When she was 16, Estes married her classmate, James Snowden, and moved with him to San Francisco, California, when he joined the military.

[citation needed] After her divorce, Snowden moved to Los Angeles, California, and worked in modeling and in small parts on television.

[3] Snowden chose Universal Pictures because of the training provided by its film school; she began voice and acting classes with Mara Corday, Pat Crowley, Clint Eastwood, James Garner, and John Saxon.

[3] Contino's family, who were Catholic, originally objected to the marriage because Snowden was divorced, but they relented and attended the civil ceremony in a Beverly Hills hotel.

[1] In 1971, Snowden appeared in the role of Maggie in the Fresno Community Theater production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams.