Carol Lou Nugent (born July 7, 1937) is an American actress who began her career as a child. Nugent appeared in over 20 feature films and 11 television programs during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Her 1959 marriage to actor Nick Adams ended with his death in 1968, before their divorce had been finalised.

Biography

Early life

Nugent was born in Los Angeles, the elder daughter of Lucille and Carl Nugent. Her father was a property master for

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

and her mother later became a talent agent, managing Carol's career along with that of her younger sister

Judy Nugent Judy Ann Nugent (born August 22, 1940) is an American actress. Early life Nugent was born in Los Angeles, California, daughter of Lucille and Carl Nugent. Her father was a property master for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, her mother later became a talent ...

Hollywood career

Nugent was a child actor, first appearing on screen at age seven in ''

Secret Command ''Secret Command'' is a 1944 American drama war film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and starring Pat O'Brien and Carole Landis. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Effects ( David Allen, Ray Cory, Robert Wright, Russell Malmgren, Har ...

'' (1944). She played small parts in four more movies over the next three years and in one of these, she and her sister Judy portrayed the same character at different ages. She was in a few popular hits, including ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsell ...

'' (1950) and ''

Belles on Their Toes ''Belles on Their Toes'' is a 1950 autobiographical book written by the siblings Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. It is the follow-up to their book ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' (1948), which covered the period after Frank Gil ...

'' (1952) but as a child actor never quite made the transition from bit player to larger roles. However, as a teen Nugent grew into ingenue parts on television and in

B-film A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

s. She was a supporting actress throughout her career, which tapered off sharply after she married and had children.

Personal life

Nugent married actor Nick Adams. In a 1961 interview Adams said, "Carol is my good-luck charm. My first real success, the turn of the tide, came right after I fell in love with her. Then I formed my own production company and we sold '' The Rebel''." However, in the same interview Nugent said, "Let's not overdo the sweetness and light. Naturally, Nick and I had our problems at the start". Gossip columnist

Rona Barrett Rona Barrett (born Rona Burstein, October 8, 1936) is an American gossip columnist and businesswoman. She runs the Rona Barrett Foundation, a non-profit organization in Santa Ynez, California, dedicated to the aid and support of senior citizens ...

later wrote that Nugent "was one of the most refreshing wives in the entire community." John G. Stephens and Nugent married in 2002; Stephens died in 2018.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1944) ... as Joan * ''

Little Mister Jim ''Little Mister Jim'' is a 1946 American drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Butch Jenkins, James Craig and Frances Gifford. Plot Army captain "Big Jim" Tukker has a young son, Little Jim, who runs away from home. Once found, t ...

'' (1946) ... as Clara * ''

The Sea of Grass ''The Sea of Grass'' is a 1936 novel by Conrad Richter. It is set in New Mexico in the late 19th century, and concerns the clash between rich ranchers, whose cattle run freely on government-owned land, a prairie "sea of grass", and the homestead ...

'' (1947) ... as Sarah Beth at age 7 * '' Green Dolphin Street'' (1947) ... as Veronica at age 7 * '' It Had To Be You'' (1947) ... as Victoria at age 6 * ''

Cheaper by the Dozen (1950 film) ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a 1950 American comedy film based upon the autobiographical book ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' (1948) by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The film and book describe growing up in a family with twelve ...

'' ... as Young Girl * ''

Trail of Robin Hood '' Trail of Robin Hood '' is a 1950 American Trucolor Western film directed by William Witney and starring Roy Rogers. Filmed in the San Bernardino Mountains and Big Bear Lake California, it is notable for featuring a large cast of Western stars ...

'' (1950) ... as Sis McGonigle * ''

Here Comes the Groom ''Here Comes the Groom'' is a 1951 American musical romantic comedy film produced and directed by Frank Capra and starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Based on a story by Robert Riskin and Liam O'Brien, the film is about a foreign correspondent w ...

'' (1951) ... as McGonigle Girl * ''

It's a Big Country ''It's a Big Country An American Anthology'' is a 1951 American anthology film consisting of eight segments by seven directors: Richard Thorpe, John Sturges, Charles Vidor, Don Weis, Clarence Brown, William A. Wellman and Don Hartman. Plot In ...

'' (1951) ... as Girl * ''

'' (1952) ... as Lily Gilbreth * ''

The Story of Will Rogers ''The Story of Will Rogers'' (titled onscreen as ''The Story of Will Rogers as told by His Wife'')is a 1952 American Comedy Western film biography of humorist and movie star Will Rogers, directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Will Rogers Jr. as ...

'' (1952) ... as young Mary Rogers * ''

The Lusty Men ''The Lusty Men '' is a 1952 Western film released by Wald-Krasna Productions and RKO Radio Pictures starring Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy and Arthur Hunnicutt. The picture was directed by Nicholas Ray and produced by Jerry Wal ...

'' (1952) ... as Rusty Davis * ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

'' (1953) ... as Jigger Parkson * ''

Ma and Pa Kettle at Home ''Ma and Pa Kettle at Home'' is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Charles Lamont. It is the sixth, and also most successful, installment of Universal-International's ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series starring Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride. P ...

'' (1954) ... as Nancy Kettle * ''

Drum Beat A drum beat or drum pattern is a rhythmic pattern, or repeated rhythm establishing the meter and groove through the pulse and subdivision, played on drum kits and other percussion instruments. As such a "beat" consists of multiple drum strokes o ...

'' (1954) ... as Young Girl * '' The Unguarded Moment'' (1956) ... as Dancer * '' Lost, Lonely and Vicious'' (1958) ... as Pinkie * ''

The Badlanders ''The Badlanders'' is a 1958 American western caper film directed by Delmer Daves and starring Alan Ladd and Ernest Borgnine.''Variety'' film review; July 16, 1958, p. 6.'' Harrison's Reports'' film review; July 19, 1958, p. 114. Based on the ...

'' (1958) ... as stagecoach passenger's daughter * ''

Inside the Mafia ''Inside the Mafia'' is a 1959 film noir crime film based on a true incident. It was based on the Albert Anastasia murder and subsequent Apalachin Meeting. Plot The gangster Augie Martello is riddled with bullets in an assassination attempt orga ...

'' (1959) ... as Sandy Balcom * ''

The Crimson Kimono ''The Crimson Kimono'' is a 1959 film noir directed by Samuel Fuller. The film stars James Shigeta, Glenn Corbett and Victoria Shaw. It featured several ahead-of-its-time ideas about race and society's perception of race, a thematic and stylisti ...

'' (1959) ... as Girl * ''

Vice Raid ''Vice Raid'' is a 1959 B-movie crime drama directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Mamie Van Doren and Richard Coogan. It was issued on a double bill with '' Inside the Mafia''. Plot Police Sgt. Whitey Brandon works for the Vice Squad and is d ...

'' (1960) ... as Louise Hudson

Television credits

* ''

The Gene Autry Show ''The Gene Autry Show'' is an American western/cowboy television series which aired for 91 episodes on CBS from July 23, 1950 until August 7, 1956, originally sponsored by Wrigley's Doublemint chewing gum. Overview Series star Gene Autry had alr ...

'': "Return of Maverick Dan" (1951) ....as Barbara "Bobbie" Blake * ''

TV Reader's Digest ''TV Reader's Digest '' is the title of a 30-minute American television anthology drama series, which aired on the ABC from 1955 to 1956. Its theme music was "Polonaise" from Act III of ''Eugene Onegin''. Based on articles that appeared in ''Re ...

'': "If I Were Rich" (1955) * ''

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' is the first Western television series written for adults, premiering four days before ''Gunsmoke'' on September 6, 1955. Two weeks later came the Clint Walker western ''Cheyenne''. The series is loosely base ...

'': "Shootin' Woman" (1957) ....as Young Woman * ''

The 20th Century-Fox Hour ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title '' ...

'': "Threat To A Happy Ending" (1957) ....as Anne * ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'': "The Calico Dog" (1957) ....as Nancy Drake * ''

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok ''The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'' is an American Western television series that ran for eight seasons from April 15, 1951, through September 24, 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication, but ran on CBS from June 5, 1955, through 195 ...

'': "Town Without Law" (1958) ....as Sue Lightfoot * '' Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'': "That Schoolgirl Complex" (1958) ....as Claudia * ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'': "The Case of the Fraudulent Foto" (1959) ....as Helen Preston * '' The Millionaire'': "Millionaire Charles Bradwell" (1959) ....as sister * '' The Rebel'': "Yellow Hair" (1959) ....as Indian Girl * ''

Family Affair ''Family Affair'' is an American sitcom starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis (Keith) as he attempte ...

'': "A Matter Of Tonsils" (1968) ....as Miss Jones

References

External links

* *
Jeb Stuart Adams
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nugent, Carol 1937 births American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses Living people Actresses from Los Angeles 21st-century American women