American actress and performer Dyanne Thorne began her career in show business as a band vocalist and New York stage actress. Before breaking onto the silver screen, she was popular as a comedic sketch artist/talking foil. Comedy albums, with Allen & Rossi, Vaughn Meader and Loman & Barkley earned her appearances on many T.V variety shows such as “The Tonight Show”, “Red Skelton”, “Steve Allen”, “Merv Griffin”, and with Tim Conway at Caesar’s Palace Hotel in Las Vegas.
Filmed in New York City, Dyanne Thorne’s first major film role was in Norman C. Chaitin’s Encounter (1965), which was also an early screen credit for Robert De Niro. Moving to Hollywood to appear on T.V.’s Star Trek (1966), and star as yet another villainess in Crown International’s thriller Point of Terror (1971), opened the door to several more movie roles.
In 1975, Dyanne married composer, conductor, musician and actor Howard Maurer. She and husband Howard starred in five films together throughout the years. The duo also co-produced and starred in several Las Vegas Strip showroom productions over a span of three decades and their careers took them around the world. Both Dyanne and Howard returned to the screen in 2013 after a 25 year absence to star together in indie horror films House of Forbidden Secrets (2013) and House of the Witchdoctor (2013).
As an actress, Dyanne Thorne was best known for her characterisation of the heinous international dominatrix, soldier of fortune, Ilsa. After her debut as Ilsa in Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975), she reprised the role in sequels Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks (1976), Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia (1977) and unofficial entry Greta – Haus ohne Männer (1977) by director Jesús Franco. Her performance as Ilsa turned the series into a cult favourite amongst horror and exploitation fans, with Ilsa the Tigress of Siberia (1977) earning a special screening at Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival 2018. Following her film career, Dyanne, alongside husband Howard, served as a church ordained, non-denominational minister In Las Vegas. The husband and wife team created “A Scenic Outdoor Wedding” as an alternative to commercial chapel weddings, with couples travelling from across the globe to be married by “Ilsa”.
