Actor Jonathan Frid, 87, who played the vampire Barnabas Collins in the original 1960's TV soap opera Dark Shadows, died April 14 of natural causes in a Canadian hospital.

As the story goes, the soap's producers wanted to inject a supernatural element into the show to boost sagging ratings, and Frid only agreed to the part because it was supposed to be only two weeks work, then the character would be killed off. Ultimately, the blood-sucking Barnabas became so popular (particularly with female viewers) that Frid became the soap's star, and remained with it until its cancellation in April, 1971. (I remember cutting school that day to watch the series finale.)

Last year, Frid and fellow Dark Shadows alumni David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker filmed cameos for Tim Burton's soon-to-be-released remake starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas (whose makeup looks like a drag queen, IMO).

The original Dark Shadows was a lot of fun - a guilty pleasure of its time, and I used to fondly look forward to each story arc and see which famous Gothic novel or horror movie would have its plot ripped off and recycled by the show's writers. So totally over-the-top and, at times, ridiculous - but always played with a straight face. Daytime television was never better back then.

R.I.P.

Signor V.