Catya Sassoon
Encyclopedia
Catya "Cat" Sassoon was an American model
and actress.
to British
hairstylist Vidal Sassoon
and his wife, actress Beverly Adams
. Raised in Beverly Hills, Sassoon was a rebellious teen
who pierced her nose and dyed her hair purple at the age of 13. At age 14, she dropped out of Beverly Hills High School
and began modeling. At age 15, Sassoon married Luca Scalisi, son of an Italian
film producer. The marriage was short-lived and the next year, Sassoon made her film debut in the 1985 movie, Tuff Turf
.
The same year, Sassoon left for New York
to embark on a modeling career. After arriving, she was signed with the Prestige Agency and became a model who appeared on the covers of Seventeen
and Brides
, but by age 21, she was battling an addiction to drugs and landed in rehab.
In 1990, Sassoon, who was now clean and sober, traveled the country with her mother, Beverly Adams, to promote her father's book, Fantasies. Both women openly discussed how they overcame addiction problems. At that time, Beverly Sassoon said that she was three years clear of an alcohol addiction, and that Catya, then 22, was about to celebrate one year free from drug addiction. Later that year, Sassoon began acting again and appeared in an episode of Hardball
. She also appeared in Bloodfist IV: Die Trying
and Dance with Death. In 1993, she landed the lead role in the Roger Corman
-produced martial arts
film Angelfist
, directed by Cirio H. Santiago
. Sassoon made her last screen appearance in the 1995 action film, Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero
. In addition to acting, Sassoon was also the lead singer of an all female group, Feline Force.
Sassoon married for the second time to Joe Meyers. The couple had their first child, a son named London, in 1995. In the spring of 2000, she gave birth to twin girls, Mycca and Skye.
. At about 9:20 a.m. the following day, Sassoon's husband went to check on her and found her dead. Sassoon had a history of high blood pressure
and family members believed her death to be a heart attack
. Despite her history of drug and alcohol abuse, her family maintained that she had long since kicked the habit and was clean and sober at the time of her death.
An autopsy
report later revealed that Sassoon died of a heart attack
brought on by an overdose of hydromorphone
and cocaine
. She was 33 years old. Sassoon is buried in Eden Memorial Park Cemetery
in Mission Hills, California.
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and actress.
Early life and career
The eldest of four children, Sassoon was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hairstylist Vidal Sassoon
Vidal Sassoon
Vidal Sassoon, CBE is a widely recognised British hairdresser, credited with creating a simple geometric, "Bauhaus-inspired" hair style, also called the bob...
and his wife, actress Beverly Adams
Beverly Adams
Beverly Adams is a Canadian-born actress and author.-Early life and career:Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Adams moved to Burbank, California as a child. As a teen, she competed in and won beauty contests before becoming an actress. During her career, Adams appeared in various guest roles in television...
. Raised in Beverly Hills, Sassoon was a rebellious teen
Teenage rebellion
As part of their development into young adults, humans must develop an identity independent from their parents or family and a capacity for independent decision-making. They may experiment with different roles, behaviours, and ideologies as part of their process of developing an identity...
who pierced her nose and dyed her hair purple at the age of 13. At age 14, she dropped out of Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. Beverly is part of the Beverly Hills Unified School District and located on on the west side of Beverly Hills, at the...
and began modeling. At age 15, Sassoon married Luca Scalisi, son of an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
film producer. The marriage was short-lived and the next year, Sassoon made her film debut in the 1985 movie, Tuff Turf
Tuff Turf
Tuff Turf is a 1985 American drama film starring James Spader and Kim Richards. The film was released in the United States on January 11, 1985.-Plot:...
.
The same year, Sassoon left for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to embark on a modeling career. After arriving, she was signed with the Prestige Agency and became a model who appeared on the covers of Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
and Brides
Brides (magazine)
Brides is an American monthly magazine published by Condé Nast, who purchased the magazine in 1959. As with many similar bridal magazines, it is designed to be an in-depth resource for brides-to-be, with many photographs and articles on wedding dresses, cakes, ceremonies, receptions and honeymoons...
, but by age 21, she was battling an addiction to drugs and landed in rehab.
In 1990, Sassoon, who was now clean and sober, traveled the country with her mother, Beverly Adams, to promote her father's book, Fantasies. Both women openly discussed how they overcame addiction problems. At that time, Beverly Sassoon said that she was three years clear of an alcohol addiction, and that Catya, then 22, was about to celebrate one year free from drug addiction. Later that year, Sassoon began acting again and appeared in an episode of Hardball
Hardball (1989 TV series)
Hardball is an American crime drama television series that ran on NBC during the 1989-1990 television schedule.-Synopsis:Hardball is a variation of the buddy cop genre that focused on two cops, Charlie "C.B." Battles and Joe "Kaz" Kaczierowski . Battles is a 45-year-old hard-nosed veteran cop who...
. She also appeared in Bloodfist IV: Die Trying
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying
Bloodfist IV: Die Trying is a 1992 action/adventure sequel starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Cat Sassoon, Jon Agro, Kale Browne, Stephen James Carver and Lenny Citrano. It was directed by Paul Ziller and written by Rob Kerchner and Paul Ziller....
and Dance with Death. In 1993, she landed the lead role in the Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
-produced martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
film Angelfist
Angelfist
Angelfist is a 1993 action/thriller film starring Catya Sassoon, Michael Shaner, and Melissa Moore. Directed by Cirio H. Santiago, the film was produced by Santiago and Roger Corman....
, directed by Cirio H. Santiago
Cirio H. Santiago
Cirio H. Santiago was a prolific Filipino film producer, director, writer and cinematographer. He also uses the screen names: Cirio Santiago and Leonard Hermes.-Life and career:...
. Sassoon made her last screen appearance in the 1995 action film, Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero
Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero
Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero is a 1995 action film starring Don Wilson, Marcus Aurelius, Michael Blanks and Anthony Boyer. It was directed by Rick Jacobson and written by Brendan Broderick and Rob Kerchner.-Plot:...
. In addition to acting, Sassoon was also the lead singer of an all female group, Feline Force.
Sassoon married for the second time to Joe Meyers. The couple had their first child, a son named London, in 1995. In the spring of 2000, she gave birth to twin girls, Mycca and Skye.
Death
On New Year's Eve 2001, Sassoon and her husband attended a New Year's party at a friend's home. Sassoon complained of feeling unwell, left the party and returned to her home in the Hollywood HillsHollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
. At about 9:20 a.m. the following day, Sassoon's husband went to check on her and found her dead. Sassoon had a history of high blood pressure
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
and family members believed her death to be a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. Despite her history of drug and alcohol abuse, her family maintained that she had long since kicked the habit and was clean and sober at the time of her death.
An autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
report later revealed that Sassoon died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
brought on by an overdose of hydromorphone
Hydromorphone
Hydromorphone, a more common synonym for dihydromorphinone, commonly a hydrochloride is a very potent centrally-acting analgesic drug of the opioid class. It is a derivative of morphine, to be specific, a hydrogenated ketone thereof and, therefore, a semi-synthetic drug...
and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. She was 33 years old. Sassoon is buried in Eden Memorial Park Cemetery
Eden Memorial Park Cemetery
Eden Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery located at 11500 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mission Hills, California, in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.-Notable interments:*John Brown , actor*Lenny Bruce , comedian...
in Mission Hills, California.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Tuff Turf | Feather | |
| 1987 | Inside Out | ||
| 1991 | Dance with Death | Jodie | |
| 1992 | Secret Games | Sandra | |
| 1992 | Bloodfist IV: Die Trying | Lisa | Alternative title: Die Trying Credited as Cat Sassoon |
| 1992 | Inside Out IV | Pauline | Segment: "Natalie Would" |
| 1993 | Angelfist Angelfist Angelfist is a 1993 action/thriller film starring Catya Sassoon, Michael Shaner, and Melissa Moore. Directed by Cirio H. Santiago, the film was produced by Santiago and Roger Corman.... |
Katara "Kat" Lang | |
| 1995 | Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero | Tori | Alternative titles: Assault at Ground Zero Ground Zero Credited as Cat Sassoon |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Hardball Hardball (1989 TV series) Hardball is an American crime drama television series that ran on NBC during the 1989-1990 television schedule.-Synopsis:Hardball is a variation of the buddy cop genre that focused on two cops, Charlie "C.B." Battles and Joe "Kaz" Kaczierowski . Battles is a 45-year-old hard-nosed veteran cop who... |
Shauna | Episode: "Sex, Cops, and Videotape" |
| 1990 | Valentina | Episode: "Poetic Justice" | |
| 1991 | Out of This World Out of This World (TV series) Out Of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in U.S. syndication on September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991. It was first broadcast in the UK on the ITV network on April 9, 1990, usually at... |
Velma | Episode: "Heck's Angels" |
| 1994 | Hollywood Women | Herself | Miniseries |