Actress. She is best remembered for her portrayal of the exotic Lurai in the film adaptation of "Island of the Blue Dolphins" (1964). Born into a prominent theatrical family, the only daughter of fellow screen actors John Payne and Anne Shirley, following her graduation from Hollywood High School, she began a career in the film and television industry via the connections of her parents and made her debut in a supporting role on an episode of "One Step Beyond". From there, She would go on to enjoy a successful career as a character actress appearing in over 15 features in an eight year career; often typecast as young wives, mothers, glamour girls, models, femme fatales, love interests, playgirls, fashionistas, debutantes, nurses, secretaries, best friends, retail clerks, and businesswomen. She appeared in such feature films as "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962), "Honeymoon Hotel" (1964), "Girl Happy" (1965), and "Don't Make Waves" (1967). On television, she flourished as a household name appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "The Restless Gun," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "The Tab Hunter Show," "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," "The Wild Wild West," and "The Big Valley." During her career, she was a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund, had been a prominent model for the Forbes Agency, was supportive of the California State Republican Committee, had been a regular parishioner of the Catholic church, was a chairwoman for her local charters of the American Red Cross and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, had been recognized at the 1961 Deb Star, and she was married to Academy Award winning screenwriter Robert Towne from 1977 to 1982 (their union ended in divorce and produced one daughter, actress Katharine Towne). In 1967, she withdrew from acting and went on to enjoy a successful newfound career as the head of public relations for CBS until her retirement in 2001.