ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK

The persona of TV hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, was made in 1981 for the comedy show Elvira’s Movie Macabre, but her fame grew far and wide and was a proven investment for the entertainment industry back in the latter half of the ‘80s until the ‘90s. The sultry character had been portrayed by Kansas-born actress and producer Cassandra Peterson who continues to play the character to this day in the Hulu spin-off 13 Nights of Elvira despite nearing her 70s.

Peterson was born in Manhattan, Kansas. When she was a toddler, she was scalded by boiling water and needed to transplant more than 35% of her body. She spent three months in the hospital. In elementary school, she watched “House” in a haunted house, which was the first horror movie she had ever seen. As a teenager, Peterson worked as a go-go dancer in a local gay bar. Peterson also earned other TV credits through her guest appearances on shows like the serial TV crime Nash Bridges.