[4][3] A life member of The Actors Studio,[5] she appeared in her first major production, The Night Circus, with Ben Gazzara,[4] at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, Connecticut on November 17, 1958.

[3][7] When the time came to record its sequel, When You're in Love the Whole World Is Jewish, she was unavailable, but encouraged her roommate, aspiring actress Valerie Harper, to audition to take her place.

[9] In 1992, Golonka appeared as Sally Nash in the 13th episode "Fool for Love" in season 5 of the television series In the Heat of the Night with Carroll O'Connor.

Golonka was a regular on the animated cartoon Speed Buggy, providing the voice of "Debbie", and had a recurring role on the short-lived TV series Joe & Valerie.

Golonka had supporting roles in some 30 films, including Harvey Middleman, Fireman (1965), Penelope (1966), The Busy Body (1967), Welcome to Hard Times (1967), Hang 'Em High (1968), The Elevator (1974), Airport '77 (1977), The In-Laws (1979), Love At First Bite (1980), The Last Married Couple in America (1980), My Tutor (1983), The End of Innocence (1990), and A Family Affair (2001).