Gifford was born and raised in Long Beach, California, and at the age of 16, applied to UCLA School of Law with no intention of pursuing an acting career.

She left RKO for Paramount Pictures, where she acted in several films, including The Glass Key (1942) in which she portrayed the same small role of "Nurse" that Ann Sheridan had played in the 1935 original version, albeit expanded in the remake.

[6] At MGM, she had more success, playing leading roles in such films as Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945) opposite Edward G. Robinson and She Went to the Races (1945), receiving billing over Ava Gardner, followed by the more notable The Arnelo Affair (1947).

[6] On December 31, 1947, Gifford was almost killed in a car accident at age 27 in which she received severe head injuries, resulting in a drastic change in her personality.

Losing her contract with MGM, she attempted a comeback in two early 1950s films, Frank Capra's Riding High (1950) with Bing Crosby and Sky Commando (1953) with Dan Duryea.

[6] In 1983, Richard S. Fisher, a journalist for a film magazine, tracked Gifford down; he found that she had lately been volunteering at the Pasadena, California, City Library, having apparently recovered.