Beverly Garland was born Beverly Lucy Fessenden on October 17, 1926, in Santa Cruz, California, the daughter of Amelia Rose (née Scherer), a businesswoman, and James Atkins Fessenden, a singer and salesman. Garland grew up in Glendale, California. She was a drama student of Anita Arliss. She was a student at Glendale City College, and she honed her acting skills in summer stock theatre.\n', '

Garland played Nina in the drama Mama Rosa in 1950.:648 In the 1950s, many of her roles were of secure, tough women who could handle themselves in violent situations. One such role was as a secrets-keeping secretary in the classic film noir D.O.A.. (She was credited as Beverly Campbell). 1956 was a busy year for Garland: She played a female marshal in the Western Gunslinger with Chris Alcaide as her deputy; a prison escapee in Swamp Diamonds; and a scientist\'s wife who battles an alien in It Conquered the World. All three films were directed by Roger Corman, and all were parodied in the 1990s by Mystery Science Theater 3000.\n', '

From 1957 to 1958, Garland starred as undercover police officer Casey Jones in the syndicated television series Decoy, the first American television police series with a woman in the starring role.[citation needed] It lasted a single season of 39 episodes.\n', '

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