Nicknamed 'Billie'. She grew up in New Orleans, descended from a prestigious, old money family, and was inspired to become a serious actress from her teenage days.
Auditioned for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and filmed a screen test on August 18, 1937.
After graduating from the St. Joseph Academy Convent in 1936, she started to work as a stenographer and joined the local Little Theater to do amateur theatrics.