Alabama native Carol Forman (born Maude Carolyn Sawls) began acting as a child in school plays. While a teenager, her family moved to Memphis. By the mid-1940s, she found her way to Los Angeles, where she began appearing in small community theatre productions. This eventually led to a movie contract in 1946. Forman went to appear in feature films and movie serials where she was best known for playing villains such as the titular role of Sombra in "The Black Widow" (1947).