Cassandra Peterson in 2011. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

Cassandra Peterson born September 17, 1951. A.k.a. Elvira, Misstress of the Dark.

In 1981 she got the break that set her on the road to fame, when she began hosting LA’s channel 9 Movie Macabre wearing a memorable black gothic gown.

Mixing horror and comedy worked so well for her that over a four-decade career she has evolved from camp vamp to capitalist.

In 2012 Peterson became an investor in Comikaze Entertainment Inc., which runs Comikaze Expo, one of the biggest pop culture conventions. Another investor is Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee.