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Cassandra Peterson)
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is the screen persona of Cassandra Peterson (born September 17, 1951). She gained fame wearing dark, gothic, and cleavage-enhancing clothing as host of Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation.
Born in Manhattan, Kansas, Peterson grew up in Colorado. She became a showgirl at The Dunes in Las Vegas at age 17. In Italy, she was the lead singer in a rock band and a chance encounter with Federico Fellini led to a small part in Roma (1972). Back in the US, she joined the Los Angeles-based improvisational troupe The Groundlings.
Shortly after her marriage to Mark Pierson (now her business manager) in 1981, she created the character Elvira after a successful audition to be a horror movie show host. She was the first such host to be nationally syndicated. One of the first successful horror hostesses, Vampira (Maila Nurmi), later sued Peterson over character rights issues.
Elvira has become a symbol of Halloween, and owns the trademark to her wig and costume. She also sang "Monster Rap" and "Haunted House" on the Elvira's Monster Hits album.
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