In Memorium: Jonathan Frid

Frid; w/Grayson Hall in "Dark Shadows"

Jonathan Frid was a theater, television and film actor, best known for playing the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, which ran from 1966 to 1971. He reprised his signature role in the expansion movie "House of Dark Shadows" in 1970 (during production of the television series). Frid was a World War II veteran, having served in the Royal Canadian Navy. He graduated from McMasterUniversity in 1948, and the following year was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, and then moved to the United States in 1954, where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from the Yale School of Drama. After many years in the theater, Frid later began performing readings at Dark Shadows fan conventions in the 1980s. In 1994, having spent 40 years based in New York City, Frid retired and returned to his native Canada. He spent three days at Pinewood Studios in June 2011 filming a cameo appearance for the upcoming Tim Burton film version of “Dark Shadows” starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. Frid passed away on April 14, 2012 at the age of eighty-seven. The Catacombs extends its condolences to his family, friends and fans.