Kelly started her career as a nude model in the 1970s. After she was selected as a Penthouse Pet Of The Month, she began her career in the adult film business. She starred in over 50 adult features, and has been presented with several industry awards of merit: the Adult Film Association of America Best Actress Award for her work in the film In Love (1983); in 1993, she was presented by the Free Speech Coalition the Life Time Achievement Award; and she was inducted into the Erotic Legends Hall of Fame in 1996 and into the XRCO Hall of Fame in 1999. Nichols worked as a make-up artist on adult films during the 1990s and 2000s, often under the name Marianne.