Born as Vivian Giesen in Tarrytown, New York to a French mother and a father of German/French descent.
She appeared in only one film, The Bad Seed, in which she reprised her stage role, Miss Fern.
[1] Croydon received rave reviews for playing the Mother in William Ball's production of Six Characters in Search of an Author.
Croydon then became one of the founding members of The American Conservatory Theater (ACT) which originated in Pittsburgh and is now in San Francisco.
[citation needed] Croydon received a Clarence Derwent Award in 1957 for her performance as "Miss Connolly (Housekeeper)" in The Potting Shed.