Mary Beth Hughes' early life was marked by her parents' separation when she was just a baby, after which she was raised by her grandmother who harbored a deep desire to see her become an actress. As a result, Hughes began her career at a remarkably young age, even before she had completed her high school education. She made her stage debut in a production of "Alice in Wonderland" and subsequently appeared in "Daddy Long Legs" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" alongside the Clifford Brooks company.
As Hughes neared the end of her high school tenure in June 1937, she continued to work with the Brooks company over the summer of 1938. That same year, she received offers from both MGM and 20th Century Fox, marking a significant milestone in her burgeoning career.
Throughout the 1940s, Hughes continued to act and sing, eventually marrying David Street and performing together in nightclubs by the end of 1949. She also pursued a solo singing career between 1963 and 1965.
However, Hughes' career took an unexpected turn in 1961 when she provisionally retired from acting and singing to pursue a new path as a receptionist-technician for an L.A. plastic surgeon.
