[citation needed] On June 26, 1953,[9] Bender married fellow Pasadena City College student and future Gunsmoke actor Warren Vanders (né VanderSchuit).

[citation needed] In 1953, Bender had a supporting role in Ruth Gordon's semi-autobiographical film The Actress,[11] based on her novel Years Ago.

Despite her career's upswing and her status as an up-and-coming ingenue, Bender was tiring of the demands of acting, and prepared to retire to married life.

Finally cast in a leading role, Dawn would play Betty Morgan, a girl who helps a rebel alien save earth from imminent destruction.

[citation needed] She earned a teaching degree from Loyola Marymount University in the 1970s, and eventually went on to become a schoolteacher in Los Angeles county, where she taught for almost 40 years.