The year was 1982 and audiences were introduced to one of the most iconic sword and sorcery films of the age, one that became a titan of the whole genre: Conan the Barbarian. Bringing the magic back then was Cassandra Gava as the prophetic witch who puts Conan further down his path to victory. But where did Gava’s own path take her after Conan?
San Francisco native Cassandra Gava was born on April 28, 1959. The Filipino-American was born as Cassandra Gaviola and she got her start on TV in General Hospital. This brought her to a 12-episode arc as O’Malley in seasons one and two in Trapper John, MD. But the best was yet to come.
Who is the sorceress in ‘Conan the Barbarian?’
Gava was only four when she formally began her acting career. But when she reached adulthood, her stunning features saw her cast in roles that maximized the power of her beauty, with the most famous role being the witch in Conan the Barbarian. But she also exuded sensuality in The Black Room as Bridget.
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Between 1979 and 1998, Gava appeared in some 21 films, including High Road to China, which didn’t stay faithful to its literary source material but the film, which Screen Rant calls reminiscent of Indiana Jones, put Tom Selleck in his first major starring role.
Keeping things quiet yet enjoying steady work
For the most part, Gava kept a calm schedule for herself but she still pops up in many places, sometimes unexpectedly. For instance, she’s on the cover of the Jefferson Starship album Spitfire. Past the ’80s, most of her resume is populated by B movies and she’s let the work slow but Gava is still indeed in the industry. One of her last on-screen credits comes from the John Malkovich Chariot, in which she played a character named Vera.
These days, she works behind the scenes / ImageCollect
But Gava is still plenty busy on the other side of the camera.
Today, she is and switched gears slightly. Rather than focusing entirely on acting, she has also since taken up work as a casting assistant. It’s here that Gava brings steady work to her calendar, as at one point she had four separate projects in the works.