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

Our Man Flint ''Our Man Flint'' is a 1966 American spy-fi comedy film that parodies the ''James Bond'' film series. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr (from a story by Hal Fimberg), and starred James Coburn as maste ...

'', ''

Fantastic Voyage ''Fantastic Voyage'' is a 1966 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The film is about a submarine crew who is shrunk to microsco ...

'', and '' Medical Center''.

Early life

Grant was born on October 19, 1936, in

Orlando, Oklahoma Orlando is a town in Logan and Payne counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 148 at the 2010 census, compared to the figure of 201 in 2000.

, to parents Lawrence and Mae Thompson. She was raised in Wagoner, Oklahoma, and completed high school at Wagoner High School. Grant enrolled at Northeastern State College in

Tahlequah, Oklahoma Tahlequah ( ; , ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century Cherokee Nation in 1839, as p ...

, where she studied

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

and

speech Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...

. 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 commercial A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

s for Tulsa-based KTUL-TV after college. In 1962 she moved from Oklahoma to

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

to pursue an acting career. She initially worked as a teacher of

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

and

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

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. His ...

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 it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

. Thompson was discovered by a

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

talent scout In professional sports, scouts are experienced talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports, and they determine whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the s ...

, whereupon she changed her professional name to Shelby Grant. She "drew Shelby Grant out of a hat," according to an

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

she gave to columnist

Hedda Hopper Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...

. She debuted on television in a 1963 episode of ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

''. She soon became a contracted actor with

. Her

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

roles under contract with Fox included '' The Pleasure Seekers'' in 1964, the 1966

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

film ''

'', ''

'' in 1966, and '' The Witchmaker'' in 1969. Her television credits grew to include ''

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

'' (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 Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

. 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 A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

'' Medical Center'', 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 An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...

Westlake Village, California Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County, California, on its western border with Ventura County. Upon its incorporation in 1981, Westlake Village became the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks We ...

, 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 at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks–Griffin Mortuary; their ashes were taken by Katherine Thorp.Wilson, Scott (2016).
Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed
'. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 231. .

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!'' (1965) – Harem Girl (uncredited) *''

'' TV series '' – Instant Freeze/ Rats Like Cheese (1966) Princess Sandra. *''

'' (1966) – Leslie *''

'' (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