While she was a waitress in a hotel dining room in Norfolk, Virginia, producer James Goldstone saw her, and he later offered her a part in the film Rollercoaster.
[2]: 664 She is also remembered for her guest appearances in episodes of such 1970s and 1980s television fare as The Rockford Files, Kojak, CHiPs, The Hardy Boys Mysteries, Quincy, M.E., Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Brave New World.
She also appeared in the 1979 television movies Death Car on the Freeway and The Man in the Santa Claus Suit, and portrayed Norma Kirkland on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives in 1984–1985.
Often cast in minor roles in larger budget films, Buckman appeared in the Burt Reynolds vehicles Hooper (1978) and The Cannonball Run (1981).
Her most recent major role was as Dr. Julie Casserly in Xtro II: The Second Encounter (1991), and her other credits include the films Snowballing (1984), Never Too Young to Die (1986), Terminal Exposure (1987), Blue Angel Cafe (1989), High Finance Woman (1990), and The Marilyn Diaries (1990) alongside porn star Marilyn Chambers.