand." She also appeared in numerous television shows, including "Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall," "The Bob Hope Show," "The Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom," and "The Alfred Hitchcock Presents," as well as various dramatic shows in the 1960s and 1970s.
On film, Adams played Burt Reynolds' wife in "Fuzz" (1972),was directed by Billy Wilder in "Buddy Buddy" (1981),and appeared in "Chu Chu and the Philly Flash" (1981). She continues to perform her cabaret shows in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Paris.
