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Jonathan Frid: Fated Elan
Elan and dash and panache are all good words to describe Barnabas Collins
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Canadian-born Jonathan Frid was trained as a Shakespearean actor. He became best known for his role as a 175 year-old vampire named Barnabas Collins, however. The character, which brought him such fame as to make him a favored guest at conventions years after he stopped playing Barnabas, originated in an ABC tv series called "Dark Shadows" (1966-1971). The show premiered in June of 1966, a daytime Gothic soap opera initially suffering the anemia of poor ratings.
Not only an actor who had played Shakespeare, but also a graduate from Yale Drama School with a master of fine arts degree in directing, he was more than equal to the portrayal of the tormented vampire. After he joined the cast in 1967, his popularity pumped renewing blood through the veins of a floundering show. Barnabas became the heart of "Dark Shadows". He blended many emotions into his performances, including passion, ferocity, sorrow and revulsion at his fate, at himself. Jonathan Frid received many letters from female fans, who offered their own necks, and more, to him. |
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