Image of Joan Carroll

Joan Carroll

Joan Felt was born on January 18, 1932, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Her mother was quite a famous piano player in the 1930s. Six-year-old Joan made her film debut in Walking Down Broadway (1938). She played the role of Sunny, and changed her name from Felt to Carroll. A role in Two Sisters (1938) followed, and the next year she had supporting roles in Barricade (1939) and Tower of London (1939). It wasn't until 1940 when Joan had her breakthrough. She had important parts in Anne of Windy Poplars (1940) and especially Primrose Path (1940), where she stole the show as Ginger Rogers' younger sister. In 1941 Joan won her first lead role in Obliging Young Lady (1942). She played Bridget Potter, who was stuck in the middle of a custody case but still found time to be the life of the party at a resort. The film costarred Ruth Warrick. In 1942 Joan was the first child star from Hollywood to appear in a Broadway play. This play, "Panama Hattie", gave Joan national fame, and she was featured in many magazine articles and newspapers. In 1943 she won her second lead role in Petticoat Larceny (1943), in which she played Joan Mitchell, a radio star who goes undercover to get a better feel of her roles. The film reunited Joan with Ruth Warrick. In 1944 Joan played perhaps her most famous role, that of Agnes, younger sister to Judy Garland and older sister to Margaret O'Brien in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). In 1945 Joan had an important supporting role in The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), starring with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. That same year she appeared in Tomorrow, the World! (1944). After these films, Joan retired. Around 1940 she chose the name "Carroll" because she said it sounded musical.Up until 1940 she was the only child star to be summoned from Hollywood in order to appear in the leading role of a Broadway musical. When she wasn't acting, she was either ice-skating or playing the piano. She once captured fifth prize in a West Coast (USA) ice-skating competition in 1939 and played the piano in the footsteps of her mother, who appeared in concerts and on radio in her time.


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Born:
Jan 18, 1932
Movie/TV Credits:
18
First Appeared:
In the movie One Mile from Heaven 1937-08-18
Latest Project:
Movie The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli 1973-01-01
Known For
Poster of The Jack of Diamonds
Poster of Tomorrow, the World!
Poster of Petticoat Larceny
Poster of Anne of Windy Poplars
Filmography
Movie The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli Self (archive footage) 1973-01-01
Movie The Jack of Diamonds Joan Keen 1949-02-07
Movie The Bells of St. Mary's Patsy Gallagher 1945-12-27
Movie Meet Me in St. Louis Agnes Smith 1944-11-28
Movie Tomorrow, the World! Pat Frame 1944-12-29
Movie Petticoat Larceny Joan Mitchell / Small Change 1943-07-17
Movie Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 4 Self 1942-01-01
Movie Obliging Young Lady Bridget Potter 1942-04-01
Movie Laddie Sister Stanton 1940-01-18
Movie Anne of Windy Poplars Betty Grayson 1940-06-28
Movie Primrose Path Honeybell 1940-03-22
Movie Mr. Moto's Last Warning Mary Delacour 1939-01-20
Movie Tower of London Lady Mowbray (uncredited) 1939-11-17
Movie A Child Is Born Little Girl (uncredited) 1939-12-07
Movie Barricade Winifred Ward 1939-12-08
Movie Walking Down Broadway Sunny Martin 1938-03-11
Movie Gateway Child 1938-08-05
Movie One Mile from Heaven Sunny 1937-08-18