Gavin was born in Los Angeles, California, daughter of blacklisted actor Fred Graff and Madeleine Rosenteil.

[2] At age 19, she worked as a topless dancer in Hollywood with two other future Russ Meyer stars, Haji and Tura Satana.

While waiting in a dentist's office, she saw an advertisement in Variety for women to audition for the new Russ Meyer movie Vixen!

She auditioned and won the role, which launched her to stardom in low-budget independent films.

[6] Gavin resides in Los Angeles, California, where she works as a stylist and occasionally makes appearances at movie memorabilia conventions.