Lee Grant is an American actress and film director. In her debut film in 1951, she played the role of a young shoplifter in "Detective Story," co-starring Kirk Douglas and Eleanor Parker. It gave her an Oscar nomination along with the Best Actress Award at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.

In 1952, because she refused to testify against her husband at the HUAC hearings, she was blacklisted from most acting jobs for the next twelve years, her prime as an actress. She was then only able to find occasional work on the stage or as a teacher during that period. It also contributed to her divorce.

After she was exonerated in 1964, she rebuilt her acting career, first starring in 71 TV episodes of "Peyton Place," followed by lead roles in films such as "Valley of the Dolls," "In the Heat of the Night," and "Shampoo," for which she won her first Oscar. In 1964, she won the Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress for her performance in The Maids. During her career, she was nominated for the Emmy Award seven times between 1966 and 1993, winning twice.