Shelby Grant

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. 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. Grant enrolled at Northeastern State College in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where she studied drama and speech. 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 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 while trying to enter the entertainment industry.