Jonathan Frid, original 'Dark Shadows' star, dies at 87

[Gaybutton]

This sad news certainly brings back memories. I was a 'Dark Shadows' fan.
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Jonathan Frid, original 'Dark Shadows' star, dies at 87

by Anthony Breznican

Just a few weeks before his most famous character was to be reborn, the original Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows has died.

Jonathan Frid, the Canadian actor who brought the suave bloodsucker to life on the 1966-71 gothic soap opera, passed away from natural causes on April 13 in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, according to MPI Home Video, which releases the Dark Shadows DVDs.

Dark Shadows inspired a generation of boys — Tim Burton and Johnny Depp among them — to become obsessed with a show originally aimed at their mothers. On May 11, Burton and Depp will debut their passion project: a big-screen version of the tale, with Depp taking on the role Frid originated.

Frid’s final screen role was a cameo as a party guest in the upcoming movie. “It’s a sad day,” Burton said in a statement. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to meet Jonathan on the set this past spring. He left an indelible impression. Barnabas lives on!”

Depp recalled his affection for Frid’s performance, going back to when he was a kid. “His elegance and grace was an inspiration then and will continue to remain one forever more,” Depp said in a statement. “When I had the honor to finally meet him, as he so generously passed the torch of Barnabas to me, he was as elegant and magical as I had always imagined. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. The world has lost a true original.”

Before shooting last year, Depp told EW: “I do remember, very vividly, practically sprinting home from school in the afternoon to see Jonathan Frid play Barnabas Collins. Even then, at that age, I knew – this has got to be weird.”

Frid’s costar on the series, Kathryn Leigh Scott, posted a heartfelt appreciation of the late actor. “I’m so grateful to have worked with Jonathan, and to have known him as the charismatic, entertaining, complex, and plain-spoken man that he was,” she wrote. “What fun we had working together! He was irascible, irreverent, funny, caring, lovable, and thoroughly professional.”

Full story: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/04/19/j ... ies-at-87/