Darrow was born in Hollywood, California, to George H. Wittlinger, a motion picture landscape artist, and Alice Simpson Wittlinger, a former silent screen actress. She graduated from Hollywood High School. Darrow's work as a model led to her receiving offers of film contracts. On August 31, 1950, a judge approved her seven-year contract with RKO Studios. She made mostly B-movie films in the 1950s, including The Monster That Challenged The World and Queen of Outer Space. She replaced Marla English opposite Spencer Tracy in The Mountain, after English had an adverse reaction to a smallpox vaccine. By 1955 she was one of only three actors under contract to RKO. On television, Darrow portrayed Nurse Forester in the NBC medical drama Doctors' Hospital. She also made several appearances in one or two episodes of popular television shows in the 1950s. Some of these include The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Bachelor Father, The Bob Cummings Show, M Squad, and Peter Gunn.