Edwards was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for the March 1957 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Peter Gowland. Her name is usually spelled Saundra Edwards.
Edwards married actor Tom Gilson on December 8, 1961, and had a son named Thomas S. Gilson, Jr., who was born the same day. She separated from him in August 1962 when he became abusive, after which she moved in with her sister and brother-in-law. On October 6, 1962, Edwards killed Gilson with a shotgun blast through the heart when he broke into the house where she was staying. A coroner's jury later ruled the shooting as justifiable homicide. The scandal, however, abruptly ended her acting career.
In addition to her modeling career for Playboy and other men's magazines, Edwards, who is part Cherokee, was a showgirl in Las Vegas. Her acting credits—she was a contract player at Warner Bros.—include a few films like The Crowded Sky (1960), Parrish (1961), A Fever in the Blood (1961), and many television roles in programs such as Sugarfoot, Hawaiian Eye, Cheyenne, and Maverick.
