Sara Lane, ‘The Virginian’ Actress, Dies At 73

Sara Lane, who is known for her four season stint as the young orphan Elizabeth Grainger on western drama The Virginian, died on Friday, March 3 at her home in Napa Valley, California following a lengthy battle with breast cancer. She was 73.

Born in New York City on March 12, 1949, Lane made her screen debut in the Joan Crawford horror film I Saw With You Did in 1965 after producer-director William Castle saw her photo in the newspaper in conjunction with her appearance in a Miss Los Angeles contest.

Lane joined the cast of The Virginian in the western’s fifth season and remained a series regular through 1970, appearing in 105 episodes in total.

Later, she appeared in three films under the name Russell Lane: Schoolgirls in Chains (1973), The Trial of Billy Jack (1974) and Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977). Lane then retired from acting and became one of the co-founders of the Havens Winery in Napa.

In addition to her husband of 43 years, Jon Scott, survivors include their children, Sara and James; their granddaughter, Olivia; and her sister, Margretha.