A native of Los Angeles, Donna Martell was first "spotted" at L.A. City College by a fellow student who worked for a Hollywood talent scout. Just 17, she made her motion picture debut (acting under the name Donna DeMario) in the Republic Western Apache Rose (1947) with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, her first of over two dozen movie credits. Later placed under contract by Universal-International, Martell acted in many of the studio's shorts and features before turning freelancer and establishing herself on television. Always busier on television (especially Western series) than in features, Martell dropped from acting in the 1960s, but has recently discovered "the convention circuit."