Judy Nugent was a renowned American child actress of the 1950s, making her screen debut at the tender age of three. Born to Carl Nugent, an MGM prop man, and his wife Lucille Jane Redd, who was also a former child actress and later became a theatrical agent and stage mother to her daughters, including Judy's older sister Carol Nugent, who also pursued a career in pictures.
Judy's early career was marked by tiny movie bit parts, but she eventually broke through with her role as Donna in the pioneering family sitcom "The Ruggles" (1949),which was broadcast live on ABC and marked the first family sitcom to air on television. Following the show's conclusion, Judy appeared in episodes of "The Lone Ranger" (1949) and "Adventures of Superman" (1952),as well as playing a blind girl in "Annie Oakley" (1954) and "Ma and Pa Kettle at Home" (1954).
Notably, Judy rode donkeys in episodes of "Sugarfoot" (1957) and "Rawhide" (1959),and had a personal favorite role in the romantic melodrama "Magnificent Obsession" (1954),in which she played a teenager alongside Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman. Her chance encounter with Cary Grant on the Universal lot even inspired the actor's famous line "Judy, Judy, Judy".
Judy's later roles included playing Jet Maypen, Annette Funicello's outsider, in "Annette" (1958) and "The Mickey Mouse Club" (1955),as well as guest spots in "77 Sunset Strip" (1958) and "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (1959). After a lengthy hiatus from acting following her marriage to western actor Buck Taylor in 1962, Judy made a brief return to the screen as a stunt rider and body double for "Cattle Annie and Little Britches" (1980),shot on location in Durango, Mexico.
Judy Nugent, a self-confessed country girl and tomboy, lived on her Montana ranch until her passing on October 26 at the age of 83.
