Shelby Grant (born Brenda Thompson; October 19, 1936 – June 25, 2011) was an American actress whose credits included '' Our Man Flint'', '' Fantastic Voyage'', and ''

Medical Center Medical center or medical centre may refer to: Medical care * A collection of medical services on the same site, such as the services of a general practitioner, pharmacist, pathology, radiology, dentist etc. * Clinic * Hospital * Academic medic ...

''.

Early life

Grant was born on October 19, 1936 in Orlando, Oklahoma to parents Lawrence and Mae Thompson. She was raised in Wagoner, Oklahoma, and completed high school at

Wagoner High School Wagoner High School is a high school in Wagoner, Oklahoma. Notable alumni * Kevin Peterson, American football player *Malcolm Rodriguez Malcolm Luciano Rodriguez (born March 29, 1999) is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions ...

. Grant enrolled at Northeastern State College (now known as Northeastern State University) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where she studied drama and

speech Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses Phonetics, phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if ...

. She became Northeastern State's football queen in 1959. That year, she won the title of Northeastern Oklahoma Dairy Princess as well.

Career

Grant appeared in local television commercials for Tulsa-based

KTUL-TV KTUL (channel 8) is a television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located at Lookout Mountain (near South 29th West Avenue, west of Interstate 244) i ...

after college. In 1962 she moved from Oklahoma to southern California to pursue an acting career. She initially worked as a teacher of special education and deaf students at

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Histo ...

while trying to enter the

entertainment industry Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have dev ...

. Thompson was discovered by a

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

talent scout, whereupon she changed her professional name to Shelby Grant. She "drew Shelby Grant out of a hat," according to an interview she gave to columnist Hedda Hopper. She debuted on television in a 1963 episode of ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

''. She soon became a contracted actor with

. Her

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

roles under contract with Fox included '' The Pleasure Seekers'' in 1964, the 1966 science fiction film '' Fantastic Voyage'', '' Our Man Flint'' in 1966, and ''

The Witchmaker ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' in 1969. Her television credits grew to include ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' (episodes 7 and 8), and '' Marcus Welby, M.D.''. Grant married her husband, actor

Chad Everett Raymon Lee Cramton (June 11, 1937 – July 24, 2012), known professionally as Chad Everett, was an American actor who appeared in more than 40 films and television series. He played Dr. Joe Gannon in the television drama '' Medical Center'', wh ...

, in a ceremony held on May 22, 1966, in Tucson, Arizona. Everett had been on location in Tucson filming the 1967 movie '' Return of the Gunfighter'' at the time of their wedding. They had two daughters, Kate and Shannon. Grant appeared in her husband's television series ''

'', in which he portrayed Dr. Joe Gannon from 1969 to 1976.

Personal life

Grant and Everett had two daughters, Katherine Thorp and Shannon Everett. She largely left acting to focus on

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

during her later life. Grant and her husband sponsored more than twenty heart surgeries for children. Grant died of a brain aneurysm in Westlake Village, California on June 25, 2011 at the age of 74. Everett died from lung cancer on July 24, 2012 at the age of 75, a little over a year after Grant's death. Both Grant and Everett were cremated, and their ashes were combined when Everett died.

Partial filmography

*''

Come Blow Your Horn ''Come Blow Your Horn'' is Neil Simon's first play, which premiered on Broadway in 1961 and had a London production in 1962 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Simon rewrote the script more than two dozen times over several years, resulting in a hit ...

'' (1963) - Party Guest (uncredited) *'' The Pleasure Seekers'' (1964) - Marian, American Girl *''

John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! ''John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!'' is a 1965 American comedy film based on the novel by William Peter Blatty published in 1963. The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson. The film was shot in the Mojave Desert. In the film, an American militar ...

'' (1965) - Harem Girl (uncredited) *'' Batman TV series '' - Instant freeze/Rats Like Cheese (1966) Princess Sandra. *'' Our Man Flint'' (1966) - Leslie *'' Fantastic Voyage'' (1966) - Nurse *''The Witchmaker'' (1969) - Maggie

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Shelby 1936 births 2011 deaths American film actresses American television actresses Northeastern State University alumni People from Wagoner, Oklahoma Deaths from intracranial aneurysm 20th-century American actresses 20th Century Studios contract players