Dita Von Teese (born Heather Renée Sweet; September 28, 1972) is an American burlesque dancer, vedette, model, costume designer, entrepreneur and occasional actress. She is thought to have helped repopularize burlesque performance, and was formerly married to Marilyn Manson.
Von Teese was born in Rochester, Michigan, the middle of three daughters. Her father was a machinist and her mother a manicurist. She is of English, Scottish, Armenian, and German heritage. Dita has stated that one of her grandmothers was half-Armenian and adopted into an Anglo-Saxon American family. Von Teese is known for her fascination with 1940s cinema and classic vintage style. This began at a young age and was fostered by her mother, who would buy clothes for her daughter to dress up. Her mother was a fan of old, Golden Age-era Hollywood films, and from her Von Teese developed a fascination with the actresses of that day, especially Betty Grable.