- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJohn Herbert Frid
- Jonathan Frid's career in drama began when he first "offered his soul" to the theater as a young boy at a preparatory school in Ontario, Canada. Following his graduation from McMaster University, he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in the UK and later earned a Master's Degree in Directing from the Yale School of Drama.
He was a leading actor in English and Canadian repertory and went on to work in many of the most celebrated regional theaters in the United States, including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, and the American Shakespeare Festival under the direction of John Houseman, performing with Katharine Hepburn in "Much Ado About Nothing".
Frid appeared in major roles on-and-off Broadway, in such productions as "Roar Like A Dove", "Murder in the Cathedral" and "Wait Until Dark". However, it was his portrayal of a complex, conflicted vampire on ABC-TV's daytime drama series Dark Shadows (1966) (he also had a cameo role in the motion picture La fiancée du vampire (1970)) which garnered him his greatest fame in the United States. Other film credits included co-starring roles in La fille du Diable (1973) (with Shelley Winters) and La Reine du mal (1974) (Oliver Stone's directorial debut).
In 1986, Frid joined the Broadway production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" (co-starring with Jean Stapleton). He won critical acclaim for his villainous turn as the homicidal nephew and spent ten months with the play's national tour. That same year, Frid founded his own production company, "Clunes Associates", to create and tour a series of one-man readers' theater shows across North America. Frid continued to perform his one-man shows, now under the banner of "Charity Associates", to raise money for a variety of charities. Combining the arts of his voice and his zest for entertaining", as one critic put it. In June 2000, he returned to the traditional professional stage in the play "Mass Appeal" at the Stirling Festival Theatre in Stirling, Ontario.- IMDb mini biography by: kersey@jonathanfrid.com
- ParentsHerbert Percival FridIsabella Fiora Frid
- Died less than one month before the opening of "Dark Shadows" (2012), the theatrical film version of his acclaimed TV series. Frid has a cameo in the movie version. It was Frid's last acting role.
- Never married, believing the life of an actor was fraught with insecurities.
- Served as a seaman in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.
- Retired: producing his own website and occasionally making appearances for charity
- Made his first appearance at a Dark Shadows convention in over a decade, the well-attended Tarrytown, NY event centering around his return.
- "I love to play horror for horror's sake. Inner horror...I mean I never thought I created fear with the fang business of "Barnabas". I always felt foolish doing that part of it. The horror part I like was 'the lie'" -- Jonathan Frid, on his Dark Shadows (1966) character.
- It was the particular qualities of playing the character Barnabas Collins that I enjoyed, not simply portraying a vampire. As an actor, I have certain instincts and I put them to work. Contrasting qualities are important in any role and can be brought out even when no such qualities are indicated in the script. I think it's necessary to create a positive and negative force within a particular character. I love to totally submerge myself into a character, rather than simply duplicating my own self. It was the constant changing, the opportunity of going back and forth, from good to evil, that was so thrilling.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content