Born in New York City on August 8, 1930, of Hungarian-Jewish ancestry, Talbot began her acting career appearing as a model in the 1949 film It's a Great Feeling.

She was afforded a wealth of varied screen roles, from the love-starved switchboard operator in A Very Special Favor (1965) to the sharp-tongued Madame Esther in Buck and the Preacher (1972).

(1962), Girl Happy (1965), The Day of the Locust (1975), Serial (1980), Night Shift (1982), Chained Heat (1983), Fraternity Vacation (1985), and Puppet Master II (1990).

She was the resourceful Girl-Friday, Dora Miles, on The Jim Backus Show[3]: 533  (also known as Hot Off the Wire), snooty socialite Judy Evans in Here We Go Again (1973),[3]: 453  and hypercynical Rose opposite Bill Daily in Starting from Scratch (1988).

Shortly after filming the pilot, CBS picked up the program for the fall of 1971, but revised the format slightly, resulting in Talbot being dropped from the cast.