[2] Todd was born in 1931 in Denver, Colorado, to Burrill L. and Alberta C. (née Mayfield) Phillips.

)[7] In 1942, Todd was hospitalized in critical condition when blood poisoning developed after she cut her foot playing a game in her backyard.

In a career spanning over 14 years, she appeared in almost 40 movies alongside such stars as Ingrid Bergman, Leslie Howard, Shirley Temple, James Stewart, John Garfield, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, and Marlene Dietrich.

Due to the similarities between her name and the established British actress Ann Todd, she added the initial "E." to her name.

Among her accomplishments was founding and editing Cum Notis Variorum, the library's newsletter, which gained a substantial reputation.