Joan Felt, born on January 18, 1931, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, began her film career at the tender age of six with a role in Walking Down Broadway (1938),playing the character of Sunny and adopting the stage name Carroll. This marked the beginning of a prolific early career, with subsequent appearances in Two Sisters (1938),Barricade (1939),and Tower of London (1939).
However, it wasn't until 1940 that Joan Carroll experienced her breakthrough, securing important roles in Anne of Windy Poplars (1940) and Primrose Path (1940),where she played the younger sister of Ginger Rogers. This led to her first lead role in Obliging Young Lady (1942),as Bridget Potter, a young girl caught in the middle of her parents' divorce case, alongside Ruth Warrick.
In 1942, Joan Carroll made history by becoming the first child star from Hollywood to appear in a Broadway play, "Panama Hattie", which earned her national recognition and featured her in numerous magazine articles and newspaper publications. The following year, she won her second lead role in Petticoat Larceny (1943),playing Joan Mitchell, a radio star who goes undercover to gain a deeper understanding of her roles, reuniting her with Warrick.
Joan Carroll's subsequent film appearances included Agnes, the middle sister between Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944),as well as an important supporting role in The Bells of St. Mary's (1945),starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. She also appeared in Tomorrow, the World! (1944) before retiring from the industry in 1945.