Was filming a commercial in 1969 when an elephant stepped on her. She was confined to bed for five months and grueling physical therapy for some time after that. That experience, plus her
sensitive reading, helped Marilyn win the coveted role of
Jill Kinmont in The Other Side of the Mountain (1975)
over four hundred hopefuls. She also reprised the role in
The Other Side of the Mountain: Part II (1978).
Worked in a bank, drove a taxi in Beverly Hills and photographed record
album covers prior to getting her first break as an actress.