- Served in the WAVES during WWII and arrived in Hollywood in post-war years.
- Graduated from the University of Utah. A talented violinist, she was concert mistress for the University Symphony Orchestra.
- First TV appearance was as a contestant on Groucho Marx's You Bet Your Life (1950).
- Active in many charities, including UNICEF and The Children's Fund.
- Appeared in a pilot for an hour-long Kingston Trio "dramedy" shot in Phoenix AZ in the early Sixties.
- Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Actors Branch).
- First daughter of Charles Cameron Backes, a salesman, and Lela Mayrine, both natives of Montana.
- Served on the boards of AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), SAG (Screen Actors Guild), Theater West and Pioneer Broadcasters.
- Played numerous dark-haired, matronly support roles on radio, stage, film and TV.
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