Roger Collins

Roger Collins is one of the central characters featured in the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. Played by actor Louis Edmonds, he was introduced in the first episode of the series and remained a steadfast presence throughout the duration of the show.

Biography
Roger Collins grew up in his family estate at Collinwood under the shadow of his older and more responsible sister Elizabeth. A self-ascribed playboy, Roger had little interest in the family business at first, preferring to spend his inheritence on frivolous pursuits.

In the 1950s, Roger met and fell in love with a young woman named Laura. He vied for Laura's affections with a rival named Burke Devlin. In 1957, the three were out driving and were involved in a motor vehicle accident, which claimed the life of a motorist. At the inquest, Roger accused Burke of driving the vehicle and he was sent to prison for five years on a manslaughter charge. As it was actually Roger who had been driving at the time, Burke swore that he would avenge himself against anyone bearing the Collins family name.

Roger and Laura were married soon after and Laura gave birth to a son, David. Roger always suspected that the child was actually Burke's and because of this, he nursed a deep-rooted jelousy and hatred of the child. A mentally abusive father, Roger always threatened to send David off to boarding school.

In 1961, Laura Collins began to suffer from severe mental anxiety and alcoholism, so Roger was forced to have her committed to a hospital. She was eventually released and left her family, relocating to Phoenix, Arizona.

Following Laura's departure from his life, Roger began to show a greater interest in the family business. Elizabeth set him up with an office at the Collins Fishing Fleet & Cannery and he began spending a lot of time involved with the day-to-day operations of the business.

In 1966, when David was about ten-years-old, Roger hired a young woman named Victoria Winters to serve as governess to young David. This was done primarily to keep David out of Roger's hair.