Lawrence's career began as a child photographer's model. She made her film debut in
Billy Rose's
Diamond Horseshoe (1945), playing a night-club patron. A year later she made a strong impression in
Margie, in which she played outgoing flapper Marybelle. She was featured in the swashbuckler
Captain from Castile (1947) with
Tyrone Power. While finishing her studies at UCLA, she attracted the attention of talent scouts, and Lawrence soon was featured in a number of movies at 20th Century-Fox , including
You Were Meant for Me,
Give My Regards to Broadway,
A Letter to Three Wives,
The Street with No Name, and ''
Thieves' Highway. At Universal in the early 1950s were Peggy and Here Come the Nelsons''. She also starred in
Columbia Pictures' romantic comedy
Paris Model (1953). Upon moving to
MGM, Lawrence appeared with
Gig Young in the 3D movie
Arena (1953) and in
Her Twelve Men (with
Greer Garson). She played the role of Gertie Cummings in the film version of
Oklahoma!, in which she gets into a knockdown catfight with
Gloria Grahame (Ado Annie). She starred in
Man with the Gun (1955) that year. In 1956, she appeared as Lola McQuilan in the western TV series
Cheyenne in the episode titled "The Last Train West". In 1957, she starred in
Kronos with
Jeff Morrow. From 1958 to 1962, Lawrence made four guest appearances on the CBS-TV series
Perry Mason. In 1958, she played Ellen Waring in "The Half-Wakened Wife" and Gloria Barton in "The Case of the Jilted Jockey". In 1961, she played Lori Stoner in "The Case of the Envious Editor", and in 1962, she played Agnes Theilman in "The Case of the Shapely Shadow". In 1958, she guest-starred in
Cimarron City in the second episode "Terror Town". In 1960, she guest-starred as Della Thompson in the
Bonanza episode "The Abduction". ==Personal life==