[2] Born in Malden, Massachusetts,[note 1][3] Nagel was enrolled by her parents in Notre Dame Academy, with the expectation that she would become a nun.

[2] She was one of 14 young women "launched on the trail of film stardom" August 6, 1935, when they each received a six-month contract with 20th Century Fox after spending 18 months in the company's training school.

Vintage-radio buffs best know Anne Nagel as Britt Reid's confidante Lenore Case in The Green Hornet.

[6] On September 17, 1936, Nagel married actor Ross Alexander,[7] who committed suicide in 1937 [note 2][2] when beset with heavy financial burdens he could not resolve.

[9] In December 1947, Nagel filed a lawsuit in Superior Court against Hollywood physician and surgeon Franklyn Thorpe (former husband of actress Mary Astor).

In the suit, Nagel demanded $350,000 in damages and alleged that, while performing an appendectomy on her in 1936, Thorpe had removed other organs without her knowledge or consent, rendering her infertile.

[2]: 21 Nagel died at Sunray North Convalescent Hospital in Hollywood, California in 1966, aged 50, following surgery for liver cancer.