Her family performed in plays and vaudeville, and she had an early goal to be a Hollywood actress.

At the age of twelve she was mauled by a dog which left her very self-conscious.

Her subsequent beauty pageant victories attracted some attention and she appeared in commercials.

She tried to resume acting again when the marriage ended in the mid-1970s, but by then she was in her thirties and had difficulty landing roles.

[3] Tompkins died on July 18, 2019[6] following complications of a stroke and was taken off life support.