Jonathan Frid

Jonathan Frid (born December 2nd, 1924) is a Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of the sympathetic vampire Barnabas Collins in the original Dark Shadows television series. In the final story-arc of the series, Frid played Bramwell Collins, the son of Barnabas Collins in an alternate past timeline. Originally intended as a villain, Frid's Barnabas Collins was introduced in episode #210 on Aprily 17th, 1967 (the character actually made a cameo appearance in episode #209, but this was a hand shot only and was not performed by Frid). Frid's character proved to be extremely popular, and the series creators slowly shifted the focus from being a villain into that of a protagonist. Jonathan Frid continued to play the role throughout the duration of the program and is seen in the majority of episodes.