Cassandra Peterson, a.k.a. Elvira
Person's Name
Birth: September 17, 1951
Titles: Mistress of the Night
Related people:
History
Cassandra Peterson, also known as Elvira, Mistress of the Night, is a bisexual actress and drag performer, best known for her character of Elvira, Mistress of the Night.
She spent her early years in Colorado Springs. She attended Ivywild Elementary, and later graduated from Colorado Springs High School (now Palmer High School). She first encountered drag queens at The Purple Cow, a bar near Fort Carson. It is where she would first perform drag, under the guidance of the performers there.
Community Connections
"I was from a small town in Colorado. You practically had to hide the bar there, there was a gay bar that was hidden in this weird area. If you didn’t have an inside address you were never going to find this place. It was called the Purple Cow. There was another one in Colorado Springs called Exit 21. These places were hidden and you had to knock on the door, and they would peek out the door and let you in. It was so hidden, so closeted, so scary. Everybody was sneaking around. Can you imagine, that was the 60’s, everybody was in the closet. In high school all my best friends were in drama and kind of touchy, and later I went back and they were all gay but I didn’t even know. They were misfits and that is who I gravitated to. I grew up and went for my High School reunion and every one of my friends was a gay guy. But I didn’t get it then."
Photos
Questions
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- Nico W. has reached out on 4-28-2026. Pending response.
References
Clevett, Jason. “Mistress of the Gays: Iconic Elvira’s Rainbow Connection.” GayCalgary Online, Gay Calgary, June 2011. http://www.gaycalgary.com/magazine.aspx?id=92&article=2266. ↩︎