- Born
- Nicknames
- The Mistress of the Dark
- Elvira
- Height5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
- Cassandra Peterson was born in Manhattan, Kansas, and grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She began her career at age 17 as the youngest showgirl in Las Vegas history in the show "Vive Les Girls" at the Dunes Hotel. After receiving advice from "The King" himself, Elvis Presley, she traveled to Europe where she pursued a career as a singer and actor. She worked in several Italian films, including Federico Fellini's Roma (1972) and performed throughout Europe as lead singer of an Italian rock band.
Upon returning to the United States, she toured the country as star of her own musical-comedy show, "Mama's Boys". She eventually settled in Hollywood, where she spent four and a half years with L.A.'s foremost improvisational comedy group, The Groundlings. In 1981, she auditioned for the role of horror hostess on a local Los Angeles television station. Her show, Elvira's Movie Macabre (1981), and her newly created character, Elvira, became an overnight sensation.
Cassandra has used Elvira's celebrity status to bring attention to many worthy causes and organizations over the years, including her well-known work for animal welfare and raising money and awareness for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. In addition to co-writing and performing in both the local L.A. and nationally syndicated television versions of "Movie Macabre", she co-wrote, produced and starred in two feature films, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) and Elvira's Haunted Hills (2001). In 2010, she returned to syndicated television in a reboot of her original series, Elvira's Movie Macabre (2010). She returned in 2014 in a similar show format for Hulu's 13 Nights of Elvira. Her latest endeavors include producing, writing and starring in Elvira's 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special, Special - a 2021 four-hour special streaming on Shudder, and Dr. Elvira, a Halloween promotional mini-series for Netflix.
Cassandra Peterson has spent over four decades solidifying the Elvira brand that has become synonymous with Halloween and the horror genre.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Christian Greenia
- SpouseMark Pierson(July 4, 1981 - February 14, 2003) (divorced, 1 child)
- Children
- ParentsDale Warren August PetersonPhyllis Arlene Schmidt
- RelativesRobin Dawn Peterson(Sibling)Melody Lynn Peterson(Sibling)
- As Elvira: Beauty mark (mole) under her right eye, black dress with the plunging neckline and slit on the right side, ruby ring, snake-shapped earrings, black fingernails, black pumps, the dagger she stores on her belt, and her bouffant hairstyle.
- Voluptuous bombshell figure
- Double entendre sense of humor
- Seductive deep voice
- The Pentagon named a Stealth computer system "Elvira" inspired by her.
- Was scalded by boiling water when she was five years old. Underwent 17 skin grafting operations over the course of her childhood to repair the scar tissue. Now covers some of her remaining scars (around neck and shoulders) with make-up or clothing.
- Was close friends with Vincent Price.
- Owns a production company in Los Angeles called Queen B Productions. She merchandises Elvira products.
- Although she has appeared in nude layouts, she has never appeared nude as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
- [In 1998, reacting to being told that Monica Lewinsky liked to compare herself to Elvira] At least, I get my little black dress cleaned once in a while.
- [on her career before she landed her "Elvira" job in 1981] I was your typical struggling actress. I went to every audition, took a million acting, dancing and singing lessons, and spent years wondering where my next meal was coming from.
- [In 2014, on her dream date with Elvis Presley] I was a big groupie. I loved music. I got to realize the dream of actually meeting Elvis and actually going out on a date with Elvis, so that was a dream come true for me. There was a lot of making out going on. We had a great time.
- [In 2014, on Elvis Presley giving her some advice] He is one hundred percent responsible for me getting out of Vegas and going on with my career. Elvis said to me, "You don't want to stay here. This is not a town you should be in." And I don't think if that would've come from anybody but Elvis, I would've done it.
- [her legacy] How do I want to be remembered? I'd ideally love for Elvira to remain a Halloween icon. But as Cassandra, I'd like to be remembered as someone who had time to be a good mother.
- Elvira's Movie Macabre (1981) - $350 per week
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