Dyanne Thorne, a talented American actress and performer, embarked on her career in show business as a band vocalist and New York stage actress. Prior to her breakthrough in the silver screen, she gained popularity as a comedic sketch artist and talking foil.
Thorne's early career included appearances on numerous TV variety shows such as "The Tonight Show", "Red Skelton", "Steve Allen", "Merv Griffin", and "Tim Conway at Caesar's Palace Hotel in Las Vegas". She also released comedy albums with notable artists like Allen & Rossi, Vaughn Meader, and Loman & Barkley.
In 1965, Thorne landed her first major film role in Norman C. Chaitin's "Encounter", alongside an early screen credit for Robert De Niro. She then transitioned to Hollywood, starring in TV's "Star Trek" (1966) and the thriller "Point of Terror" (1971) for Crown International.
In 1975, Thorne married composer, conductor, musician, and actor Howard Maurer, with whom she would star in five films and co-produce several Las Vegas Strip showroom productions over three decades. The couple's careers took them around the world, and they eventually returned to the screen in 2013, starring together in indie horror films "House of Forbidden Secrets" (2013) and "House of the Witchdoctor" (2013).
Thorne is perhaps best known for her iconic portrayal of the heinous international dominatrix, soldier of fortune, Ilsa. She debuted as Ilsa in "Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS" (1975) and reprised the role in sequels "Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks" (1976),"Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia" (1977),and "Ilsa, the Wicked Warden" (1977) for director Jesús Franco.
Thorne's performance as Ilsa turned the series into a cult favorite among horror and exploitation fans, with "Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia" (1977) earning a special screening at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in 2018.
Following her film career, Thorne, alongside her husband Howard, served as a church-ordained, non-denominational minister in Las Vegas. They created "A Scenic Outdoor Wedding" as an alternative to commercial chapel weddings, with couples traveling from across the globe to be married by "Ilsa".
