Born in London, England, she moved to the United States with her mother and stepfather at an early age and was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and later Pasadena, California. She returned to London with her family in 1960. She is a former Miss California Navy and appeared as Miss Teen Queen in MAD Magazine at age 15. She also studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her mother, Pat, appeared in Monty Python on several occasions, once as a mental patient with an axe embedded in her head.