{{Short description|American actress (1936–2020)}} {{distinguish|text=Diane Thorne, politician}} {{use American English|date=February 2020}} {{use mdy dates|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox adult biography | name = Dyanne Thorne | image = Dyanne Thorne_resize.jpg | caption = Thorne in ''Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks'' (1976) | birth_name = Dorothy Ann Seib<ref name="NYTobit">{{cite news|last=Genzlinger|first=Neil| author-link=Neil Genzlinger | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/movies/dyanne-thorne-dead.html|title=Dyanne Thorne, 83, Star of Scandalous 'Ilsa' Films, Is Dead|work=The New York Times|date=February 13, 2020|access-date=February 14, 2020}}</ref> | birth_date = {{Birth date|1936|10|14}}<ref name=NYTobit/> | birth_place = Park Ridge, New Jersey, U.S.<ref name=NYTobit/> | death_date = {{death date and age|2020|01|28|1936|10|14}} | death_place = Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | spouse = {{marriage|Howard Maurer|1975}} | height = | alias = | website = }}
'''Dyanne Thorne''' (October 14, 1936 – January 28, 2020) 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).
==Early life and education== 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.<ref>Downing, Beatrice. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120488447/dorothy-seib-of-park-ridge-high-school/ "Learning Journalism; Pupils At Park Ridge Find Final Exam Is In The Finished Product"], ''The Record'', March 28, 1953. Accessed March 9, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "The present staff also includes Donald Jud, sports columnist; Bryna Skolnick, Lynn Swensen, and Dorothy Seib, feature writers, and Zelda Maver, head typist. Dominica De Pasquale is business manager, and freshman William Duffe is photographer."</ref>
After graduating, she attended New York University and took acting courses with Uta Hagen.<ref name=NYTobit/>
==Career== 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 Lohman & Barkley, earned her appearances on many TV variety shows such as ''The Tonight Show'', ''Red Skelton'', ''Steve Allen'', ''Merv Griffin'', and with Tim Conway at Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas.
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 star as another villainess in Crown International's thriller ''Point of Terror'' (1971), led to further film roles.<ref name="hcf">{{cite news| url =https://horrorcultfilms.co.uk/2011/10/hcf-exclusive-interview-with-ilsa-stars-dyanne-thorne-and-howard-maurer/ | title = HCF Exclusive Interview with Ilsa stars Dyanne Thorne and Howard Maurer| newspaper = Horror Cult Films| date = October 31, 2011| author1 = Bat}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite book |last = Weatherford |first = Mike|year = 2001|title = Cult Vegas: The Weirdest! the Wildest! the Swingin'est Town on Earth! | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=y3a3l0zST68C|pages = 227|publisher = Huntington Press|isbn = 978-0-929712-71-0}}</ref>
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 last directed by Jess Franco.
==Later years== 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.<ref name="retrocrush">{{cite web| url=http://retrocrush.buzznet.com/archive2007/dyannethorne/| title=A retroCRUSH INTERVIEW WITH THE STAR OF THE "ILSA" MOVIES| author=Steve Graf and Randy Waage| publisher=Retrocrush| quote=My earned degree is as a professor of comparative religions.| year=2007| accessdate=2007-09-30| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102051918/http://retrocrush.buzznet.com/archive2007/dyannethorne/| archivedate=2007-11-02}}</ref>{{dubious|date=February 2020}}
As church ordained, non-denominational ministers by Science of Mind, Thorne and husband Howard founded "A Scenic Outdoor Wedding" as an alternative to commercial chapel weddings.<ref name="lateryears">{{cite web| url=http://www.ascenicwedding.com/| title=A SCENIC WEDDING... The Alternative To A Chapel Wedding| accessdate=2007-09-30| archive-date=October 31, 2007| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031015641/http://www.ascenicwedding.com/| url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Death== Thorne died in Las Vegas on January 28, 2020, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 83.<ref name="hcf2">{{cite web|url=https://horrorcultfilms.co.uk/2020/02/in-loving-memory-of-dyanne-thorne/|title=In Loving Memory of Dyanne Thorne|work=HorrorCultFilms|date=February 4, 2020|accessdate=February 4, 2020}}</ref><ref name="NYTobit" />
==Filmography==
=== Television === {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Title !Role !Episodes |- |1966 |''The Felony Squad'' |Diana Porter, Miss Lucas |"The Terror Trap", "Miss Reilly's Revenge" |- |1968 |''Star Trek'' |First Girl |"A Piece of the Action" |- |1979 |''The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo'' |Hooker |"Run for the Money" |- |1985 |''Space'' |Entertainer | |}
=== Films === {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1964 |''Sin in the Suburbs'' |Yvette Talman | |- |1965 |''Encounter'' |Wicked Lady | |- |1971 |''Point of Terror'' |Andrea |Main character |- |1972 |''The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio'' |Fairy Godmother | |- |1972 |''Blood Sabbath'' |Alotta | |- |1974 |''Snatched Woman'' |Kidnap Victim | |- |1975 |''Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS'' |Ilsa |Titular character; reprises the role in 3 sequels |- |1975 |''The Swinging Barmaids'' |Boo-Boo | |- |1976 |''Beyond Fulfilment'' |Hostess | |- |1976 |''Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks'' |Ilsa |Titular character |- |1977 |''Chesty Anderson, USN'' |Nurse | |- |1977 |''Ilsa, the Wicked Warden'' |Ilsa |Titular character |- |1977 |''Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia'' |Ilsa |Titular character |- |1979 |''Up Yours'' |Manicurist | |- |1985 |''Hellhole'' |Crysta | |- |1987 |''Real Men'' |Dad Pirandello | |- |2013 |''House of Forbidden Secrets'' |Greta Gristina | |- |2013 |''House of the Witchdoctor'' |Rose | |- |2018 |''Exploitation'' |Herself | |- |2019 |''Fascism on a Thread'' |Herself | |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} * {{IMDb name|0861376|Dyanne Thorne}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorne, Dyanne}} Category:1936 births Category:2020 deaths Category:20th-century American actresses Category:21st-century American actresses Category:Actresses from Connecticut Category:Actresses from Bergen County, New Jersey Category:American female adult models Category:American film actresses Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Nevada Category:New York University alumni Category:Park Ridge High School alumni Category:Actresses from Greenwich, Connecticut Category:People from Park Ridge, New Jersey Category:Religious Science clergy Category:Method actors