Her father Reuben was born in Belarus to Yosef Lewinbuk and Michla Levine of Russian-Jewish descent.

A cheesecake photo of Daliah Lavi, while she was adjusting her bikini after it broke while at a Rio de Janeiro swimming pool, was circulated widely by the Associated Press in 1959.

[2] Lavi appeared in her first film in 1955, Hemsöborna [sv],[3] a Swedish adaptation of August Strindberg's 1887 novel The People of Hemsö.

[5] She appeared in Brunello Rondi's witch hunt-themed movie Il demonio (1963), a film she considered her best performance.

[7] She also appeared in Mario Bava's Gothic classic La Frusta e il corpo (1963), and the first Matt Helm film, The Silencers (1966), opposite Dean Martin.

[3] Her portrayal of The Girl, Peter O'Toole's love interest, in 1965's Lord Jim, was to have been her breakout American role.

[3][8] In 1970 she was discovered by record producer Jimmy Bowien and began a successful schlager singing career in Germany.