Lisa Zane (born Elizabeth Frances Zane; April 5, 1961) is an American actress and singer.

Personal life

Zane was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, the daughter of Thalia and William George Zane Sr., founders of a medical technical school. Her family's original surname, "Zanetakos", was

anglicized Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...

to "Zane" by her father. Both of her parents are of Greek descent. She is the older sister of actor Billy Zane.

Career

Zane's first film role was in the 1989 movie '' Heart of Dixie''. She starred in ''

Gross Anatomy Gross anatomy is the study of anatomy at the visible or macroscopic level. The counterpart to gross anatomy is the field of histology, which studies microscopic anatomy. Gross anatomy of the human body or other animals seeks to understand the rela ...

'' the same year. Other early acting roles included Claire in '' Bad Influence'' (1990), counselor Maggie Burroughs in '' Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare'' (1991), the title role in ''The Nurse'' (1997) and a cameo as the gynaecologist in the comedy '' Cruel but Necessary'' (2005). She was a series regular as Melina Paros in '' L.A. Law'' from 1992 to 1993, JoAnne Meltzer in '' Profit'', Diana in '' Roar'', Le Sage in ''

Dinotopia ''Dinotopia'' is a series of illustrated fantasy books, created by author and illustrator James Gurney. It is set in the titular Dinotopia, an isolated island inhabited by shipwrecked humans and sapient dinosaurs who have learned to coexist p ...

'' for

Hallmark Entertainment Halcyon Studios, LLC., formerly known as Sonar Entertainment, RHI Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment, Qintex Entertainment, HRI Group and Robert Halmi Inc., is an American entertainment company specializing in the production and distribution ...

and Sophia Keener in ''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

'' in 2006. She provided the voice for She-Hulk in the first season of 1990s cartoon ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'', as well as Charley Davidson in ''

Biker Mice from Mars ''Biker Mice from Mars'' is an American science fiction action animated series created by Rick Ungar. The series premiered in syndication the week of September 19, 1993. It consists of three seasons of 65 episodes, with the final episode airin ...

'' in the follow-up 2006 series, taking over from Leeza Miller-McGee. She has originated many roles on stage, playing Varya in

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...

's debut adaptation of ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate editio ...

'' at the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the la ...

, Rita in

Craig Lucas Craig Lucas (born April 30, 1951) is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director. Biography Born on April 30, 1951, he was found abandoned in a car in Atlanta, Georgia. Lucas was adopted when he was ...

's '' Prelude to a Kiss'' and Cleo in Lyle Kessler's ''Robbers''. Zane has also made many guest appearances on TV shows, including '' Lifestories: Families in Crisis'', '' The Outer Limits'', '' Judging Amy'', and ''

The Division ''The Division'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Deborah Joy LeVine starring Bonnie Bedelia. The series focuses on a team of female detectives and police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The s ...

''. Zane is a singer, BMI songwriter, and recording artist. In 2006, the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

recognized her as one of their new songwriters of the year. She played the part of the "alter ego" in

Amanda Eliasch Amanda Eliasch (born 1960) is an English photographer, artist, poet and filmmaker. Early life Amanda Eliasch was born in Beirut, Lebanon, 13 May 1960, where her father Anthony Cave Brown worked as a foreign correspondent for the ''Daily Mail' ...

's play ''"As I Like It"'' in 2012, and an award-winning documentary drama ''"The Gun the Cake and the Butterfly''" (2014), in which she sang with Charles Eliasch. The same year she performed in ''

The Girl from Nagasaki ''The Girl from Nagasaki'' is a 2013 romantic musical drama film directed by Michel Comte. The film had its premiere as the closing night film of the ''2013 Naples International Film Festival'' on November 9, 2013. The film later screened at the 2 ...

'' a film by Michel Comte based on Madame Butterfly. In 2013, Zane performed in The Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Lisa Zane official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zane, Lisa 1961 births Actresses from Chicago American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses American people of Greek descent Living people American women singer-songwriters American stage actresses Singers from Chicago Vassar College alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Singer-songwriters from Illinois Francis W. Parker School (Chicago) alumni