Cassandra Peterson

 Cassandra Peterson(born September 17, 1951) is an American actress, writer, and singer. Her most well-known work is her portrayal of the character of horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles TV station KHJ-TV as Elvira the stage character she played. She was the host for Elvira's Movie Macabre, which is a weekly show that features B movies. A member of the Los Angeles-based improvisational and sketch comedy group The Groundlings, Peterson based her Elvira character in part on the "Valley girl"-type persona she created when she was a part of The Groundlings troupe.The popularity of Elvira's Movie Macabre led to the 1988 film Elvira: Mistress of the Dark as well as Elvira's Haunted Hills, both starring Peterson as Elvira. The TV show was revived in 2010 with Elvira hosting films from the public domain and was aired through This TV until 2011. Elvira was back as a hostess for horror in 2014, with 13 Nights of Elvira, a 13-episode series produced by Hulu, and again in 2021 for a one-night 40th Anniversary Special that aired on Shudder.Peterson has made cameo appearances as Elvira in a number of television and films, including appearing as a guest on WrestleMania 2 and as a judge for RuPaul's Drag Race and Halloween Wars.