Carol Nugent

Carol Nugent
Years active1944–1968
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1959; died 1968)​
John G. Stephens
​
​
(m. 2002; died 2018)​
Children2
RelativesJudy Nugent (sister)

Carol Nugent 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 finalized.

Biography

Early life

Nugent is the elder daughter of Lucille Redd Nugent and Carl L. Nugent. Her father was a property master for MGM. She had a younger sister, Judy Nugent.[1]

Hollywood career

Nugent was a child actor, first appearing on screen at age seven in Secret Command (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. They were featured on the television program The Ruggles.[2] She was in a few popular hits, including Cheaper by the Dozen (1950) and Belles on Their Toes (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-films. She was a supporting actress throughout her career, which tapered off sharply after she married and had children.

In 1955 Nugent, her sister, their father, and Harvey Waldman formed Nugent Productions for the production of Growing Up in Hollywood, a TV series to depict the two sisters growing up in a motion-picture atmosphere.[2]

Personal life

Nugent married actor Nick Adams[3] on May 10, 1959, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[4] They had two children; she sued for divorce in November 1966.[5]

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."[6] 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 later wrote that Nugent "was one of the most refreshing wives in the entire community."[7]

John G. Stephens and Nugent married in 2002; Stephens died in 2018.[8]

Filmography

Television credits

References

  1. ↑ "Culver Has a New Movie Starlet in Blonde 6-Year-Old Carol Nugent". Evening Vanguard. California, Venice. January 28, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "Sisters to Star in New TV Series: Judy and Carol Nugent Will Be Featured in 'Growing Up in Hollywood'". The New York Times. December 2, 1955. p. 55.
  3. ↑ Fitzgerald, Michael G.; Magers, Boyd (2015). Ladies of the Western: Interviews with Fifty-One More Actresses from the Silent Era to the Television Westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. McFarland. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-4766-0796-2. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Nick Adams Marries Actress Carol Nugent". The Montgomery Advertiser. May 13, 1959. p. 2 A. Retrieved July 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Carol Nugent Sues Husband For Divorce". The Huntsville Times. November 26, 1966. p. 11. Retrieved July 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Kathleen Post, TV Radio Mirror, July 1961, Vol 56 No 2 p.66.
  7. ↑ Barrett, Rona, Miss Rona (1974)
  8. ↑ Lentz, Harris M. III (2019). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2018. McFarland. p. 361. ISBN 978-1-4766-3655-9. Retrieved July 16, 2020.