One of many actresses to pass through Hollywood, Chelsea Noble, is well-known for her role as Kate Mcdonald in the television sitcom Growing Pains. Apart from that, she is also famous for being the wife of Kirk Cameron, whom she starred alongside on Growing Pains. She is also the sister-in-law of American actress Candace Cameron Bure, who starred in Full House.
Although her acting career appears to be unofficially over, it lasted more than 25 years, with several film credits in her name. She is also a philanthropist, whose works have touched the lives of parents and children.
Chelsea Noble Made Her Debut Appearance in Full House
Chelsea Noble was born as Nancy Mueller on December 4, 1964, in Cheektowaga, New York. She is the daughter of Irene and Fred Mueller, who, aside from her, gave birth to her only sibling, David. We cannot speak to what inspired Chelsea’s decision to pursue acting. However, before she took up the thespian life, she had a full education.
Noble studied at Maryvale High School and upon her graduation, continued her studies at The State University of New York College at Geneseo, from 1983 to 1987. While there, she was a member of the Phi Kappa Pi local sorority and was also a part of the school’s women’s soccer team.
It was quite the achievement for Chelsea Noble to introduce herself to the world as an actress in one-off the most popular sitcoms of the late 80s. She made her debut appearance in Full House, where she played Samantha in a two-parter episode, The Seven-Month Itch. Both episodes were highly rated and set Noble on the path to several more onscreen appearances.
In the same year, she appeared in two episodes of Who’s the Boss, playing the character Cynthia. Before the 80s were over, she appeared in three additional shows, Cheers, Booker, and the soap opera, Days of Our Lives.
Her Growing Pains Role Remains Her Biggest To Date
Just before the world said goodbye to the party and drug-filled 80s, Chelsea Noble secured the most significant role of her career. She began playing Kate MacDonald in the comedy, Growing Pains. She joined the show in 1989 and made her first appearance in the fourth episode of the fifth season.
Playing Kate, she had a long recurring role as Mike Seaver’s girlfriend, played by Kirk Cameron. She starred in the role across 22 episodes between 1989 and 1992.
Her last appearance came in the finale of the show, the 24th episode of the seventh season, The Last Picture Show: Part 2. She reprised the role in subsequent TV movies, Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers and The Growing Pains Movie in 2004 and 2000, respectively.
While she had a comparatively small role over the entire series, she was a prominent part of the show’s plot structure and contributed to its critical success. Despite zero individual recognition for her performance, the show received a total of 20 award nominations and won 16 of them. The nominations include three Golden Globes and four Primetime Emmys, among others.
Chelsea Noble Has Appeared In 21 Movies And TV Shows
In-between her relatively long stint on Growing Pains, Chelsea expanded her reach with appearances in films. She made her film debut in Instant Karma as Penelope. She also played an unnamed character in The Willies and Carrie Lee in the TV movie, A Little Piece of Heaven.
After she exited Growing Pains, she returned to appearances in other TV shows, like a one-off episode appearance in Doogie Houser, M.D, and Heaven Help Us. She also appeared in the TV movie, Star Struck. In 1995, she starred alongside Kirk Cameron, whom she was already married to, in the two-season comedy, Kirk.
On the show, she starred as Elizabeth Waters, her husband’s love interest and neighbor. She played a supporting role throughout the entire show and starred in all 31 episodes. However, the show received poor critical reviews and eventually got canceled.
Kirk was the last notable show in Chelsea’s filmography. She made an appearance in an episode of Seinfeld in 1997, before beginning a series of film-based appearances before her last credited role. After appearing in the 90s sitcom, she appeared in You Lucky Dog, before she started playing Hattie Durham in the religious trilogy, Left Behind.
She appeared in all three films – Left Behind: The Movie, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force, and Left Behind III: World at War, between 2000 and 2005. Chelsea Noble did not appear in another work until 2014 when she expanded her filmography to 21 credits with the indie film, Mercy Rule. She co-starred with her husband in the movie as the wife of a married couple with two children.
She Played Her Husband’s Kissing Double Multiple Times
Chelsea has many uncredited cameo appearances as a “kissing double” in movies that star her husband. It was a result of Kirk Cameron’s insistence never to kiss any other woman apart from his wife. Consequently, Chelsea Noble had to replace the actresses playing his love interest for romantic scenes.
To capture her husband’s kissing scenes, she would wear the relevant costume, and it will be filmed from a distance or behind, to prevent the camera from capturing her face.
Noble Has Amassed An Estimated Net Worth Of $5 Million
She may not have had the most extensive onscreen career as an actress but according to several reports, it was a lucrative one regardless. Chelsea Noble, who has 21 credits in her filmography, has an estimated net worth of $5 million. Her prominent roles in the Left Behind trilogy, Kirk, and in Growing Pains, are considered significant contributors to her net worth.
Aside from her work in the film industry, she and her husband are also major philanthropists and own the Firefly Foundation. The non-profit outfit, based in Atlanta, Georgia, manages Camp Firefly, a summer camp that gives terminally ill children and their families free vacation. The foundation has been in existence since 1990 and has catered more than 100 families.
She Met Kirk Cameron On The Set Of Full House
Two things happened during Chelsea Noble’s brief stint on Full House. One, she got her start as an actress, and she met her future husband, Kirk Cameron. Although not an actor on the show, they met when he visited his little sister, Candance Cameron, who played D.J Tanner on the sitcom.
Shortly afterward, they began dating and solidified their affair while working on Growing Pains as an onscreen couple. Eventually, after getting engaged, the actress got married to Kirk Cameron on July 21, 1991, in Cheektowaga, New York. Since they got married, they have welcomed and raised six children.
Both have since largely transitioned out of filmmaking and now work as preachers. Her husband is an Evangelical Christian who is the co-founder, along with Ray Comfort, of the ministry, The Way of the Master.
As an evangelist, Kirk has expressed a few controversial views in line with his faith on subjects like evolution, the existence of God, and homosexuality. Despite the backlash, Chelsea has stood firmly by him and their shared beliefs.
Four Of Their Children Are Adopted
Chelsea and Kirk Cameron’s large family consists of two biological and four adopted children. Their biological children, Olivia and James, were born in 2001 and 2003, respectively. Being an adopted child herself, Chelsea is a massive advocate for adoption. She loudly promotes adoption, not just as a humanitarian effort but as part of her faith as a Christian.
With a husband who shares and supports her belief, the Christian couple adopted four children – Jack, Isabella, Anna, and Luke. All four children were born in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2000, respectively. The couple adopted all four children first before they had their biological children.
