WIKIPEDIA
John Herbert Frid was born on December 2, 1924 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and is best known for portraying 'Barnabas Collins'. He served in the Royal Canadian Navy and attended McMaster University followed by acceptance at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. In 1954, he moved to the United States and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from the Yale School of Drama in 1957. He first used the stage name of 'Jonathan Frid' in 1962 and had a career in live theater for some 30 years. From 1966 to 1971, Jonathan portrayed vampire 'Barnabas Collins' in the hit series 'Dark Shadows'. His initial plans were to move to the West Coast to pursue a career as an acting teacher but received word that he had won the role of Barnabas. Thinking it would only be a short-term role, he accepted, but once his character's popularity soared, abandoned his plans to move and teach. In 1994, after 40 years in NYC, Jonathan retired and moved back to his native Canada. Through the years he had attended Dark Shadows conventions and participated in charitable events. Last June, Jonathan filmed a cameo appearance for the Tim Burton Dark Shadows film due out May 11TH. This past April 14TH, Jonathan Frid passed away of natural causes at the age of 87. Find the connection!
12 comments:
RIP Johnthan Frid. I was never a fan of the "soaps" but I have very vivid memories of my school friends rushing home after school to watch "Dark Shadows" and then spending hours on end talking about it. Never really understood the draw. Saw the trailer for the movie and it looks quite good.
I was one of those kids that would rush home to watch Dark Shadows with my grandma, we both loved that show. I would never go see that movie, and wish they would leave alone some of the old shows that were great just the way they were. Insulting to see The Three Stooges and Dark Shadows ruined, all IMO. RIP Jonathan Frid.
Vikeau, I apologize if it sounded like I was attacking you, remakes of TV shows and movies is a topic I take way too seriously, they are never as good, so why bother? The only thing I can come up with is Tim Burton directed Ed Wood, Vincent was in it so was Johnny Depp, Tim Burton has directed Dark Shadows, with Johnny Depp, and then I don't know what other connections there might be. And also know Tim Burton directed Willy Wonka, and there is only one Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder, don't mess with the original. LOL
Oh Rose I didn't take it as an attack at all. Generally, I agree with you about remakes. It's like the idea of an original thought has gone by the way side. I guess because I didn't watch the show growing up, its like I'll be seeing it for the first time. And the remake of Willy Wonka sucked.
I agree w/ you guys about the remakes as well. Tim Burton's stuff is getting just SO cliche. The original Dark Shadows scared the ever lovin CRAP out of me when I was a child. I remember my mom caught me watching it one afternoon; I was so little, had to be kindergarten age...I was petrified and frozen to the chair, unable to get up to change the station. Boy did she yell at me!! lol
I'm glad Vikeau, pretty much every show I enjoyed as a kid has been redone, and none of them have been good. I was really young also, but my grandma use to let me watch Dark Shadows and the soap The Edge of Night, and I drank coffee with her, and those are great memories.
2-Jonathan Frid was in Dark Shadows (2012 & the series) with
1-David Selby was in Dying Young with
0-Vincent
(A lot of low-hanging fruit on this one!)
BTW love the new banner, Nantz!
Rose, Grandmas are great, aren't they? My grandma let me drink coffee too, and there were about 12 of us cousins that tried to get to church first, because the first one there got to sit by her and get a special hug when we sat by her. Great memories of Grandma. Hope my grandkids can say the same for me someday.
I wasn't allowed to drink coffee as a kid--except for my Grandmother's extra sweet, extra milky iced coffee in the summer time. Wonderful memories.
Good job, Debra! I know it was an easy one but challenging you is hard, LOL. I was never allowed to drink coffee when I was a kid either but I'm sure making up for that now! My next-door neighbors were Italian and had 7 kids who were allowed to have some coffee and watered down wine. The 'Dark Shadows' theme music is about the scariest most haunting music ever...that is it can't compare to 'The Exorcist' which I can't even talk about.
Debra, that photo in my banner is one of my all-time favorite ones and taken at the Sarasota Film Festival by Jeannette. It's very intense.
The most obvious connection is this one:
2., Jonathan Frid does a cameo in the new "Dark Shadows" film with
1. Johnny Depp, who co-starred in "Ed Wood" with
0. Vincent
And, both films were directed by Tim Burton!
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