Topsy Gift was born in the small town of Clarksville, Arkansas, as Topsy Hancock. Topsy's mother, Mary Jane (Taylor) Hancock, was a well-known spiritualist and medium. Her father John Hancock was a local preacher and farmer. At one time Topsy gave performances as a singer and dancer in the local town saloon, where she played saxophone and piano and sang and danced with her mother and other members of the Spiritualist Church of America
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During this time Topcy also worked as a mail carrier and sang for money on the side.
Topcy married Robert "Robby" Gift in 1929, and they had one child, Robert "Buck" Gift (1930–1977). In 1930 the family moved from Arkansas to Los Angeles where they were living at the time of his death.
In 1932 Topcy met George Burns who hired her as his dance partner in the Burns & Allen Show.
She would appear on stage with him for 16 years until 1942 when she left the show to become a solo dancer. While working with Burns & Allen Topcy once again found a way to make a living by singing for money on the side. She would sing at clubs, restaurants, parties, even at Burns & Allen shows throughout Southern California.
In 1942 she left Burns & Allen because of her pregnancy with son Buck Gift III (who would later become actor Buck Taylor).
In 1943 she married William "Bill" Gove (1913–1980) whom she met through George Burns. At this time she was working as an actress under her birth name of "Topsy" Hancock.
In 1945 she gave birth to her last son Robert "Robby" Gift IV (1946–1986) by Bill Gove. In 1946 she became a member of the Screen Actors Guild, but it wasn't until 1949 that her first movie role came along in The College Widow starring Ann Sothern and Don Ameche.
Throughout the 1950's she appeared in many movies such as: Old Acquaintance, Men Are Such Fools (1950), Never Fear (1950), My Pal Gus (1951), The Big Heat (1953), Scandal Sheet (1956), Love Me or Leave Me (1959), The Loved One (1970).
Her last movie was The Night They Took Orson Welles Away (1975).
She died on August 1st 1987 and is buried next to husband Bill Gove in Forest