Dyanne Thorne

Dorothy Ann Seib (October 14, 1936 – January 28, 2020), known professionally as Dyanne Thorne, was an American actress, stage performer and vocalist. She was known for her stage work in Las Vegas and as the lead actress in the Ilsa film franchise which began with Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975).

Born in Park Ridge, New Jersey as Dorothy Ann Seib and raised there primarily by her mother, she attended Park Ridge High School, where she was one of the feature writers on the school newspaper. After graduating, she attended New York University and took acting courses with Uta Hagen.

Dyanne Thorne began her career in show business as a band vocalist and New York stage actress. She also worked as a comedic sketch artist/talking foil. Comedy albums with Allen & Rossi, Vaughn Meader and Al Lohman & Roger Barkley earned her appearances on many TV variety shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Red Skelton Show, The Steve Allen Show, The Merv Griffin Show and with Tim Conway at Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas.^{[citation needed]} Filmed in New York City, Thorne's first major film role was in Norman Chaitin's short Encounter (1965), which was also an early screen credit for Robert De Niro. Moving to Hollywood to appear in Star Trek, and as villainess Andrea Hilliard in Crown International Pictures' thriller Point of Terror (1971) led to further film roles.

In 1975, Thorne married composer, conductor, musician and actor Howard Maurer. The couple subsequently starred in five films together, co-produced and starred in several Las Vegas Strip showroom productions and their careers took them around the world. As an actress, Thorne was known for her characterisation of the heinous international dominatrix and soldier of fortune Ilsa. After her debut as Ilsa in Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975), she reprised the role in the sequels Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976), Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia and an unofficial entry Greta, the Mad Butcher (both 1977), the latter directed by Jess Franco.^{[citation needed]}

Thorne started but did not complete studies for a degree in anthropology. She claimed to have earned a degree in comparative religion over the course of ten years of study.^{[dubious – discuss]} As church ordained, non-denominational ministers by Science of Mind, Thorne and husband Maurer founded "A Scenic Outdoor Wedding" as an alternative to commercial chapel weddings.

Thorne died in Las Vegas on January 28, 2020 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 83.