Shelby Grant
Encyclopedia
Shelby Grant born Brenda Thompson, was an American
actress whose credits included Our Man Flint
, Fantastic Voyage
and Medical Center
.
to parents, Lawrence and Mae Thompson. She was raised in Wagoner, Oklahoma
, and completed high school at Wagoner High School
.
Thompson enrolled at Northeastern State College
, now known as Northeastern State University
, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
, where she studied drama
and speech
. She became Northeastern State's football queen in 1959. She also won the title of Northeastern Oklahoma Dairy Princess in 1959 as well.
to pursue an acting career. She initially worked as a teacher of special education
and deaf students at Hollywood High School
while trying to enter the entertainment industry.
Thompson was discovered by a 20th Century Fox
talent scout. 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
.
Grant debuted in television in a 1963 episode of Bonanza
. She soon became a contracted actor with 20th Century Fox
. Her film
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 in 1969. Her television credits grew to include Batman
and Marcus Welby, M.D.
.
Grant married her husband, actor Chad Everett
, in a ceremony held on May 22, 1966, in Tucson, Arizona
. Chad 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, Medical Center
, where portrayed Dr. Joe Gannon from 1969 to 1976. Grant largely left acting to focus on philanthropy
during her later life. She and her husband sponsored more than twenty heart surgeries for children.
, on June 25, 2011, at the age of 74. She was survived by her husband of 45 years, actor Chad Everett; their two daughters, Katherine Thorp and Shannon Everett; and six grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress whose credits included Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint is a 1966 action film that parodies of James Bond genre. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr, and starring James Coburn as master spy Derek Flint...
, Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 science fiction film written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby.Bantam Books obtained the rights for a paperback novelization based on the screenplay and approached Isaac Asimov to write it....
and Medical Center
Medical Center (TV series)
Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors...
.
Early life
Thompson was born on October 19, 1936, in Orlando, OklahomaOrlando, Oklahoma
Orlando is a town in Logan and Payne counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 201 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Orlando is located at ....
to parents, Lawrence and Mae Thompson. She was raised in Wagoner, Oklahoma
Wagoner, Oklahoma
Wagoner is a city in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,669 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wagoner County.-Geography:Wagoner is located at ....
, and completed high school at Wagoner High School
Wagoner High School
Wagoner High School is a high school in Wagoner, Oklahoma.- External Links :...
.
Thompson enrolled at Northeastern State College
Northeastern State University
Northeastern State University is a public university with its main campus located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, United States, at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. Northeastern's home, Tahlequah, is also the capital of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma...
, now known as Northeastern State University
Northeastern State University
Northeastern State University is a public university with its main campus located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, United States, at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. Northeastern's home, Tahlequah, is also the capital of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma...
, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
, where she studied drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and speech
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
. She became Northeastern State's football queen in 1959. She also won the title of Northeastern Oklahoma Dairy Princess in 1959 as well.
Career
She appeared in local television commercials for KTUL-TV, based in Tulsa, after college. In 1962, she moved from Oklahoma to southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
to pursue an acting career. She initially worked as a teacher of special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
and deaf students at Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.-History:...
while trying to enter the entertainment industry.
Thompson was discovered by a 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
talent scout. She changed her professional name to Shelby Grant. She "drew Shelby Grant out of a hat", according to an interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
she gave to columnist, Hedda Hopper
Hedda Hopper
Hedda Hopper was an American actress and gossip columnist, whose long-running feud with friend turned arch-rival Louella Parsons became at least as notorious as many of Hopper's columns.-Early life:...
.
Grant debuted in television in a 1963 episode of Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
. She soon became a contracted actor with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. Her film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
roles under contract with Fox included The Pleasure Seekers
The Pleasure Seekers
The Pleasure Seekers is a 1964 20th Century Fox motion picture starring Ann-Margret, Anthony Franciosa, and Carol Lynley, with Gardner McKay, Pamela Tiffin, Brian Keith, and Gene Tierney....
in 1964, the 1966 science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 science fiction film written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby.Bantam Books obtained the rights for a paperback novelization based on the screenplay and approached Isaac Asimov to write it....
, Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint is a 1966 action film that parodies of James Bond genre. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr, and starring James Coburn as master spy Derek Flint...
in 1966 and The Witchmaker in 1969. Her television credits grew to include Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
and Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
.
Grant married her husband, actor Chad Everett
Chad Everett
Chad Everett is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and television series but is probably best known for his role as Dr. Joe Gannon in the 1970s television drama Medical Center.-Early life:...
, in a ceremony held on May 22, 1966, in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. Chad Everett had been on location in Tucson filming the 1967 movie, Return of the Gunfighter
Return of the Gunfighter (1967 film)
Return of the Gunfighter is a Western/Movie, starring Robert Taylor and directed by James Neilson.- Plot :An old gunslinger Wyatt and Ben Lee Sutton injured boy in love with a Mexican girl, Wyatt will teach you to use the gun, the young man now knows how to defend himself, he wants to avenge the...
, at the time of their wedding. They had two daughters, Kate and Shannon. Grant appeared in her husband's television series, Medical Center
Medical Center (TV series)
Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors...
, where portrayed Dr. Joe Gannon from 1969 to 1976. Grant largely left acting to focus on philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
during her later life. She and her husband sponsored more than twenty heart surgeries for children.
Death
Shelby Grant died of a brain aneurysm in Westlake Village, CaliforniaWestlake Village, California
Westlake Village is a planned community that straddles the Los Angeles and Ventura county line. The eastern portion is the incorporated city Westlake Village, located on the western edge of Los Angeles County, California. The city, located in the region known as the Conejo Valley, encompasses half...
, on June 25, 2011, at the age of 74. She was survived by her husband of 45 years, actor Chad Everett; their two daughters, Katherine Thorp and Shannon Everett; and six grandchildren.