She was born in London and began acting while still in her teens. Her first major film was Great Expectations. In 1948, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Hamlet, opposite Laurence Olivier.
In 1950, she married the British actor, Stewart Granger, with whom she appeared in several films, successfully making the transition to Hollywood. Among her best-known leading roles are Guys and Dolls (1955), Elmer Gantry (directed by her second husband, Richard Brooks) and Spartacus.