Campbell was born in Kansas to J.C. Murray (a lawyer) and Maggie Parker; early on, she recalled preferring to read books over playing with dolls while growing up in Missouri.

[2] She also wrote for newspapers, including the Chicago Examiner, The Denver Post, the Dramatic Mirror in New York, and the San Francisco Dramatic and Musical Review.

[3] A few years later, she moved to California to study scenario-writing, and she had soon sold over 18 scripts to various studios, including Universal.

As an actress, Campbell performed on Broadway in Ziegfeld Follies of 1921 and Make It Snappy (1922).

[5] Campbell was married to James Floyd Denison, and they had a son.