[1] Her parents, Homer Lee Plowman and Lura Frances Slaughter, had met and married in Abilene in 1934.

[5] She was "discovered" at the age of 6 through the dancing school and was cast in a bit part in the 1949 film Little Women.

[7][8][9] Her parents preferred to maintain her status as a freelance actor rather than a studio contract player.

[3][5] Plowman landed her first leading role at the age of 25 in the 1966 horror film Billy the Kid Versus Dracula.

Plowman married Phil Casey, a talent manager, in Las Vegas in August 1967.