Betty Leanne Jacobson was born into a poor family in the suburbs of Los Angeles in 1926. She had a deprived childhood and was unable to go to school. At the age of 15 she got a job as an errand girl in the US Army Logistics Office in Los Angeles. In 1942 she was allowed to become a typist and remained there until 1947. In 1947 she performed at an amateur theatre production of Cinderella and was noticed by a Hollywood producer. She was hired by him and appeared in several minor roles in films in the late 1940's.