Shields was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Theresa (née Dollinger), a house cleaner, and John Schmon, a chemist. She was of German, English, Scotch-Irish, French Canadian and Welsh ancestry.
Shields was born and reared in Newark, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Theresa (née Dollinger), a housekeeper, and John Schmon, a chemist. She had ancestry from German, English, Scotch-Irish, French Canadian, and Welsh roots.