Her father was a property master for MGM and her mother later became a talent agent, managing Carol's career along with that of her younger sister Judy Nugent.
[citation needed] 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.
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.
Gossip columnist Rona Barrett later wrote that Nugent "was one of the most refreshing wives in the entire community.