[2] Born to a family of ranchers near Mercedes, Texas,[3] Nash was interested in recreating high fashion shown in films and often took notes on the outfits actresses wore in order to copy them.

[4] This conflicted with her plans to attend the University of Texas the following week, and she had to convince her parents that pursuing a film career was more important.

[5] She was announced as an actress by Winfield Sheehan, vice president of Fox Film, in September 1926 before confirming her first role in The City in October of that year.

[6] She next had the lead role with Earle Foxe in the 1927 comedy feature Upstream,[7] which was considered lost media until the discovery of a copy in the New Zealand Film Archive in 2009.

[8] The Times said that Nash's and Raymond Hitchcock's work gave the film "pathos and humor, thrills and suspense and characterization that is poignantly human".