Catya Sassoon

Career Against her parents' wishes, Sassoon dropped out of Beverly Hills High School at the age of 14 to pursue a modeling career. She moved to New York City where she signed with the Prestige Agency and enrolled at Professional Children's School. Her modeling career quickly took off and she became one of New York's top teen models. Sassoon later appeared on the covers of Seventeen, Brides and Cosmopolitan. It was around this time that Sassoon began taking drugs. In his autobiography, Vidal Sasson recalled that he realized his daughter was having drug issues when the two appeared on a morning talk show and Sassoon appeared to be high. Vidal Sassoon demanded that Catya return to Los Angeles where she was admitted to the Betty Ford Center. It would be the first of several rehab stays. After a month, Sassoon was released and resumed her career.

Shortly before she was set to leave for a lucrative modeling assignment in Japan, Sassoon met 18-year old Luca Scalisi, the son of an Italian film producer. Sassoon later revealed in an interview with Joan Rivers that she had suffered a drug induced heart attack while undergoing treatment for her addiction.

By 1990, Sassoon was sober again and began traveling around the country with her mother to promote the latter's romance novel, Fantasies. Both women openly discussed how they overcame addiction problems. Beverly Sassoon spoke about her addiction to alcohol and stated that she was three years sober. Catya, then 22, was about to celebrate one year of sobriety. Later that year, Sassoon began acting again and appeared in an episode of Hardball. She also appeared in Bloodfist IV: Die Trying, Secret Games and Dance with Death. In 1993, Sassoon 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.

Personal life While shooting a film in South Africa around 1994, Sassoon met a Zimbabwean musician. The two were married shortly thereafter and moved to Zimbabwe. Sassoon's second marriage also ended in divorce. Elkins and the Sassoon family believed Sassoon, who had a history of high blood pressure, died of a heart attack. Her family also maintained that she had not consumed any drugs and was clean and sober at the time of her death. Sassoon's funeral was held on January 4, after which she was buried next to her grandmother at Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1985 Tuff Turf Feather 1987 Inside Out 1990 Hardball Shauna Episode: "Sex, Cops, and Videotape" 1990 Valentina Episode: "Poetic Justice" 1991 Out of This World Velma Episode: "Heck's Angels" 1992 Dance with Death Jodie 1992 Secret Games Sandra 1992 Bloodfist IV: Die Trying Lisa Alternative title: Die TryingCredited as Cat Sassoon 1992 Inside Out IV Pauline Segment: "Natalie Would" 1993 Angelfist Katara "Kat" Lang 1994 Hollywood Women Herself Miniseries 1995 Bloodfist VI: Ground Zero Tori Alternative titles: Assault at Ground ZeroGround ZeroCredited as Cat Sassoon