Born Sandra Danz in Brooklyn, New York, Cassandra Danz grew up in Valley Stream, New York. The daughter of Marilyn and William Danz, Sandra attended C. W. Post College and Brooklyn College where she majored in Theater Arts. Married to Walter Brett in the 1960s, the couple had one son, Sam. After a less than memorable career as a stand-up comedienne, Cassandra appeared in several off Broadway plays, most notably as Consuela in El Grande De Coca Cola at the Plaza Theater and became a regular cast member at Chicago's famed Second City Improvisational theater in the company's first string troupe where she worked with Bill Murray and Betty Thomas, among others.