Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the oldest child of six siblings to Dottie and Harlow, a teenage couple of Polish and German heritage. Throughout high school, she actively participated in the Arts, serving as the editor of the three-page school newspaper and winning 1st Prize for a paper-mache sculpture of a boldly striped yellow and black Octopus.
In the Drama Division of the annual Forensics contests, she competed with a monologue from the play "Anna Karenina," which ends with her character falling to her death on the train tracks. Although she lost the 1st prize by only one vote, this experience further solidified her determination to pursue a career in the Arts.
Recognizing that leaving Pittsburgh was necessary to fulfill her dreams, she initially settled in Kansas City, where she stayed for four years. During this period, she signed with Thelma Weir's Monza Modeling Agency in 1964 and landed several notable campaigns, including the Seagram's billboard campaign, as well as two national commercials for Firestone and Blue Cross.
In May 1968, she signed a talent contract with Cunningham & Associates after driving cross-country to Los Angeles. With her fresh country girl face and long blonde hair, she quickly booked the first three national commercial auditions she attended, leading to over 100 commercials shot in total.
In the early 1970s, she transitioned to the theatrical side of the industry, having studied for many years beforehand. She began with a walk-on role in the television series Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969),followed by a three-line scene in the pilot called The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969). Soon, she was booking Guest and Co-Starring roles, a career path she continued through 1989. One of her most memorable roles was as "Syrene" in Beyond Atlantis (1973),where she played a hybrid mermaid and got to do one of her favorite things: swimming.
Today, she resides in West Hollywood and dedicates her time to bookkeeping and consulting for her son's Costa Rica Boutique Hotel Resort, Tao Destinations. In the future, she plans to relocate to Costa Rica, where she can continue to be involved in her son's business.
