Sybil Danning
Encyclopedia
Sybil Danning is an Austria
n actress known for her many roles in B movie
s, science fiction film
s, and action film
s.
, Austria
as Sybille Johanna Danninger. Her father was an American of Dutch and German
descent; her Austrian mother later married a United States Army major who moved the family to the United States when his tour of duty in Austria with the occupation forces was over.
Danning became an actress after leaving home about 1968 at the age of sixteen.
"Lorelei" covered by only her long blonde tresses. The next year, she had a role in one of Robert De Niro
’s first films, Sam's Song
.
Danning next trained for three years with a drama coach in Munich. In 1972, she was in the cast of Bluebeard
, along with Raquel Welch
and Richard Burton
, playing a high-caliber prostitute. The same year, she appeared in Eye of the Labyrinth, a giallo
thriller.
Also noteworthy were her films The Three Musketeers
and The Four Musketeers
, again acting with Raquel Welch; both movies being produced by Ilya and Alexander Salkind
.
In 1978, Danning moved to Hollywood, California
, to further her career in American films. She left all her friends and family in Europe behind, and pursued her career with no contract, no agent, and no idea what the future would bring.
Danning portrayed an extraterrestrial Amazon named Saint-Exmin in the 1980 film Battle Beyond the Stars
. This performance earned her "The Golden Scroll Award of Merit" from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films. The cheaply-made films Jungle Warriors, Panther Squad, and S.A.S. San Salvador followed in quick succession.
In 1983, Danning appeared on the cover of the August issue of Playboy
magazine and in a nude Playboy pictorial inside.
Next, Sybil co-starred with Christopher Lee
in Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf
, playing Stirba, an evil werewolf queen. She began to guest-star in many American television series, notably A Man Called Sloane
, Vega$
, Simon & Simon
, Masquerade
, The Fall Guy
, and V (The TV series). In 1986, Sybil was seen with the troubled rocker Wendy O. Williams
in Reform School Girls
, a campy "Women in Prison" film. After the sketch parody Amazon Women on the Moon
, Sybil founded her own production company, "Adventuress Productions, Inc.", and that one produced L.A. Bounty
, in which she starred and helped write the script.
Danning was the hostess of her own collection of 26 action-adventure films that bear the title Sybil Danning's Adventure Video for the "USA Home Video" company. She appeared at the beginning, spouted one-liners, introduced the video, and returned at the end to wrap it up. In 1989, Danning re-teamed with the producers of Bluebeard, The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, and The Prince and the Pauper to play a succubus in the television series Superboy
.
In 1990, Danning's acting career was cut short by an accident in a gymnasium while she was rehearsing a film stunt. For the next two months, she rested, while working with writers on her first screenplay-writing experience, but the pain worsened. Doctors misdiagnosed her condition as either a strained muscle or a damaged nerve, and they prescribed painkillers and massages. Finally, a surgeon, recommended by Jack Nicholson
, discovered that Danning had two severely herniated discs, and put her into the hospital that same afternoon.
Danning underwent a series of epidural
s, followed by traction. At that point, Sybil could not walk, and she was always either in bed or in a wheelchair. At first, she was determined to overcome her orthopedic problem without surgery, but the pain became too overwhelming. Sybil finally consented to a new microdissectomy technique on the day after Thanksgiving 1990. She spent the following year recovering and watched the duration of the Persian Gulf War
from her hospital bed.
In 2003, Danning returned to public performances. She started by appearing in the fan memorabilia convention circuit, with appearances in California, Chicago, Illinois, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, and New Jersey. The Chiller Theater in New Jersey included footage of Danning in her first appearance in its 2004 documentary, UnConventional.
The year 2007 marked Danning's return to the big screen, most notably in the film Grindhouse, in a faux trailer titled Werewolf Women of the SS. This was followed by her appearance in Rob Zombie
's remake of Halloween
.
She has appeared in the third season of the here! series The Lair
as Frau von Hess, a sinister vampiress out to kill the vampire whose influence over her son caused her transformation.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n actress known for her many roles in B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s, science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
s, and action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
s.
Early life
Danning was born in Ried im InnkreisRied im Innkreis
Ried im Innkreis is a town in the state of Upper Austria in Austria, approximately 70 km west of Linz and 60 km north of Salzburg...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
as Sybille Johanna Danninger. Her father was an American of Dutch and German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
descent; her Austrian mother later married a United States Army major who moved the family to the United States when his tour of duty in Austria with the occupation forces was over.
Danning became an actress after leaving home about 1968 at the age of sixteen.
Career
Danning made her film debut in 1968's Komm nur, mein liebstes Vögelein, portraying the legendary German mermaidMermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
"Lorelei" covered by only her long blonde tresses. The next year, she had a role in one of Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
’s first films, Sam's Song
Sam's Song
Sam's Song is a 1969 drama film starring Robert De Niro. It was directed by John Broderick and John Shade.-External links:* on the Internet Movie Database...
.
Danning next trained for three years with a drama coach in Munich. In 1972, she was in the cast of Bluebeard
Bluebeard (1972 film)
Bluebeard is a 1972 thriller starring Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, Joey Heatherton and Sybil Danning. It was filmed in Budapest, Hungary and directed by Edward Dmytryk....
, along with Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Jo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
and Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
, playing a high-caliber prostitute. The same year, she appeared in Eye of the Labyrinth, a giallo
Giallo
Giallo is an Italian 20th century genre of literature and film, which in Italian indicates crime fiction and mystery. In the English language it refers to a genre similar to the French fantastique genre and includes elements of horror fiction and eroticism...
thriller.
Also noteworthy were her films The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers (1973 film)
The Three Musketeers is a 1973 film based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. It was directed by Richard Lester and written by George MacDonald Fraser . It was originally proposed in the 1960s as a vehicle for The Beatles, whom Lester had directed in two other films...
and The Four Musketeers
The Four Musketeers (film)
The Four Musketeers is a 1974 Richard Lester film that follows upon his film of the year before, The Three Musketeers, and covers the second half of Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers...
, again acting with Raquel Welch; both movies being produced by Ilya and Alexander Salkind
Alexander Salkind
Alexander Salkind was the second of three generations of successful international film producers.-Life and career:...
.
In 1978, Danning moved to Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to further her career in American films. She left all her friends and family in Europe behind, and pursued her career with no contract, no agent, and no idea what the future would bring.
Danning portrayed an extraterrestrial Amazon named Saint-Exmin in the 1980 film Battle Beyond the Stars
Battle Beyond the Stars
Battle Beyond the Stars is a Roger Corman-produced science fiction film, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami and released in 1980. The film, intended as a "Magnificent Seven in outer space," is a pastiche of The Magnificent Seven, the Western remake of Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai...
. This performance earned her "The Golden Scroll Award of Merit" from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films. The cheaply-made films Jungle Warriors, Panther Squad, and S.A.S. San Salvador followed in quick succession.
In 1983, Danning appeared on the cover of the August issue of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
magazine and in a nude Playboy pictorial inside.
Next, Sybil co-starred with Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
in Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf
Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf Bitch
Howling II: Stirba – Werewolf Bitch is a 1985 horror film directed by Philippe Mora...
, playing Stirba, an evil werewolf queen. She began to guest-star in many American television series, notably A Man Called Sloane
A Man Called Sloane
A Man Called Sloane was an American secret agent adventure television series that aired on NBC during the 1979-1980 television season. It was a Woodruff Production in association with QM Productions, and became the final series produced by Quinn Martin's company to debut .The series starred Robert...
, Vega$
Vega$
Vega$ is an American detective television drama series that aired on ABC between 1978 and 1981. It was produced by Aaron Spelling. The series, was filmed in its entirety in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is believed to be the first television series produced entirely in Las Vegas...
, Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon
Simon & Simon is an American detective television series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker.-History:The original 1978 pilot called Pirate's Key was set in Florida...
, Masquerade
Masquerade (TV series)
Masquerade is an American espionage television series that aired for a few months on ABC in the spring of 1983.-Synopsis:Considered an amalgam of Mission: Impossible and The Love Boat, the tongue-in-cheek series starred Rod Taylor as Mr...
, The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
, and V (The TV series). In 1986, Sybil was seen with the troubled rocker Wendy O. Williams
Wendy O. Williams
Wendy Orlean Williams , better known as Wendy O. Williams, was the lead singer for the American punk band the Plasmatics, as well as a solo artist...
in Reform School Girls
Reform School Girls
Reform School Girls is a 1986 American film directed by Tom DeSimone, starring Wendy O. Williams, Pat Ast, and Sybil Danning. It depicts a reform school for girls that is operated by a sadistic and evil warden, Sutter, and her henchwoman Edna.-Plot:...
, a campy "Women in Prison" film. After the sketch parody Amazon Women on the Moon
Amazon Women on the Moon
Amazon Women on the Moon is a 1987 American satirical comedy film that parodies the experience of watching low-budget movies on late-night television...
, Sybil founded her own production company, "Adventuress Productions, Inc.", and that one produced L.A. Bounty
L.A. Bounty
L.A. Bounty is a 1989 drama film directed by Worth Keeter, starring Sybil Danning, Wings Hauser and Blackie Dammett. Ruger , an ex-cop-turned-bounty hunter goes after a crazed killer.-Cast:* Sybil Danning as Ruger...
, in which she starred and helped write the script.
Danning was the hostess of her own collection of 26 action-adventure films that bear the title Sybil Danning's Adventure Video for the "USA Home Video" company. She appeared at the beginning, spouted one-liners, introduced the video, and returned at the end to wrap it up. In 1989, Danning re-teamed with the producers of Bluebeard, The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, and The Prince and the Pauper to play a succubus in the television series Superboy
Superboy (TV series)
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...
.
In 1990, Danning's acting career was cut short by an accident in a gymnasium while she was rehearsing a film stunt. For the next two months, she rested, while working with writers on her first screenplay-writing experience, but the pain worsened. Doctors misdiagnosed her condition as either a strained muscle or a damaged nerve, and they prescribed painkillers and massages. Finally, a surgeon, recommended by Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
, discovered that Danning had two severely herniated discs, and put her into the hospital that same afternoon.
Danning underwent a series of epidural
Epidural
The term epidural is often short for epidural analgesia, a form of regional analgesia involving injection of drugs through a catheter placed into the epidural space...
s, followed by traction. At that point, Sybil could not walk, and she was always either in bed or in a wheelchair. At first, she was determined to overcome her orthopedic problem without surgery, but the pain became too overwhelming. Sybil finally consented to a new microdissectomy technique on the day after Thanksgiving 1990. She spent the following year recovering and watched the duration of the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
from her hospital bed.
In 2003, Danning returned to public performances. She started by appearing in the fan memorabilia convention circuit, with appearances in California, Chicago, Illinois, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, and New Jersey. The Chiller Theater in New Jersey included footage of Danning in her first appearance in its 2004 documentary, UnConventional.
The year 2007 marked Danning's return to the big screen, most notably in the film Grindhouse, in a faux trailer titled Werewolf Women of the SS. This was followed by her appearance in Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
's remake of Halloween
Halloween (2007 film)
Halloween is a 2007 American slasher film written, directed, and produced by Rob Zombie. The film is a remake/reimagining of the 1978 horror film of the same name, the first in the rebooted Halloween film series and the ninth Halloween film in total. The film stars Tyler Mane as the adult Michael...
.
She has appeared in the third season of the here! series The Lair
The Lair
The Lair is an American gay-themed vampire television series produced by here! in 2007. The first season, consisting of six episodes, wrapped production in January of that year. The first two episodes premiered on June 1, 2007. Season 2, consisting of 9 episodes debuted on September 5, 2008...
as Frau von Hess, a sinister vampiress out to kill the vampire whose influence over her son caused her transformation.
Trivia
From 2002 to 2003 Danning and her husband Horst Lasse had been shareholders of the German ice hockey club SC RiesserseeSC Riessersee
SC Riessersee is an ice hockey team from Germany.They play their home games at the Olympia-Eissport-Zentrum, located in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberbayern. They currently play in the second level of German ice hockey, the 2...
Selected filmography
- The Honest Interview (1971)
- Run, Run, Joe!Run, Run, Joe!Run, Run, Joe! is an Italian action-comedy movie directed in 1974 by Giuseppe Colizzi. It is the penultimate movie of Colizzi, before the posthumously released Switch. The movie reprises the style of the movies of the popular duo Bud Spencer-Terence Hill, that the same Colizzi had launched in...
(1974) - The TwistThe Twist (film)The Twist is a 1976 film co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol. Its title in French is Folies bourgeoises .-Plot:...
(1976) - Cat in the Cage (1978)
- The Concorde ... Airport '79 (1979)
- MeteorMeteor (film)Meteor is a 1979 science fiction Technicolor disaster film in which scientists detect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth and struggle with international, cold war politics in their efforts to prevent disaster. The movie starred Sean Connery and Natalie Wood.It was directed by Ronald Neame...
(1979) - The Man with Bogart's FaceThe Man with Bogart's FaceThe Man with Bogart's Face is a 1980 comedy film, released by 20th Century Fox and based on a novel of the same name. Andrew J...
(1980) - Battle Beyond the StarsBattle Beyond the StarsBattle Beyond the Stars is a Roger Corman-produced science fiction film, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami and released in 1980. The film, intended as a "Magnificent Seven in outer space," is a pastiche of The Magnificent Seven, the Western remake of Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai...
(1980) - How to Beat the High Co$t of LivingHow to Beat the High Co$t of LivingHow to Beat the High Co$t of Living is a 1980 comedy film, starring Jane Curtin, Susan Saint James and Jessica Lange. Also in the cast are Dabney Coleman, Fred Willard, Richard Benjamin, Eddie Albert, Cathryn Damon, and a cameo by Jane Curtin's fellow Saturday Night Live co-star Garrett Morris...
(1980) - Separate Ways (1981)
- Chained HeatChained HeatChained Heat is a 1983 exploitation film in the women-in-prison genre. It was co-written and directed by Paul Nicholas for Jensen Farley Pictures.-Plot:...
(1983) - HerculesHercules (1983 film)Hercules is a 1983 Italian adventure film written and directed by Luigi Cozzi. The film follows the exploits of Hercules.Part of the adventure finds Hercules battling giant robots brought to life by stop motion animation. The musical score was provided by Pino Donaggio.Despite not being a critical...
(1983) - S.A.S. à San SalvadorS.A.S. à San SalvadorS.A.S. à San Salvador is a French-German film adaptation of Gérard de Villiers' novel of the same name, directed by Raoul Coutard...
(1983) - Panther Squad (1984)
- Jungle WarriorsJungle WarriorsJungle Warriors, AKA The Czar of Brazil is an action film, released in USA on November 1984. The movie was shot on Mexico and the old West Germany, but recreating the scenario of a South American jungle...
(1984) - Howling II: Stirba - Werewolf BitchHowling II: Stirba - Werewolf BitchHowling II: Stirba – Werewolf Bitch is a 1985 horror film directed by Philippe Mora...
(1985) - Reform School GirlsReform School GirlsReform School Girls is a 1986 American film directed by Tom DeSimone, starring Wendy O. Williams, Pat Ast, and Sybil Danning. It depicts a reform school for girls that is operated by a sadistic and evil warden, Sutter, and her henchwoman Edna.-Plot:...
(1986) - Amazon Women on the MoonAmazon Women on the MoonAmazon Women on the Moon is a 1987 American satirical comedy film that parodies the experience of watching low-budget movies on late-night television...
(1987)