Lilian worked as a dressmaker but supplemented her income by playing the stocks and shares.

In 1927 she appeared in the original Broadway run of John Galsworthy's Escape.

She was also a playwright, co-authoring plays with actor Sidney Toler (who she later married) such as Her Western Romeo, Dress Parade and Ritzy.

This included a leading role as the daughter, Vera Strang, of Professor Adam Anton Strang, played by Bela Lugosi, in the serial film, The Whispering Shadow.

In 1972, she was living in the Brookside Patios Apartments, under the name Viva Toler, in Redlands, California.