She was born to William Kent, a German-Jewish immigrant, insurance broker and refugee from Hitler's Nazi regime in the late 1930s, and Irene Tedrow, a veteran American actress of radio, stage, film and television, originally from Denver, Colorado.

[citation needed] A Hollywood High School graduate, Kent explored the world of theater from an early age, becoming a participant in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival among other endeavors.

Her college years found her attending classes at San Francisco State University, eventually moving to New York to pursue acting professionally.

[citation needed] She became a television actress and played Nurse Bigelow, a recurring character on M*A*S*H, from 1976 to 1983.

[1] She also appeared in such television series as Family Ties, Head of the Class, CHiPs, Diff'rent Strokes, Eight Is Enough, Small Wonder, and L.A. Law.