[1] She moved to Santa Monica, California, where she continued to practice her nursing in private duty.
Thordis began her career as a nurse advisor in Ben Casey where she made appearances on the show.
[citation needed] Around 1967, Thordis Brandt met Gunsmoke's leading actor James Arness,[2][3] who was her boyfriend for six years before they ended their relationship.
[citation needed] 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 Green Hornet, Mannix, and Hogan's Heroes, as well as the 1967 episode of The Fugitive "The One That Got Away".
She has gained minor cult status[citation needed] as the victim of a serial killer in the made-for-TV movie Dragnet 1966, and her appearances in the films The Witchmaker (1969) and Up Your Teddy Bear (1970).