Cynthia Robichaux, also known as the "Champagne Girl", was born in Hammond, Louisiana, to Louis Robichaux and a mother who ran a dancing school in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She began dancing at the age of five, performing for American soldiers stationed in the area, and later switched to acting in amateur dramatics during her school years.
At the age of eleven, Cynthia made her television debut on Ken Murray's "Blackouts" variety show in Los Angeles, adopting the stage name "Cindy Robbins". Her breakthrough came when acclaimed character actress Shirley Booth cast her in her 1954 Broadway show "By the Beautiful Sea", which ran for 270 performances. This success led to her being cast in another play, "The Vacant Lot", at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, and eventually signing a contract with Universal-International.
Cynthia made her screen debut as a Native American girl in the early western series "Brave Eagle" (1955) and went on to play supporting roles in several films, including "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" (1957) and "This Earth Is Mine" (1959),starring Rock Hudson. She was often credited as Cindy Robbins and was known for her "champagne girl" image, which was reinforced by fanzine articles and her ownership of a champagne-coloured toy poodle named Chu-Chu.
Cynthia appeared in numerous TV sitcoms, westerns, and crime dramas, including "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet", "Leave It to Beaver", "McHale's Navy", "Wagon Train", and "Dragnet". Her most popular role was as the star's eldest daughter in the comedy series "The Tom Ewell Show" (1960),playing a 15-year-old at the age of 23.
After retiring from screen acting, Cynthia wrote several teleplays for a TV youth anthology series and received associate producer credit. She had a daughter with her first husband, William Howard Beck, and later married singer-songwriter Tommy Leonetti, with whom she resided in Sydney, Australia, until his death in 1979. Her third husband was producer, director, and writer Robert Chenault, with whom she remained until his death in 2009.
