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Jonathan Frid, original 'Dark Shadows' star, dies at 87

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« on: June 16, 2012, 02:07:58 am »

Jonathan Frid, original 'Dark Shadows' star, dies at 87
by Anthony Breznican
Tags: Dark Shadows, Johnny Depp, Jonathan Frid, obituary, Tim Burton, TV   



Image Credit: Getty Images

UPDATED: Johnny Depp comments below …

Just a few weeks before his most famous character was to be reborn, the original Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows has died.

Jonathan Frid, the Canadian actor who brought the suave bloodsucker to life on the 1966-71 gothic soap opera, passed away from natural causes on April 13 in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, according to MPI Home Video, which releases the Dark Shadows DVDs.

Dark Shadows inspired a generation of boys — Tim Burton and Johnny Depp among them — to become obsessed with a show originally aimed at their mothers. On May 11, Burton and Depp will debut their passion project: a big-screen version of the tale, with Depp taking on the role Frid originated.

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Frid’s final screen role was a cameo as a party guest in the upcoming movie. “It’s a sad day,” Burton said in a statement. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to meet Jonathan on the set this past spring. He left an indelible impression. Barnabas lives on!”

Depp recalled his affection for Frid’s performance, going back to when he was a kid. “His elegance and grace was an inspiration then and will continue to remain one forever more,” Depp said in a statement. “When I had the honor to finally meet him, as he so generously passed the torch of Barnabas to me, he was as elegant and magical as I had always imagined.  My deepest condolences to his family and friends. The world has lost a true original.”

Before shooting last year, Depp told EW: “I do remember, very vividly, practically sprinting home from school in the afternoon to see Jonathan Frid play Barnabas Collins. Even then, at that age, I knew – this has got to be weird.”

Frid’s costar on the series, Kathryn Leigh Scott, posted a heartfelt appreciation of the late actor. “I’m so grateful to have worked with Jonathan, and to have known him as the charismatic, entertaining, complex, and plain-spoken man that he was,” she wrote. “What fun we had working together! He was irascible, irreverent, funny, caring, lovable, and thoroughly professional.”

She described this encounter on the set of the movie, where she and other original Dark Shadows castmates reunited for the party scene: “I won’t ever forget the moment when the two Barnabas Collinses met, one in his late 80s and the other in his mid-40s, each with their wolf’s head canes. Jonathan took his time scrutinizing his successor’s appearance. “I see you’ve done the hair,’ Jonathan said to Johnny Depp, ‘but a few more spikes.’ Depp, entirely in character, replied, ‘Yes, we’re doing things a bit differently.’”

Born John Herbert Frid, the late actor served in the Canadian Navy during World War II, and enrolled in London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1949. According to his official bio, he would go on to receive a master’s of fine arts degree in directing from the Yale School of Drama in 1957, though his career would focus mainly on acting. For many years before Dark Shadows, he worked doing theater and small TV roles.

Barnabas Collins was to be another one of those brief guest appearances, but the character became so popular that he evolved into the central focus of the program. For decades after, Frid would appear at conventions celebrating what has become known as one of the weirdest shows on television.

Frid did occasional theater work after the soap opera was canceled, and he appeared in the 1973 TV movie The Devil’s Daughter and starred in Oliver Stone’s directorial debut, 1974′s Seizure, but his next return to the screen would be his last — the cameo in Burton and Depp’s Dark Shadows.

(Additional reporting: Jeff Labrecque.)


http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/04/19/jonathan-frid-original-dark-shadows-star-dies-at-87/
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« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2012, 02:08:51 am »

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« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2012, 02:09:18 am »

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« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2012, 02:10:02 am »

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« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2012, 02:10:30 am »

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« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2012, 02:10:43 am »

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« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2012, 02:11:57 am »

John Herbert Frid (December 2, 1924 – April 13 or 14, 2012; sources differ) was a Canadian theater, television, and film actor, best known for having played the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic television soap opera Dark Shadows.

Frid was born of Scottish[1] ancestry in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. He graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton in 1948, and the following year was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.[2] He moved to the United States in 1954, and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from the Yale School of Drama in 1957. He began using the stage name Jonathan Frid in 1962.[2]
Career
Stage work

As a student at Yale, Frid starred in the premiere of William Snyder's play A True And Special Friend.[3] Classically trained, Frid spent thirty years in live theater, starring in the first productions at the Williamstown Theater in Williamstown, Massachusetts and stage productions in Canada, England and the United States, though occasionally working in television.[4]
Television

Frid is best known for the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the original gothic cult television serial Dark Shadows, which ran from 1966 to 1971.[5] He also starred as Barnabas Collins in the movie House of Dark Shadows. Frid had made plans to move to the U.S. West Coast pursue a career as an acting teacher when he won the role that ultimately made him a household name. As Frid explained on his Web site, he had barely entered his apartment as the phone call from his agent came informing him that he had won the role of Barnabas Collins. He agreed to accept it after being told it was a short-term one that would provide him with extra cash while he prepared to move. As the character's popularity soared, Frid scrapped those plans.[6]

Frid starred in Dial M for Murder while the television series was still appearing. After Dark Shadows ended, he starred as Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral, and in Wait Until Dark. Frid had previously played the role of a psychiatrist on the CBS Television soap opera As the World Turns.

In 1973, Frid appeared in the TV movie The Devil's Daughter starring Shelley Winters, and the following year starred in Oliver Stone's directorial debut, Seizure (aka Queen of Evil). He took time off from acting and returned to Canada, reviving his stage career in 1978.

Frid began performing readings at Dark Shadows fan conventions in the 1980s, and while developing ideas for what would be three critically acclaimed one-man shows, Frid took on the role of Jonathan Brewster in the Broadway revival of Arsenic and Old Lace. The play went on a national tour that broke box office records, which gave Frid the opportunity to appear on radio and talk shows to tell about his theater shows and long stage career.
Later life

In 1994, having spent 40 years based in New York City, Frid retired and returned to Canada. He continued to do one-man shows for charities in both Canada and the United States. In 2000, he starred in the play Mass Appeal which enjoyed a successful, limited run in Hamilton and at the Stirling Festival Theatre in Stirling, Ontario.

Frid attended Dark Shadows conventions in New York in August 2007, Burbank, California, in July 2008, and Elizabeth, New Jersey, in August 2009. In 2010, he returned to the role of Barnabas for the first time in 39 years in a Dark Shadows audio drama, The Night Whispers.[7] Along with former Dark Shadows castmates Lara Parker, David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott, Frid spent three days at Pinewood Studios in June 2011 filming a cameo appearance for the 2012 Tim Burton Dark Shadows film,[8] which became his final film appearance.
Death

After suffering a fall,[9] Frid died on April 13[10][11][12][13][14] or April 14, 2012,[9][15][16][17][18] (sources vary) at Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario.
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« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2012, 02:39:10 am »

THE PASSING OF JONATHAN FRID
 
I am deeply saddened to inform you of the death of JONATHAN FRID earlier this month, at age 87.
 
He was the iconic actor who portrayed the empathetic vampire "Barnabas Collins" (and the Parallel Time character "Bramwell Collins") on the original daytime series "Dark Shadows" 1967-71
.
Internet messages began last night about his passing. These were brief and had inaccurate information about the date of his passing.
 
Following is a message to Jonathan's DS colleagues, fans, and others who knew him.
 
This message was provided directly and specifically to me for ShadowGram to share.
 
"In Memoriam - Jonathan Frid
"December 2, 1924 - April 13, 2012
 
"Donald Frid, Jonathan's nephew, who assisted Jonathan at many of the recent Festivals, has informed us that Jonathan passed away at the age of 87 on April 13, 2012, in Hamilton, Ontario.
 
"His health had been declining in recent weeks and he died peacefully in his sleep in a local hospital.
 
"At Jonathan's request, there was no funeral and there will be no memorial service.
 
"Donations in the memory of Jonathan Frid may be made to Hillfield-Strathallen College, the school where he got his first taste of acting.
http://www.hsc.on.ca/advancing-hsc/tribute-program.html
 
"Or a charity of your choice.
 
"Donald and the other members of the Frid family are grateful for all the support and appreciation Jonathan received from the Dark Shadows community over these many years.
 
"At a gathering of family and friends on April 18, the family remarked on John's passing on Friday, April the 13th, and the fact that they were remembering him on April 18, the 45th anniversary of the broadcast of his first appearance at the door of Collinwood."
 
**** These breaking-news Official DS Online News Update "bulletins"are posted through the ShadowGram Yahoo Group.
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