She was originally signed to a contract by Paramount Pictures in 1952[2] after winning a San Diego beauty pageant to be "Fairest of the Fair".

[5][6][7] Her breakthrough role came when producer Aubrey Schenck borrowed her from Paramount to appear in his film noir production Shield for Murder (1954) starring Edmond O'Brien.

[8] English received a major break in 1955, when she was cast opposite Spencer Tracy in The Mountain,[4] a mountain-climbing drama that was to be filmed on location in the French Alps.

She soon developed a very high fever and decided to leave the production, a move that prompted Paramount to suspend her and replace her with Barbara Darrow.

[11] After co-starring with Tom Conway and Mike Connors in the horror film Voodoo Woman (1957), English married San Diego businessman Allen Paul Sutherland.