Holt was born on April 28, 1928, in Snyder, Texas, to Malcolm C. and Verna Vesta Stavely, née Chandler.

[1][2][3] After she graduated from high school in Hagerman, New Mexico, she attended McMurry University in Abilene, Texas.

[5] Holt appeared in various television commercials in 1958 and reportedly signed a $50,000-a-year modeling contract in New York at age 19.

She was in a Revlon lipstick commercial, in which she was reportedly spotted by director Howard Hawks, [1] who later cast her in several of his films, including Man's Favorite Sport and El Dorado (1966/1967).

[citation needed] Holt's first credited role was as Lisa, a model, in If a Man Answers, a 1962 comedy film directed by Henry Levin and starring Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee.