An army brat, she spent her youth in America, Japan, and several overseas posts. After briefly attending college she dropped out and became a Las Vegas topless showgirl. After traveling and living the hippie lifestyle, she moved to Hollywood. In 1972 she debuted onscreen as Hollywood sex goddess Montana Wildhack in the science-fiction film Slaughterhouse Five. For the next decade she had a fairly busy screen career, then she was less frequently onscreen after the early '80s. For her portrayal of Honey, Lenny Bruce's stripper-junkie wife, in Lenny (1974), she received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.