Adams was born on February 8, 1949, in New York City, to Rosalind (née Gould), an actress, and Robert K. Adams, who was a producer, actor, and former vice president of CBS, as well as an unverified descendant of presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Her sister is actress Lynne Adams. She attended the High School of Performing Arts and the School of American Ballet, and in her youth took dance classes at her aunt's studio in Montague, Michigan.
