Poster for the movie Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows

1966 — 1971 • 22 minutes
DramaSci-Fi & FantasySoap

Dark Shadows is an American gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements. It was unprecedented in daytime television when ghosts were introduced about six months after it began. The series became hugely popular when vampire Barnabas Collins appeared a year into its run. Dark Shadows also featured werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, and a parallel universe. A small company of actors each played many roles; indeed, as actors came and went, some characters were played by more than one actor. Major writers besides Art Wallace included Malcolm Marmorstein, Sam Hall, Gordon Russell, and Violet Welles.

Picture of Jonathan Frid

Jonathan Frid

Barnabas Collins / Bramwell Collins

Picture of Grayson Hall

Grayson Hall

Julia Hoffman

Picture of Joan Bennett

Joan Bennett

Elizabeth Collins Stoddard / Naomi Collins

Picture of David Selby

David Selby

Quentin Collins

Picture of Kathryn Leigh Scott

Kathryn Leigh Scott

Maggie Evans

Picture of Lara Parker

Lara Parker

Angelique Bouchard Collins

Picture of Alexandra Isles

Alexandra Isles

Victoria Winters

Picture of Nancy Barrett

Nancy Barrett

Carolyn Stoddard

Picture of Louis Edmonds

Louis Edmonds

Roger Collins / Joshua Collins

Picture of David Henesy

David Henesy

David Collins

Picture of Thayer David

Thayer David

Ben Stokes / Professor Timothy Stokes

Picture of John Karlen

John Karlen

Willie Loomis

Picture of Joel Crothers

Joel Crothers

Joe Haskell

Picture of Roger Davis

Roger Davis

Jeff Clark / Peter Bradford

Picture of Jerry Lacy

Jerry Lacy

Gregory Trask

Picture of Dennis Patrick

Dennis Patrick

Paul Stoddard