Documentary in the works about the life, career of Jonathan Frid

Previously unpublished photos of Jonathan Frid as Tullus Aufidius in Coriolanus (1955) and Barnabas Collins in House of Dark Shadows (1970).

Dark Shadows & Shakespeare: The Jonathan Frid Story

Upcoming Documentary Pays Tribute to 

Legendary TV Vampire & Stage Actor

MPI Media Group announces that production has commenced on the first-ever feature-length documentary devoted to Canadian born actor Jonathan Frid who became a pop culture icon with his portrayal of guilt-ridden vampire Barnabas Collins on the original 1966-1971 ABC-TV daytime drama Dark Shadows. The spooky gothic serial attracted not only housewives and college students but millions of school kids who ran home each afternoon, turning the classically trained forty-something Frid into an unlikely teen idol.

Dark Shadows & Shakespeare: The Jonathan Frid Story will reveal the man beneath the vampire’s cloak. The in-depth documentary explores Frid’s struggles, joys, artistic triumphs and rise to fame through the personal reminiscences of family, friends and colleagues Marion Ross, Dick Cavett, Christina Pickles, Anthony Zerbe, David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Marie Wallace and others.  The documentary also includes rare clips, photographs and audio from Frid’s career in addition to previously unseen video interview footage.

Dark Shadows & Shakespeare: The Jonathan Frid Story is produced and directed by soap opera veteran Mary O’Leary, who has garnered seven Daytime Emmy Awards as producer of five daily dramas. She also produced the one-man shows that brought Frid out of retirement in the mid-1980s and back into the spotlight.  Executive Producer Jim Pierson has overseen and worked on Dark Shadows projects for three decades, including the 1991 primetime series and the 2012 film version.  He was also a producer of the 2019 documentary Master of Dark Shadows.

Dark Shadows & Shakespeare: The Jonathan Frid Story will be released by MPI Media Group in 2020.  For updates and further information, please visit the documentary’s Facebook page.