Adams attended the High School for the Performing Arts and the School of American Ballet. After playing small roles in television and low-budget movies, Adams' performances in Days of Heaven and the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (both 1978) brought her positive reviews. She has also starred in the films Cuba (1979), The Dead Zone (1983), Key Exchange (1985), and Gas Food Lodging (1992). From 1995 she temporarily retired from film-making due to family responsibilities and a dearth of good roles, resuming her career c.2002.

In 2002 she received rave reviews for her performance in the romantic comedy Made-Up, which was written by her sister, actress Lynne Adams and directed by her husband Tony Shalhoub, star of Monk. Adams most recently appeared in the films At Last and The Legend of Lucy Keyes (both 2005) and starred on Broadway in The Cherry Orchard. She and Shalhoub have two daughters.