John Herbert "Jonathan" Frid

 John Herbert "Jonathan" Frid (December 2, 1924 – April 14, 2012)

Frid was a theatre, television, and film actor, known for having played the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic television soap opera Dark Shadows. Early television roles on the Canadian Broadcasting Company included parts in Julius Caesar, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,Our Town, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Frid is widely known for the role of vampire Barnabas Collins on the original gothic cult television serial Dark Shadows, which ran from 1966-71. He starred as Barnabas Collins in the 1970 movie House of Dark Shadows. In 1967, Frid had made plans to move to the U.S. West Coast to pursue a career as an acting teacher when he won the role that ultimately made him a household name. 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. As the character's popularity soared, Frid scrapped those plans. In 1994, he retired and returned to Canada. He continued to perform one-man shows for charities in both Canada and the United States. 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. Frid died at Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, of pneumonia and complications after a fall. He was 87.