 She appeared in her first commercial film in 1952, and quickly worked her way up from supporting roles to second female leads.One of her most notable roles in the mid-1950s was in the comedy-drama "Touch and Go" (1955), starring Jack Hawkins.Thorburn began to win leading roles, in British comedies such as "True as a Turtle" (1957) and costume dramas such as "Fury at Smugglers' Bay" (1961) and "The Scarlet Blade" (1963).