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Sybil Danning

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Sybil Danning
Danning in Los Angeles, California, 2018
Born
Sybille Johanna Danninger

(1952-05-24) May 24, 1952 (age 73)
Wels, Austria
Other names
  • Cybil Danning
  • Sybil Danning Lasse
CitizenshipAustria
U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
  • film producer
Years active1968–2011 as
  • Actress
  • model
  • film producer
Known forHalloween (2007)
Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
They're Playing with Fire (1984)
Hercules (1983)
Chained Heat (1983)
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)
Spouse
Horst Lasse
(m. 1991)
Websitesybildanning.net
Signature

Sybil Danning (born Sybille Johanna Danninger; May 24, 1952)[1] is an Austrian–American former actress, model, and film producer. She is best known for her frequent appearances in B movies during the 1970s and 1980s.

Biography

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Early life

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Danning was born in Wels, Austria.[1] Her father was an American military man who returned to the United States, resulting in her growing up primarily in Eatontown, New Jersey, and Sacramento, California. After she finished school she went to Europe. Working in a clothing store there provided opportunities for modeling, and from that activity she turned to acting.[2] She also worked as a nurse and studied cosmetology while in Salzburg.[1][3]

Acting (1980–1990)

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In 1978, Danning moved to Hollywood to further a career in acting. Roger Corman's space opera cult classic, Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) helped to established her as a B movie actress. In August 1983, she appeared in a ten-page Playboy pictorial.[4] She appeared in a number of films during the 1980s: Chained Heat (1983), Hercules (1983), Malibu Express (1985), Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985), and Reform School Girls (1986).[citation needed]

In 1990, her acting career was disrupted when she suffered a spinal disc herniation while rehearsing a film stunt.[citation needed]

Return to acting (2003–2011)

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In 2003, Danning was invited by Kevin Clement of the Chiller Theatre, New Jersey, to meet her long-time fans. She went and was overwhelmed by fans who told her they wanted to see her on the big screen again. Chiller Theater prominently featured Danning in her first appearance after her hiatus in its 2004 documentary, UnConventional. The year 2007 marked Danning's return to the big screen in a faux trailer directed by Rob Zombie titled Werewolf Women of the SS for Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse, and again for Rob Zombie's 2007 remake of John Carpenter's original 1978 film, Halloween.[citation needed]

Danning returned to Austria in 2008 to play Patrick Swayze's witness Anna Gruber in the drama film Jump!, loosely based on the real-life Halsman murder case. She also appeared in five episodes of the gay-themed vampire television series The Lair as a sinister vampire out for revenge. In 2010, Danning appeared in the horror film, Virus X. In 2011, she starred in and produced a horror/music video for American hard rock band, the Last Vegas.[citation needed]

Other ventures

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Sports

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From 2002 to 2003, Danning was a shareholder of the German ice hockey team, SC Riessersee. As the first ever female co-owner of a German hockey team, Danning brought in three American players to the team, and saw the team return to the Vice Championship.[5]

Selected filmography

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Danning in The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Film Result
1981 Saturn Award Outstanding Achievement Battle Beyond the Stars Won
1984 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Supporting Actress Chained Heat and Hercules Won

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Sybil Danning Biography". elcinema.com. ElCinema.com. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  2. ^ Kleiner, Dick (February 28, 1986). "Sybil Danning: The female answer to Rambo". The Times and Democrat. South Carolina, Orangeburg. p. 23. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "One of Bluebeard's victims 'lives' to talk about it". The Cincinnati Post. August 30, 1972. p. 39. Retrieved June 2, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "PLAYBOY ENTERTAINMENT FOR MEN N° 8". abebooks.com. AbeBooks. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024. Sultry Sybil Danning queen of the action flicks heats up a ten-page pictorial
  5. ^ Von Dino Reisner (2002-12-30). "Riessersee, der Onkel aus Amerika und das Ziel: Aufstieg in die DEL: – WELT". Die Welt. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
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