Cameraman exposed (along with the camera itself), sets falling, lines flubbed, a bat on a stick, and Jonathan Frid walking out with his street clothes in tow during the closing credits. And we, the loyal audience, were still hooked. (Some of us even taped each episode on our portable tape recorder). Here’s the concluding chapter of our look at what happened to the Dark Shadows cast once the doors of Collinwood were permanently closed (click here to read Part I):
Joan Bennett (Elizabeth Collins Stoddard) – Bennett came from an acting family. Her parents and two sisters were also actors. She was a true movie star, having appeared in over seventy films starting in silent films. She appeared on Broadway twice. The first time was in 1928 with her father in a play called Jarnegan. Her second time came in 1958 in Love Me Little, which ran for all of five performances.
Her 1929 turns in Bulldog Drummond with Ronald Coleman and Disraeli with George Arliss brought Joan early fame. She worked steadily in film through the 1930s: in Moby Dick with John Barrymore; opposite Spencer Tracy in She Wanted a Millionaire and Me and My Gal; and in Little Women with Katharine Hepburn. Bennett was one of the final four actresses in contention for the coveted role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind.
The 1940s became her film noir period, starring in three thrillers directed by Fritz Lang: Man Hunt, The Woman in the Window, and Scarlet Street, the latter two with Edward G. Robinson. In the ’50s she was reunited with Tracy in Father of the Bride and Father’s Little Dividend. She also worked with Humphrey Bogart in 1955’s We’re No Angels.
Bennett was not without scandal in her life. Her third husband, Walter Wanger, shot Joan’s agent, Jennings Lang, because he suspected them of having an affair, which Bennett denied. He served four months for the shooting. Bennett blamed the shooting for slowing down her movie career. She was in the first DS film, 1970’s House of Dark Shadows, and in Dario Argento’s Suspiria in 1977. Her TV credits were in Playhouse 90, The Ford Televison Theatre, Burke’s Law, The Governor and J.J., and Love, American Style.
Her role as the reclusive Mrs. Stoddard in DS presented her with many acting challenges; she was buried alive and was blackmailed for the murder of her husband (he wasn’t really dead). Elizabeth’s biggest secret–which was never fully addressed–was that family governess Victoria Winters was her daughter. Bennett was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role in the show, and she penned an autobiography, The Bennett Playbill, with co-writer and fellow veteran Lois Kibbee. She died in 1990 at the age of 80.
Alexandra Moltke/Isles (Victoria Winters) – Moltke played Victoria Winters, a governess brought to Collinwood by Elizabeth to teach Roger’s disturbed son David. She was raised in an orphanage and wanted to know her roots. Unlike her other castmates, she never got to play another character. Victoria was sort of the anchor of the show, with the audience seeing the strange world of Collinwood through her eyes. She stayed with the show for two years and left when she became pregnant. Two other actresses played Vicki, but Moltke had put her stamp on the role, and the character was written off the show. Her only other credit is the TV movie Certain Honorable Men with Peter Fonda and Van Heflin in 1968.
She gained some notoriety in the ‘80s for being a witness in the Claus Von Bulow trial. He was accused of attempting to kill his wife, Sunny, and Moltke/Isles was his mistress. The whole story was made into 1990’s Reversal of Fortune, with Julie Hagerty playing Isles. In 1985 she became an assistant curator at the Museum of Television & Radio and then started a new career as a documentary filmmaker.
Nancy Barrett (Carolyn Stoddard) – Barrett was also an original cast member. She may have started out as a young ingenue but given the opportunity to play seven characters on the show proved her versatility. She had beauty and talent. And who can forget her dancing at the Blue Whale bar (and her brief biker boyfriend, Buzz)? From Barnabas’ enthralled acolyte to repressed 1890s minister’s daughter Charity Trask to channeling the spirit of brassy chanteuse Pansy Faye, Barrett nailed every character she was given to portray.
She was in both Dark Shadows films and Belizaire the Cajun in 1986. Her TV credits include The DuPont Show of the Week, N.Y.P.D., The Adams Chronicles, and three other soaps: The Doctors, Ryan’s Hope, and One Life to Live. She had a short marriage to DS co-star David Ford (Sam Evans).
Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) – Scott was with DS from day one, playing “townie” diner waitress Maggie Evans and wearing a short blonde wig. When DS traveled to the 1790s, she was Josette du Pres, the great love of Barnabas Collins’ life (and unlife). She also was Lady Kitty Hampshire and Rachel Drummond.
Her film credits include House of Dark Shadows, The Great Gatsby, Brannigan, The Greek Tycoon, Providence, and Woody Allen’s A Rainy Day in New York. She has extensive TV credits, appearing in Space:1999, Hawaii Five-O, The Incredible Hulk, Little House on the Prairie, Dynasty, Police Squad!, The A-Team, Cagney & Lacey, Dallas, Knots Landing, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and The Goldbergs, among others.
Scott and then-husband Ben Martin started Pomegranate Press in 1986, publishing books about DS. She also penned a few novels and wrote about her experience as a Playboy Bunny in The Bunny Years, the 25-Year History of Playboy Bunnies. This past May she gave a commencement speech at her alma mater, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. It can be seen on her Facebook page and is worth watching. And she got married for the third time this past June, as seen in the New York Times Style section. Kathryn is a devoted keeper of the Collinwood flame, writing books about the show and appearing at DS conventions. If you go to one, she is always very warm and friendly.
David Henesy (David Collins) – Henesy played troubled child David Collins. He once tried to kill his father Roger by tampering with the brakes on his car. Charming! But then, what can you expect when your mother turns out to be a reincarnated Phoenix (Laura Collins) and the only playmate your own age is a ghost (Sarah Collins)? And if you needed someone to possess, David was your boy; He was possessed by Quentin, The Leviathans, and Gerard Stiles. Henesy was in the first DS film, did a guest spot on The Waltons, and eventually left acting to become a restaurateur.
Roger Davis (Jeff Clark) – Davis played many characters on the show, from 18-century lawyer Peter Bradford and his 1960s counterpart Clark to vampiric Dirk Wilkins and painter Charles Delaware Tate. Once DS ended, he was employed as a prolific voice-over artist in over 6000 radio and TV spots (it didn’t hurt that he had the distinction of sounding like Henry Fonda). Roger’s film credits include Ride the Wild Surf, House of Dark Shadows, Flash and the Firecat, Ruby, The Act, and Beyond the Pale. On television he was in The Twilight Zone, Dr. Kildare, The Big Valley, Bonanza, Medical Center, Night Gallery, McCloud, Ironside, The Rockford Files, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, and Matlock. Davis also starred in the western TV series Alias Smith and Jones, replacing original co-star Pete Duel following the actor’s suicide. His first marriage was to future Charlie’s Angels star Jaclyn Smith. Davis later became a land developer in Southern California and still appears at DS events
Donald Briscoe (Tom Jennings) – Briscoe was affable handyman Tom Jennings, who became a vampire by way of Angelique. With his all-American good looks, Briscoe was another DS guy to become a staple in the teen magazines of the day. After his character was killed off, he was brought back as his own twin brother Chris…who was a werewolf. What a family! After leaving the series in 1970, Donald moved back with his parents in Memphis, Tennessee, as he dealt with bipolar disorder. He occasionally acted in local productions. Donald’s few TV credits included Iron Horse and I Dream of Jeanie, and he also was in the first Dark Shadows film. Briscoe passed away at 64 in 2004.
Michael Stroka (Aristede) – Stroka joined DS in 1969 during the 1897 flashback arc as Aristede, a man of mystery who worked for Count Petofi. With his dark looks and sinister style, he made an impression and was immediately embraced by the teen magazines. He also played Bruno and Laszlo Ferrari. Stroka’s few film credits included King Rat, Island of Blood, PSI Factor, and Harlem Nights. He appeared in one scene in House of Dark Shadows as a pallbearer. On the small screen he was in Combat!, Wonder Woman, The Next Step Beyond, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, along with the daytime dramas The Edge of Night and General Hospital. Michael died at the age of 58 in 1997.
Humbert Allen Astredo (Nicholas Blair) – Warlock Nicholas Blair was brought on to keep witch Angelique/Casandra in check. Besides having the perfect look for the part, Humbert nailed the character’s deviousness and became another fan favorite. His scenes with Lara Parker’s Angelique were always fun to watch; it was a battle of “evil vs. evil.” Astredo was on Broadway in Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs with James Earl Jones and The Little Foxes with Elizabeth Taylor. His DS experiences served him well in 1985, when Humbert played Dr. Van Helsing in a touring production of Dracula, with Martin Landau in the title role.
Astredo’s only film role came in House of Dark Shadows as Dr. Forbes. All his TV credits were in soap operas: Love of Life, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, Edge of Night, Texas, Another World, Loving, and Search for Tomorrow. Humbert died in 2016.
Robert Rodan (Adam) – The 6’6″ Rodan joined Dark Shadows in May of 1968 playing a hulking Frankenstein-like creature brought to life by Dr. Eric Lang. And yes, in the course of his storyline Adam sought a mate and forced Dr. Hoffman and Barnabas to create a female named Eve. Robert left the show at the end of the year. His only other credit of note was the 1969 film The Minx with Jan Sterling in 1969. Eventually becoming a real estate broker in Southern California and passed away in 2021.
Obviously we didn’t have time–even with two parts–to list every Dark Shadows cast member (Did you know Conrad Bain, Abe Vigoda, and even Harvey Keitel appeared on the show?), so let us know in the comments if we overlooked your favorite. And click here to read John’s recollections of the series and how, as a teenager, he visited the Midtown Manhattan studio where it was taped.