The Virginian actress Sara Lane passes away at 73 after long battle with breast cancer

The Virginian actress Sara Lane, who portrayed the orphaned girl Elizabeth Grainger for four seasons of the NBC drama, has reportedly passed away at the age of 73. Lane passed away Friday at her home in Napa, California, after a six-year battle with breast cancer, her husband, Jon Scott, told The Hollywood Reporter. She was great at riding horses, which helped her land the role on her breakthrough project The Virginian.

As shared by the outlet, after she appeared in few commercials, producer-director William Castle saw her photo in the newspaper as a participant in a Miss Los Angeles contest and eventually approached her for a role as one of the prank-calling teens in the thriller I Saw What You Did (1965). The feature also starred Joan Crawford and John Ireland.

Lane is perhaps best known for her role as Elizabeth Grainger in the western television series The Virginian where played the character from 1962 to 1964. Lane joined the cast in its fifth season, playing the recurring role of Elizabeth Grainger. She appeared in more than 100 episodes of the period drama.

The Virginian aired one final season without her. Lane also appeared in handful of films under the stage name Russell Lane in credits like 1973’s Schoolgirls in Chains, 1974’s The Trial of Billy Jack and 1977’s Billy Jack Goes to Washington. In the late 1970s, before retiring from acting.

Lane is survived by her husband Jon Scott, their children, Sara and James; their granddaughter, Olivia; and her sister, Margretha.