[7][8] She graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1949[9] and studied theater at the Herbert Berghof Studio[10] in New York City.

Marchand made her first professional stage appearance in 1946 in The Late George Apley in Ogunquit, Maine.

Marchand's feature film credits included The Bachelor Party, Ladybug Ladybug, Me, Natalie, Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, The Hospital, The Bostonians, From the Hip, Jefferson in Paris, Brain Donors, Reckless, The Naked Gun, Sabrina and Dear God.

[14] Marchand's death occurred between Seasons 2 and 3 of The Sopranos, before a plot line prominently involving her character was resolved.

Her death was written into the plot, and one final scene was created for her using computer-generated imagery, which was a new technology at the time, together with outtakes from previous seasons.