[1][2] Kimbell later received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Virginia and her master's degree in women's studies from George Washington University in Washington D.C.[1] Kimbell's earliest film credits included 1945's Roughly Speaking, where she played Rosalind Russell's daughter, and Growing Up, as John Garfield's on-screen sister.

[1] Kimbell starred in the lead role in 1954's Monster from the Ocean Floor, the first film produced by Roger Corman,[3][1] as well as the British comedy, Girls at Sea, in 1958.

[1] Kimbell met her future husband, James F. Relph, a United States Foreign Service officer, while appearing on stage in London.

[1] Kimbell served as the executive director of the Orange County Center at the University of Southern California, which encourages professionals to obtain advanced degrees in business, education or social work.

[1] She acquired the ranch as planned, but also purchased the Jones Theater in Westcliffe, Colorado, which the previous owner had intended to convert into a laundromat.

[1] She and her business partner, Tom Stagg, expanded the WCPA and oversaw the addition of the new Studio 2 onto the existing Jones Theater.