Being a contestant in the MIss USA pageant got her enough publicity to interview for an acting role in Hound-Dog Man (1959).
She attended University of Miami in Florida.
Her first husband was former actor Peter Griffith with whom she has two children, actress Tracy Griffith and Clay A. Griffith. The marriage ended in divorce. Then, she married New York designer Fred Samuels. That marriage lasted until his death.
She was crowned Orange Bowl Queen in 1958.
She is from Rockwood, Tennessee.
She was crowned Miss Florida and then made it to 2nd Runner up in the Miss USA pageant in 1959. Actress Terry Huntingdon was crowned Miss USA for that year..