A vintner's daughter, she was trained as a ballet dancer at the Budapest Opera. While still in her teens, she began on stage in amateur theatricals. By the early 1930's, she performed professionally in Salzburg, Berlin and London, appearing in the plays 'Wonder Bar' and 'Words and Music' (with John Mills). Arrived in New York in 1932 with next to no knowledge of English, but proved a fast learner. The following year, she went on to play Polly Peachum in Brecht's 'The Threepenny Opera' on Broadway, co-starring Burgess Meredith. Came to Hollywood a year later and made a notable impression for her interpretation of the title song in the technicolor short La Cucaracha (1934). Otherwise, she was seen in an assortment of decorative senoritas (Dancing Pirate (1936),Law of the Pampas (1939), etc) and even an Eskimo. Her most notable roles were in support, such as the half-caste mistress Neleta in Anthony Adverse (1936) and Lydia in Waterloo Bridge (1940).