She was born in Bombay (today's Mumbai) then of British India, raised in South Africa, where her family emigrated after World War II.

[1] In her early twenties, she was dancing at a club in Paris when she was spotted by a talent agent and eventually signed to play the small role of Claudine in the upcoming Walter Lang film Can-Can (1960).

The Soviet Union's then–Communist Party chairman Nikita Khrushchev, during his first American trip, visited the Los Angeles set of the film, and after Prowse performed a rather saucy exhibition of the 19th-century French dance the "can-can" for the Russian leader, he proclaimed it immoral.

[5] Prowse's major musical and dancing role was next alongside Elvis Presley in his film shot partially in West Germany about his recent United States Army draftee experiences that drew world youth attention for two years in G.I.

She starred with Denny Scott Miller on her own brief NBC sitcom in the 1965–1966 season: Mona McCluskey, which was produced by George Burns.

The series was based on the idea that the couple, Mike and Mona McCluskey, would live on his military salary, rather than her lucrative earnings as an actress.

She would later show off her famous dancer's legs in a series of lucrative nationwide TV commercials for a number of advertisers, including L'eggs hosiery and Mannington Flooring.

[8] In 1987, she was mauled by the same 80-pound leopard on two occasions: the first time while filming a scene for Circus of the Stars, then later while rehearsing a promotional stunt on The Tonight Show.

[citation needed] Prowse was living with actor Nico Minardos when Sinatra invited her to join him in Las Vegas.

[11] She married actor John McCook in 1972, after the wedding had been delayed for five weeks when she gave birth to their only child, a son whom they named Seth, on the originally scheduled date.