Lisa Zane
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Frances "Lisa" Zane (born April 5, 1961) is an American actress and singer who has starred on stage, in film and television.
to "Zane" by her parents. Both of her parents are of Greek descent. She is the older sister of actor Billy Zane
.
and also that year, she starred in the film Gross Anatomy
. Her other well known film roles include the 1990 suspense movie Bad Influence
and in 1991 starred in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
as Maggie Burroughs. Her most recent film was the 2005 release Cruel But Necessary
.
Zane has originated many roles on stage including Rita in Craig Lucas's
Prelude to a Kiss, and Cleo in Lyle Kessler's
Robbers.
Her professional stage debut was in David Mamet's
Adaptation of The Cherry Orchard
at the Goodman Theatre
Zane has starred in many television series. She appeared on L.A. Law
as Melina Paros from 1992 to 1993, as well as JoAnne Meltzer on the short-lived but critically acclaimed television series Profit
, Roar
, and Dinotopia for Hallmark. Lisa did the voice of She-Hulk
on the 1990's cartoon The Incredible Hulk. She most recently did the voice of Charley in the upcoming season of Biker Mice from Mars
. Lisa had a recurring role on the NBC
hit television series ER
as Diane Leeds.
Zane has made many guest appearances TV shows,some of those shows range from Lifestories: Families in Crisis
, The Outer Limits
, Judging Amy
, and The Division
. In 2006 she guest starred in Law and Order. Lisa is a singer, BMI
songwriter and recording artist. In 2006, The Songwriters Hall of Fame
recognized Zane as one of their new songwriters of the year.
Personal life
Zane was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Thalia and William George Zane, Sr., founders of a medical technical school. Her family's original surname, "Zanetakos", was anglicizedAnglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
to "Zane" by her parents. Both of her parents are of Greek descent. She is the older sister of actor Billy Zane
Billy Zane
William George "Billy" Zane, Jr. is an American actor, producer and director. He is probably best known for his roles as Caledon Hockley in Titanic, The Phantom from The Phantom, John Wheeler in Twin Peaks and Mr...
.
Career
Zane's first film role was in the 1989 movie Heart of DixieHeart of Dixie
Heart of Dixie is a 1989 drama film adaptation of the 1976 novel Heartbreak Hotel by Anne Rivers Siddons and directed by Martin Davidson...
and also that year, she starred in the film Gross Anatomy
Gross Anatomy (1989 film)
Gross Anatomy is a 1989 American drama film directed by Thom Eberhardt and starring Matthew Modine and Daphne Zuniga. It was released by Touchstone Pictures.-Synopsis:...
. Her other well known film roles include the 1990 suspense movie Bad Influence
Bad Influence (film)
Bad Influence is a 1990 American film starring Rob Lowe and James Spader. In this noirish film, Spader plays a yuppie who meets a mysterious stranger who encourages him to explore his darker side. Bad Influence was the first original screenplay for which David Koepp received a sole screenplay credit...
and in 1991 starred in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is a 1991 American slasher film. It is the sixthand as the title suggests, intended to be the lastfilm in the series of films featuring Freddy Krueger...
as Maggie Burroughs. Her most recent film was the 2005 release Cruel But Necessary
Cruel But Necessary
Cruel But Necessary is a 2005 independent film directed by Canadian actor/director Saul Rubinek. Actress, Wendel Meldrum, took a turn as a screenwriter for this project. Meldrum stars in the film as Betty Munson, a woman struggling to put her life back together after her marriage falls apart...
.
Zane has originated many roles on stage including Rita in Craig Lucas's
Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director.-Biography:...
Prelude to a Kiss, and Cleo in Lyle Kessler's
Lyle Kessler
Lyle Kessler is an American playwright, screenwriter and actor, best known internationally for Orphans, the play he wrote in 1983.-Actor:...
Robbers.
Her professional stage debut was in David Mamet's
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
Adaptation of The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
at the Goodman Theatre
Goodman Theatre
The Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization...
Zane has starred in many television series. She appeared on L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
as Melina Paros from 1992 to 1993, as well as JoAnne Meltzer on the short-lived but critically acclaimed television series Profit
Profit (TV series)
Profit is an American television series that originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company in 1996. The series was created by David Greenwalt and John McNamara, and starred Adrian Pasdar as the titular character, Jim Profit. In February 2008, episodes began airing on Chiller in the USA...
, Roar
Roar (TV series)
Roar is an American television show that originally aired on the Fox network in the summer of 1997. In the year AD 400, a young Irish man, Conor , sets out to rid his land of the invading Romans, but in order to accomplish this, he must unite the Celtic clans.-Premise:Roar chronicles the...
, and Dinotopia for Hallmark. Lisa did the voice of She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
on the 1990's cartoon The Incredible Hulk. She most recently did the voice of Charley in the upcoming season of Biker Mice from Mars
Biker Mice from Mars
Biker Mice from Mars is a science fiction animated series created by Rick Ungar that began airing in 1993 in the United States and lasted for three seasons before it was cancelled...
. Lisa had a recurring role on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
hit television series ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
as Diane Leeds.
Zane has made many guest appearances TV shows,some of those shows range from Lifestories: Families in Crisis
Lifestories: Families in Crisis
Lifestories: Families in Crisis is an American drama television series that premiered on HBO on August 1, 1992.-The show:Lifestories: Families in Crisis deals with major issues involving individuals, mostly teenagers and young adults. The stories usually ended with the real person on which the...
, The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1995 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that originally aired on Showtime,the Sci Fi Channel and in syndication between 1995 and 2002...
, Judging Amy
Judging Amy
Judging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly...
, and The Division
The Division
The Division is an American Lifetime Television original series about a team of women police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The series premiered on January 7, 2001 and ended on June 28, 2004 after 88 episodes.-Synopsis:...
. In 2006 she guest starred in Law and Order. Lisa is a singer, BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
songwriter and recording artist. In 2006, The Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
recognized Zane as one of their new songwriters of the year.
Filmography
- Gross Anatomy (1989) as Luann
- Heart of DixieHeart of DixieHeart of Dixie is a 1989 drama film adaptation of the 1976 novel Heartbreak Hotel by Anne Rivers Siddons and directed by Martin Davidson...
(1989) as M.A. - The Age of Insects (1990) as Sara
- Bad InfluenceBad Influence (film)Bad Influence is a 1990 American film starring Rob Lowe and James Spader. In this noirish film, Spader plays a yuppie who meets a mysterious stranger who encourages him to explore his darker side. Bad Influence was the first original screenplay for which David Koepp received a sole screenplay credit...
(1990) as Claire - Freddy's Dead: The Final NightmareFreddy's Dead: The Final NightmareFreddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is a 1991 American slasher film. It is the sixthand as the title suggests, intended to be the lastfilm in the series of films featuring Freddy Krueger...
(1991) as Maggie Burroughs - Femme Fatale (1991) as Elizabeth/Cynthia/Maura
- Unveiled (1994) as Stephanie Montgomery
- Terrified (1995) as Pearl
- Baby Face Nelson (1995) as Helen Womack
- ProfitProfit (TV series)Profit is an American television series that originally aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company in 1996. The series was created by David Greenwalt and John McNamara, and starred Adrian Pasdar as the titular character, Jim Profit. In February 2008, episodes began airing on Chiller in the USA...
(1996) as Joanne Meltzer - Roar (TV series)Roar (TV series)Roar is an American television show that originally aired on the Fox network in the summer of 1997. In the year AD 400, a young Irish man, Conor , sets out to rid his land of the invading Romans, but in order to accomplish this, he must unite the Celtic clans.-Premise:Roar chronicles the...
(1997) as Queen Diana - The Nurse (1997) as Laura Harriman
- A Table for One (1999) as Ariana Harpwood
- The Secret Pact (2001) as Denise Wokowski
- MonkeyboneMonkeyboneMonkeybone is a 2001 American comedy film that combines live-action with stop-motion animation. It was based on Kaja Blackley's graphic novel Dark Town...
(2001) as Medusa - DinotopiaDinotopiaDinotopia is a fictional utopia created by author and illustrator James Gurney. It is the setting for the book series with which it shares its name. Dinotopia is an isolated island inhabited by shipwrecked humans and sentient dinosaurs who have learned to coexist peacefully as a single symbiotic...
(2002) as LeSage - Cruel But NecessaryCruel But NecessaryCruel But Necessary is a 2005 independent film directed by Canadian actor/director Saul Rubinek. Actress, Wendel Meldrum, took a turn as a screenwriter for this project. Meldrum stars in the film as Betty Munson, a woman struggling to put her life back together after her marriage falls apart...
(2005) as the Gynecologist