Beverly Atkinson (Nurse at Collinsport Hospital)

[Brian]

Originally posted by Brian on the Dark Shadows: General Discussion Forum on January 24, 2002 at 20:26:55:

Beverly Atkinson, one of the few black actors to appear on DS, has passed. She is noted primarily for her stage work, but also has some film work to her credit.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=story&articleid=VR1117858191&categoryid=25&query=Atkinson&cs=1

[Taeylor Collins]

I wish Dark Shadows had some color in the show.  I really loved Beverly as the Nurse. It would have been nice to see her as a recurring character perhaps with a dark secret disguised in a friendly, kind nurse.  I can only think of one other African American actor and that was the actor who played the Gypsies enforcer, who's name escapes me at the moment, in 1897!  He had to be a wrestler or perhaps body builder!?

[David]

I recall seeing Beverly as a hooker in the George C Scott film The New Centurions.
I suspect that DS was largely a white show because of the era in which it was made. Times have changed.

[Taeylor Collins]

Very true. Even now though a lot of soaps don't have a good mixture.  For a good while in the 90's General Hospital had a great African American family but that all went away and there only black current character is never hardly on there.  It seems they don't know what to do with her.