[3] She attended Brigham Young University, leaving during her sophomore year to pursue a film career.

[4] When Townsend was 15 year old she began performing on television as a member of the dramatic company at station W6XAO in Los Angeles.

[2] The studio created a photographic calendar for her to "put [her] face in every home, office and barracks in America all year around".

"[5] She played a featured role in the film The Walls of Jericho (1948), and she was billed third behind Dan Dailey and Celeste Holm in Chicken Every Sunday (1949).

Thereafter she dedicated herself to humanitarian work, specifically in relation to racial or religious discrimination, human rights, and the role of women in society.