Jonathan Frid

Acting

Biography

Jonathan Frid was a Canadian actor born December 2, 1924, in Hamilton, Ontario, and died April 14, 2012, in the same city. He gained fame for portraying vampire Barnabas Collins in the television series Dark Shadows, which aired from 1967 to 1971, significantly increasing the show’s viewership. Frid’s acting career began in 1946 with stage roles, including Shakespearean performances, and extended to film, notably House of Dark Shadows in 1970. Born John Herbert Frid, he graduated from McMaster University in 1948 and later earned a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University in 1957. His early career included Canadian television and theater, with a breakout role in Dark Shadows. He also appeared in films like The Devil’s Daughter in 1973 and had a cameo in Dark Shadows in 2012. On stage, he performed in Arsenic and Old Lace from 1986 to 1987. Frid retired to Ancaster, Ontario, in 1994, though he continued occasional work, such as directing The Lion in Winter in 1993 and appearing at Dark Shadows fan festivals from 2007 to 2011. He died of pneumonia complications at 87, leaving his estate to the Hamilton Community Foundation. His portrayal of Barnabas Collins influenced modern vampire genres, seen in series like True Blood. Source: Adapted from Wikipedia: Jonathan Frid

Filmography Movies

Acting

MOVIE

Seizure

5.1(0.0K)

A disturbed author's house party becomes a scene of carnage when three of his homicidal creations appear.

Dark Shadows and Beyond: The Jonathan Frid Story

9.4(0.0K)

Dark Shadows & beyond – The Jonathan Frid Story reveals the real man beneath the vampire’s cloak, exploring Frid’s personal and professional struggles, artistic triumphs and rise to fame. Among the family, friends and co-workers who offer fresh insights are actresses Marion Ross (Arsenic & Old Lace) and Christina Pickles (Seizure), American Shakespeare Festival associate Anthony Zerbe and Dark Shadows colleagues David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker, Nancy Barrett, Marie Wallace and James Storm. The documentary also includes rare performance footage and previously unseen interviews and archival materials from Frid’s private collection.

Play Trailer

Dark Shadows and Beyond: The Jonathan Frid Story

Self

MOVIE

House of Dark Shadows

6.6(0.1K)

Barnabas Collins searches for a cure for vampirism in order to marry a woman resembling his long-lost fiancée Josette.

Play Trailer

House of Dark Shadows

Barnabas Collins

MOVIE

The Devil's Daughter

6.6(0.0K)

A young girl whose mother had sold her soul to Satan when she was born is told by Satan that she must marry a fellow demon.

Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse

9.5(0.0K)

This compilation of select episodes from the vintage gothic TV drama "Dark Shadows" reveals the love triangle behind Barnabas Collins' tragic transformation to an immortal creature of the night.

Play Trailer

Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse

Barnabas Collins (archive footage)

MOVIE

Dark Shadows: The Haunting of Collinwood

9.4(0.0K)

Dark Shadows: The Haunting of Collinwood is a DVD compilation of episodes 639 to 694, key scenes from which have been edited together to form a three hour feature. It focuses on Quentin Collins' possession of David Collins & Amy Jennings.

Play Trailer

Dark Shadows: The Haunting of Collinwood

Barnabas Collins (archive footage)

MOVIE

Dark Shadows

6.1(7.6K)

Vampire Barnabas Collins is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate and family have fallen into ruin.

Casting Shadows

Not rated yet

A documentary produced by PBS affiliate WNYC, intended to serve as an introduction to their 1987 re-broadcast of the 1960s gothic daytime soap opera Dark Shadows.

Play Trailer

Casting Shadows

Self – Barnabas Collins