Marilyn Jones, the eldest of four siblings, was born to a surgeon father and raised in the affluent Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. She graduated from high school in her home state before attending Miami University in Ohio, where she later transferred to the University of Colorado to pursue a degree in humanities.
Following her academic pursuits, Jones relocated to New York, where she worked as a waitress and office clerk to make ends meet while taking on acting jobs. Her big break came when she was signed by Columbia Pictures' Talent and Development Workshop, alongside 30 other performers, and sent to Los Angeles. Although the program ultimately folded due to the resignation of its executive, Jones was able to secure an agent and began landing roles on episodic television.
Notable performances in the early stages of her career include appearances in the 1980 film "Harassment" and the 1979 television episode "Good-Bye Radar: Part 1". Jones went on to land roles in two short-lived prime-time soaps, "Secrets of Midland Heights" (1980) on CBS and "King's Crossing" (1982) on ABC. Throughout the 1980s, she continued to work steadily in the entertainment industry.
