| Jonathan Frid | |
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Frid in 2001 |
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| Born | John Herbert Frid December 2, 1924 Hamilton, Ontario Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | McMaster University |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Yale School of Drama |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1960-present |
| Television | Dark Shadows |
| Website | |
| http://www.jonathanfrid.com | |
John Herbert Frid (born December 2, 1924) is a theater, television, and film actor, best known for playing the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic television soap opera Dark Shadows.
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Born of Scottish ancestry in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Frid was the son of Herbert Frid, a construction company executive, and the former Flora McGregor, a homemaker. He had two brothers, named Douglas and Kenneth. One followed their father into the construction business, while the other ran a ski lodge.
Frid served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. He graduated from McMaster University in 1948, and the following year was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.[1] 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]
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 and stage productions in Canada, England and the United States, though occasionally working in television.[4]
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 in the movie House of Dark Shadows. Frid had made plans to move to the West Coast to pursue a career as an acting teacher when he won the role that ultimately made him a household name. Frid explained on his website that he had just barely entered his apartment as the phone call from his agent came informing him that he won the role as Barnabas Collins. Frid agreed to accept the role 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.
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 "Wait Until Dark." Frid had previously played the role of a psychiatrist on the CBS soap, "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 in Canada, only to appear in theater productions 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 breaking 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.
In 1994, having spent 40 years based in New York City, Frid retired and returned again to Canada. He continues to do one-man shows for charities in both Canada and the United States. In 2000, he co-starred in Mass Appeal which enjoyed a successful, limited run in Hamilton and at the Stirling Theater Festival in Canada.
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.[6] 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 upcoming Tim Burton film.[7]
Frid hosts his official website, www.jonathanfrid.com, which has video and audio recordings of his performances including Shakespearean. He has released DVDs of stage performances of his one-man shows, which are sold through his website.