[2] Her mother Molly (née O'Sullivan) was an English nurse and her father Jack was an Irish army clerk.

[3] Nolan reverted to her birth name as soon as she began to find acting roles, appearing in numerous television shows, theatre productions and films.

The latter included A Hard Day's Night with the Beatles,[4] Ferry Cross the Mersey with Gerry and the Pacemakers,[5] and Marcel Carné's Three Rooms in Manhattan.

In the film Carry On at Your Convenience (1971), composer Eric Rogers referenced Nolan's Goldfinger affiliation by using its three-note motif on a close-up of her.

Nolan appeared on the front cover of both the US and UK versions of the 2005 book Robert Brownjohn: Sex and Typography.

[10] On appearing in Michael Pertwee's farce She's Done It Again at London's Garrick Theatre in 1969, Nolan was described as combining "a long list of physical attractions with a talent that has contributed to the success of many films and television plays".

Nolan gave a live reading of the work at the Poetry Society in Covent Garden, reviewed by What's On London as a "deeply-personal memoir... her performance simply magical.

"[12] She spoke of her awareness of Milligan's depressive character but also of their friendly working relationship; noting that "Professionally, he taught me that timing is what makes things funny.

[4] As a visual artist, Nolan produced graphic and sometimes grotesque photo-montages assembled from cut-outs of her early publicity photographs.

[22] In 2013, her artworks featured in the group show equals: exploring feminism through art and conversation at Blankspace Manchester;[23] the press release quoting that: "Her voice carries alongside universal debate on socio-sexual hierarchies in the age of mass media.