Sandra Mae Trentman, also known as Sandy, grew up in a typical small-town environment. During her seventh-grade year, her parents' divorce led to a significant change in her life, as her mother decided to relocate to Van Wert, Ohio, and eventually to Arizona.
While attending high school in Tucson, Sandy's algebra teacher proposed to her, which she accepted at the age of 15, fearing she would never receive another proposal. The couple eloped in San Diego, where Sandy's mother had secured a job at Scripps Hospital. However, it soon became apparent that a 15-year-old high school girl was not ready for marriage, and the union was annulled after three years.
After a brief period of studying pre-med at the University of Arizona, Sandy recreated herself, adopting the name Sabrina Scharf and her mother's maiden name. She drove to New York, where she stumbled upon a Greenwich Village diner and ended up at a long table with members of a local off-Broadway theater group. The group welcomed her to stay at their theater and work as an assistant, unaware that she had no intention of pursuing an acting career.
However, during rehearsals, it became clear that Sabrina was not naturally inclined towards acting, and she soon realized that she needed to take acting classes to improve her skills. She then visited the Neighborhood Playhouse, renowned for its acting program, but discovered that it only accepted full-time students.
Sabrina's New York agent suggested that she meet their West Coast agents in Los Angeles. At that time, Columbia Studios was developing a company of low-salaried contract players. Sabrina, who had previously worked as a Playboy Bunny, was one of the eleven actors signed by the studio, marking the beginning of her film career in an episode of Gidget in 1965.
In 1972, Sabrina ran for California State Senate in a bid to become the first woman elected to the upper house of the state's Legislature, narrowly losing by 700 votes out of over 250,000 cast. Her husband, Bob Schiller, and his writing partner, Bob Weiskopf, who were working on the sitcom Maude at the time, used her experience as inspiration for the "Maude Runs for Congress" episodes.
Sabrina later transitioned into a career as a real estate developer in the Greater Los Angeles Area.
