Abbe Lane, born Abigail Francine Lassman, was a talented singer and actress who made a significant impact in the 1950s and 1960s with her sultry Latin image and seductive dancing style.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family, Abbe began performing at a young age, singing on radio from the age of four and appearing on screen in the Vitaphone featurette Toyland Casino in 1938.
She started her career as a hoofer on Broadway by her mid-teens, lying about her age to get into musicals, and later became a vocalist for bandleader Vincent Lopez on television.
Abbe's big break came when she was spotted by Spanish maestro Xavier Cugat and hired as his featured vocalist and star attraction. They married in 1952, despite a significant age difference, and Abbe sang on several of Cugat's LPs and appeared on the cover of his compilation album "The Best of Cugat".
In 1958, Abbe co-starred on Broadway opposite Tony Randall in the musical comedy Oh, Captain, and also recorded an album with Tito Puente's orchestra, entitled "Be Mine Tonight".
Frustrated with being typecast in American films as a "decorative accessory", Abbe joined Cugat in Italy in 1956 and enjoyed immediate screen success, starring in films such as I girovaghi, Parola di ladro, and The Lady Doctor.
The couple divorced in 1964, and Abbe married Hollywood agent Perry Leff, with whom she had two sons. She continued to appear on TV variety shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s, hosted by prominent emcees such as Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson.
In her later years, Abbe tended to distance herself from her previous sensual image, publishing a semi-autobiographical novel, But Where is Love?, in 1993. She has a star on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.
