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For decades, it was widely believed that the actress famous for Bride of Frankenstein had been incinerated and her ashes scattered in the ocean after her death in 1986.

However a Hollywood historian, creator of a company specializing in celebrity death sites, uncovered an unexpected truth: her cremated remains were actually interred in a garden of roses under her married name, Elsa Lanchester Laughton.

"For nearly four decades the link had gone unnoticed – until now," he states.

An Interest for Hollywood's Dark Side

The historian, sixty-three, focuses in celebrity deaths and scandals. He provided expertise for films such as Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Extremely dedicated about forgotten stars, he arranges charity events for overlooked or iconic performers, including Schlitzie and Ken Weatherwax.

This fascination that inspired Mr Michaels to look into what happened to the actress's ashes.

The Life of Elsa Lanchester

Her birthdate was October 28, 1902 in London's Lewisham district, Lanchester was a child actor in theatre and cabaret, and even made records of ancient Victorian songs.

When she was 25 she married fellow actor Charles Laughton, and appeared with him in The Private Life of Henry VIII, for which Laughton won the Academy Award.

Laughton portrayed the title role in the 1939 classic, and the couple worked on a dozen movies together, most notably Witness for the Prosecution in 1957, for which they were both Oscar-nominated.

Lanchester had been nominated before in 1949 for Come to the Stable, and after her husband's passing she continued to work regularly, including a number of family movies such as a musical and a comedy.

Recollections from Co-Stars

Actor Bruce Davison, who played Willard with Lanchester as his domineering mom Henreitta, speaks fondly of that time.

She advised me: 'When a director gives you nonsense? Just say 'Oooh, that's very interesting, let me do that.' And then just do whatever the hell you want!' he chuckles.

He also remembered something that would excite horror fans now.

"I used to take a Super 8 camera to set, and once I recorded her at the top of the stairs when she recreated her Bride role," he added. "She appreciated for the Bride role," she recognized its impact on her career.

The Mystery of Where She Was Buried

Although the 1935 film – in which her hair was pulled upward over a special effects frame – did indeed earn her a place in film history, the issue of what happened to her remains after her death was less well recorded.

In her autobiography that she did not like the site of her husband's grave in a famous cemetery – Laughton died in 1962. She wrote she would rather to be burned with no funeral service, which is a reason it was believed for decades that her remains were dispersed.

The Expert's Fascination with Death

A fascination with mortality began early for Mr Michaels, who was born and grew up in Detroit.

He recalls observing the funeral canopy at a family funeral and asking his mom "are we going to the circus? He was three years old.

More than that, the family home was on one of the riskiest crossroads in the city. A young Mr Michaels heard – and saw so many collisions that it almost became business as usual, and the springboard for an unusual career celebrating those who have passed away.

When he learned of Lanchester's interment, during his regular research into old records, he decided she would be his latest tribute effort.

An Impact That Deserves Recognition

Her brief, wordless performance with the horror icon as the Bride of Frankenstein was iconic – she earned to have her memory honored.

After all, she was essentially the sole leading lady of the Universal Horror cast.

"It's often overlooked that she portrayed Mary Shelley at the beginning of the film," Mr Michaels says.

Attention toward the actress had been sparked earlier in the year when the film studio issued products and special editions of Bride of Frankenstein to mark the film's nine-decade milestone.

It was a surprise when Mr Michaels discovered that her representative had placed her ashes at a cemetery in a Los Angeles neighborhood – and that her ashes had not been scattered as had been widely believed.

"Maybe she didn't really care about what occurred posthumously," he speculates.

An Appropriate Memorial

Within a day and a half, he had crowdfunded enough for a formal wall marker to honor this cinema icon.

The dedication event will be held on October 28 – the anniversary of her birth.

"I wanted to celebrate on her 123rd birthday," Michaels says, "and truly I forgot that it was only days before Halloween."