For the uninitiated, Barnabas Collins was a vampire who had many, many problems, and not just the sort of problems you’d expect he’d have, being a vampire and all. Pierson said Frid been in declining health in recent months. Like Nancy and Mr Frid, I did not see my dad daily, or even every week, for most of my adult life. His other credits include the 1973 TV movie "The Devil's Daughter," co-starring Shelley Winters, and Oliver Stone's directorial debut, "Seizure." I know she did not see him frequently, because she lived 8 hours away, but I also know that she was in contact with him frequently, and from her reaction to his death, I know that their relationship was very meaningful to her. She knew him very well – “knew” – it hurts to use the past tense – and his death has hit her hard. Insignificant because I never actually knew the man, and the rational mind says you cannot really lose someone that you never knew.

Legal Statement. It really set the trend for all these other things that have been done with vampires over the last 40, 50 years," Pierson said. Jonathan Frid, a Canadian actor best known for playing Barnabas Collins in the 1960s original vampire soap opera "Dark Shadows", has died. It seems that the older I get the more the past becomes irretrievable, unreachable and yet, ironically, the more I seem to want to escape to the familiar security of it.

Kids ran home from school and housewives watched it. 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. He graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton in 1948,[6] and the following year was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. If anyone else has a cited article that states otherwise, we may have to do further investigation. He is survived by a nephew, Donald Frid. [2] While some sources at the time variously reported the date of his death as April 13[17][18] or April 14,[2][19][20] Frid's nephew, David Howitt, confirmed that Frid died in the early hours of April 14, 2012. In 1978, he returned to Canada for a time and later returned to New York City in the early 1980s. [8] He went on to star in the first productions at the Williamstown Theater in Williamstown, Massachusetts and stage productions in Canada, England and the United States. I became aware of him when he played a character called Barnabas Collins on a television show called “Dark Shadows”. I did come close. Frid had been an accomplished stage actor before "Dark Shadows" made him famous. I stumbled upon a reiteration of it on the internet, where it remains very much alive. [citation needed].

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Frid died at Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, of pneumonia[1] and complications after a fall. Seeing her grieve this loss has been difficult. ( Log Out /  Frid, a construction executive. I never met Mr Frid. Still, I think that may be true to some extent. When my dad was alive, I felt like I could do anything and, if I fell flat, my dad would be there to make it all better. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He also starred in the Broadway revival and national tour of "Arsenic and Old Lace" in the '80s. 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.

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. [12], Frid is widely known for the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the original gothic serial Dark Shadows, which ran from 1966-71. The character of Barnabas struck a chord in those of us who found ourselves battling personal demons at an early age. He said Frid was never into the fame and fortune and just wanted to be a working actor.

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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes.

[7], After Dark Shadows ended in 1971, he returned to performing in live theatre full-time with starring roles in the Broadway plays Murder in the Cathedral as Thomas Becket and Wait Until Dark as Harry Roat. ( Log Out /  Frid starred in various theater productions with illustrious actors including Katharine Hepburn. [9], He began using the stage name Jonathan Frid in 1962,[10] and made his Broadway debut as an understudy in the 1964 play Roar Like a Dove. For me, learning of the recent death of Mr Frid was a moment that at once was both insignificant and heartbreaking. Frid also secured jobs on the show for a couple of men he was involved with. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. She has lost a dear friend, and I think somewhat of a father figure, although she never referred to him in that way. I knew he would always take care of me, make sure I was alright in the end.