Thordis Brandt is a German-American actress.

Personal life

Thordis Brandt was born in Germany of Norwegian and German parents. She moved to Canada as a young girl and was raised initially at a farm in St. Norbert,

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, then moved to a mink ranch in Bella Coola,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, then to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

in 1958. In 1963, Thordis graduated as a registered nurse from St. Paul's Hospital School of Nursing. She moved to

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where she continued to practice her nursing in private duty. One of her jobs in private duty was serving actress

Patricia Neal Patricia Neal (born Patsy Louise Neal; January 20, 1926 – August 8, 2010) was an American actress of stage and screen. She is well known for, among other roles, playing World WarII widow Helen Benson in ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (195 ...

. Neal recommended Thordis to other actors and actresses and Thordis became known as the "actor's nurse". Thordis began her career as a nurse advisor in ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member ...

'' where she made appearances on the show. Around 1967, Thordis Brandt met ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'''s leading actor

James Arness James Arness (born James King Aurness; May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the series ''Gunsmoke''. He has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in f ...

, who was her boyfriend for six years before they ended their relationship. After retiring from acting, she continued nursing in Beverly Hills.

Career

A bit player for most of her career, she appeared in such TV shows as '' Burke's Law'', '' The Girl from UNCLE'', ''

The Man from UNCLE ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents Napoleon Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and Illya Kuryakin, play ...

'', ''

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell (director), James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas i ...

'', ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'', and ''

Hogan's Heroes ''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom created by Bernard Fein and Albert S. Ruddy which is set in a Prisoner-of-war camp, prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Nazi Germany during World War II, and centers around a group of Allied prisoner ...

'', as well as the 1967 episode of '' The Fugitive'' "The One That Got Away". Although she had some speaking parts, Thordis' appearances rarely required her to speak.p. 18 ''Shapley Thordis Brandt Simply Doesn't Have to Talk'' ''The Evening News'' 21 December 1968 She also appeared in films beginning with '' The Last of the Secret Agents?'' and ''

Nevada Smith ''Nevada Smith'' is a 1966 American Western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Steve McQueen, Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Arthur Kennedy and Suzanne Pleshette. The film was made by Solar Productions in association with and released by ...

'' (both 1966), then '' In Like Flint'' (1967) and '' Funny Girl'' (1968). She appeared in two Elvis Presley films '' Spinout'' (1966) and ''

Live a Little, Love a Little ''Live a Little, Love a Little'' is a 1968 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was directed by Norman Taurog, who had directed several previous Presley films. This was to be Taurog's final film, as he went blind shortly after ...

'' (1968). She has gained minor cult status as the victim of a serial killer in the

made-for-TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrestr ...

'' Dragnet 1966'', and her appearances in the films ''The Witchmaker'' (1969) and ''Up Your Teddy Bear'' (1970).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brandt, Thordis 20th-century American actresses American television actresses German emigrants to the United States Immigrants to Canada Immigrants to the United States German people of Norwegian descent Living people Private duty nurses Nurses from California Year of birth missing (living people)