Mildred June was born on December 23, 1905, in St Louis, Missouri. When she was a child her family moved to Kansas and eventually settled in California. She attended Hollywood high school and took dancing lessons. At the age of fifteen Mildred was discovered by producer Mack Sennett. She became one his bathing beauties and worked as an extra in his films. Mildred appeared in dozens of short films including Dog Shy with Charley Chase and Hook and Ladder with Hoot Gibson. She also starred in a series of two reel comedies with Billy Bevan. Although she enjoyed making comedies she dreamed of becoming a dramatic actress. Mildred married Herbert Edward Capps, a twenty-five year old dentist, in 1922. The following year she was given the lead in the drama The Greatest Menace.