Elizabeth Short

Elizabeth Short
"It's not a carnation, silly. It's a dahlia."
Portrayed by	Mena Suvari
Details
Species	Human (formerly) Ghost
Occupation	Actress (formerly)
Cause of death	January 14, 1947 at The Murder House Unintentionally given a nitrous oxide overdose by David Curran
Relationships	Dr. Curran (rapist, killer) Charles Montgomery (first mutilator in 1947) Michael Langdon (second mutilator in 2015) Ben Harmon (temporary therapist) Moira O'Hara (hook-up)
Appearances	Spooky Little Girl Afterbirth Return to Murder House

Elizabeth Short is an aspiring actress. She is a character in American Horror Story portrayed by Mena Suvari.

Quick Answers

What was Elizabeth Short's dream in American Horror Story?

Elizabeth Short, played by Mena Suvari in American Horror Story, is an aspiring actress. This character, a dramatization of the real-life 'Black Dahlia', dreams of stardom, suggesting she would go to great lengths to realize this aspiration.

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Who portrayed Elizabeth Short in American Horror Story?

Mena Suvari plays the role of Elizabeth Short, also recognized as the Black Dahlia, in the TV series American Horror Story. This character is a fictional representation of the real-life Elizabeth Short, whose mysterious death is still unsolved.

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What was Elizabeth Short's signature style in American Horror Story?

In American Horror Story, Elizabeth Short, played by Mena Suvari, is an aspiring actress with a unique style. Her signature look includes a pale complexion, long, dark, curly hair, and a 1940s black tailored suit. She pairs this with black pump high heels, stockings, and white gloves. The character is based on the real-life Elizabeth Short, known as 'The Black Dahlia' after her death.

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Why is Elizabeth Short also known as the Black Dahlia in American Horror Story?

Elizabeth Short, portrayed in American Horror Story, is known as the Black Dahlia, a name derived from her dark hair and preference for black attire. The moniker is a play on the film 'The Blue Dahlia', substituting blue with black. The character represents a dramatized version of the real Elizabeth Short, whose mysterious death is still unsolved.

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How is Elizabeth Short's naivety portrayed in American Horror Story?

Elizabeth Short, played by Mena Suvari in American Horror Story, is a naive aspiring actress. Her naivety is highlighted by her confidence with strangers and belief in using her charm for favors. The show dramatizes the mysterious events leading to her death, famously known as the Black Dahlia case.

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Appearance and Personality

Elizabeth Short has a very pale complexion and long, curly, dark, almost black hair. She is shown wearing a black 1940's tailored suit, along with a pair of black pump high heels, stockings, and white gloves.

Elizabeth was a naive young woman dreaming to become a famous actress in Hollywood. Although she was not very knowledgeable about the world and was quite too confident with strangers, Elizabeth knew she could get favors by exploiting her beauty and charm.

Story

Elizabeth Short was a beautiful young lady from Boston with the all too familiar dream of making it big in Hollywood. In 1947, while in Los Angeles, she visited a dentist, Dr. David Curran, who worked from his home, the "Murder House". Short on money, Elizabeth seduces Curran in exchange for dental work at no cost. Curran puts her under nitrous oxide and subsequently rapes her. Once finished, Curran takes off the nitrous mask and attempts to wake Elizabeth, but she fatally overdosed while he raped her. Panicking, Curran drags Elizabeth's body to his basement where he is confronted by Charles Montgomery. Claiming to be a world-renowned surgeon, Charles offers to assist Curran with Elizabeth's body.

To his horror, Curran discovers that the insane surgeon has only made his predicament worse by mutilating Elizabeth's body by bisecting it at the waist and carving a "Glasgow smile" on her face. Charles proclaims that it was his duty as a surgeon and that Curran would find Elizabeth now to be more "portable". At some point, Curran, presumably, drops her body off in a vacant lot in the Leimert Park district of Los Angeles. Her remains were discovered by Betty Bersinger and her daughter.

As a ghost, Elizabeth is bewildered and confused. She is unaware that she is a ghost until Hayden reveals her legacy as "The Black Dahlia". She still is a seductress, as is seen by her attempt to seduce Ben into diagnosing and treating her for free.

She also makes a brief appearance, bisected on a table, to scare Miguel Ramos out of the house when the Harmons planned to get rid of any potential new owners.

Years later, Elizabeth is again under the knife, this time mutilated by Michael Langdon. Since he was able to harm the living and ghosts alike, when Ben witnessed the assault he was unable to tell whether Elizabeth actually suffered or not at the hands of Michael.

Quotes

• Elizabeth : "It's not a carnation silly, it's a dahlia."
  
• Elizabeth: "My dreams will never come true."
  
• To Hayden: "I really did become someone."
  
• Elizabeth: "That's how they found me - naked, on display for the whole world to see."
  
• Elizabeth: "The things you have to do to be a star.."
  

Notes

• The character Elizabeth Short is American Horror Story's fictional dramatization on the still unexplained scenario that leads to the real Elizabeth Short's death. The late Miss Short was not referred to as "The Black Dahlia" until after her death. The name was a pun on the (then popular) film "The Blue Dahlia", changing the word Blue to Black because of Elizabeth's dark hair and affinity for frequently wearing black clothing. The depiction of Elizabeth being bisexual is also a fictional dramatization.
• This is the first of two bisexual characters named Elizabeth in the series, the second being Countess Elizabeth in Season 5, Hotel, a bloodthirsty vampire that preys on both men and women.

Gallery

Elizabeth Shorts' mutilated body in Leimert Park.