Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the age of 16, her adoptive mother and she moved to Los Angeles, where she enrolled at Hollywood High School and began to study acting, tap, ballet, and fencing at the Falcon School, where her mother played the piano. Her earliest employment was as a backup singer and Dancer in the nightclub acts of major stars, including Comedian George Burns. She made her film debut in a 1961 low-budget crime caper, 20,000 Eyes, and also guest-starred in a number of television series, including Leave It to Beaver, The Untouchables, Perry Mason, and The Wide Country.