DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '02 II => Topic started by: Perankh on July 22, 2002, 11:39:00 AM
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Well, i know this is hard, and it is utterly hilarious and inappropriate for me to start this topic when i haven't seen the whole series yet, but i still want to. ;) So for me, i suppose for only the first half of the series, the best actor/actress on the series is John Karlen. Willie came to Collinsport with Jason McGuire, later to be changed drastically when Barnabas bites him and makes him his slave. The way Karlen brought this transformation to fruition really does something for me. And now with his return, he continues to show that interesting new side of Willie Loomis as a sort of kind, mellower guy who doesn't want to do naughty things any more-or at least as much. Karlen always has such intensity onscreen, and never seems to dip into overacting, as some of the other actors do. I was able to meet him at this year's festival and it was a real treat.
Runner Up - Lara Parker
Always intense, she seems to play the part just right, as an outwardly irresistably charming and beautiful woman one moment, and a monstrosity the next. I think she is very good at using her facial expressions to convey feeling and meaning. She plays the two sides so well, the good and the bad, that although she is such a wretch for all the bad things she has done, i still feel sorry for her. I especially think her moments with barnabas in 1795 were a highlight of her abilities.
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I agree with you about Lara Parker, but to me, DS' most skilled actor was Jonathan Frid. Granted, one he became popular and had less time to memorize his scripts, he floundered, line-wise, but even under those circumstances, he provided a character with depth, eroticism, pathos and cruelty, especially the early Barnabas episodes. Mr. Frid imbued Barnabas with something that will last in the minds of millions of fans throughout the ages. He was and is a truly gifted actor--and saved DARK SHADOWS from cancellation, too!
DARK SHADOWS was filled with talented actors--John Karlen, Thayer David, Grayson Hall, Nancy Barrett, David Henesy, Louis Edmonds and many others. With its unique format of giving actors a chance to change characters and show off new acting ability, DS was undoubtedly an actor's dream job.
Love, Robin
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For me, the best actor on the series was Thayer David,
hands down. Of course he did get to play a wide variety of characters, which allowed him to showcase his range as an actor. Other cast members weren't so fortunate, lol.
Nancy Barrett would be my second choice.
MrsJ.
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For me, the best actor is David Selby. He brings something that no other brings...passion... with a vengeance. He loves acting. Watch him turn from Quentin, the I could care less about you , to, Quentin, I really care about you. Running second is Johnathan Frid. Excellent acting.
Lets face it, DS was a ghetto. Dan Curtis wouldn't spend anything for the sets. So they (Selby, Frid, Parker, Karen, everyone else) had to make this work. And, they did.
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Lets face it, DS was a ghetto. Dan Curtis wouldn't spend anything for the sets.
This especially seems to ring true in retrospect - with the lushness we've become accustomed to over the years in the way of sets, costumes, etc.. But, all things considered (not the least of which would be my love of Collinwood itself) I think they did a pretty decent job with what they had to work with. I do wonder sometimes what might have been had the various designers had a little more $$$ at their disposal.
So they (Selby, Frid, Parker, Karen, everyone else) had to make this work. And, they did.
For sure! As far as my pick of the litter here I tend to be a little fickle since I also agree there are several outstanding talents (yes, some not so outstanding too, but won't go there today). I would say Selby and Parker get my votes for best male and female leads and Karlen and Barrett for supporting leads. Thayer David seems to be in a category all his own: Best character actor on the series.
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It's Craig Slocum all the way, no one catches my eye, attention, or casts a spell on me like he does! I choose Nancy Barrett as best actress. I like her best as Carolyn Stoddard even though she was a snot to Harry Johnson.
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John Karlen certainly had a few advantages:
He had formal training as an actor at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
He had already been in a number of theatrical productions.
He already had extensive experience working in Television.
Willie Loomis was a role that allowed considerable room for an actor to "stretch" as far as he thought he could get away with. The character changed so much over the course of his existance.
I think it's fairly evident which of the actors (Frid, Bennett, Edmonds, David, Karlen, Hall) had the advantage of experience and which others did not.
Some of the young performers were excellent talents and would have gotten better and better with more roles and different challanges. Unfortunately, most of them never seem to have gotten the chance.
Being famous for Dark Shadows was obviously the kiss of death for more than one career.
Rainey
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I can't pick just one......have to pick four each category. :)
Actor:
Thayer David
John Karlen
Jonathan Frid
Humbert Allen Astredo
Actress:
Nancy Barrett
Virginia Vestoff
Clarice Blackburn
Grayson Hall
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Runner Up - Lara Parker
Always intense, she seems to play the part just right, as an outwardly irresistably charming and beautiful woman one moment, and a monstrosity the next. I think she is very good at using her facial expressions to convey feeling and meaning. She plays the two sides so well, the good and the bad, that although she is such a wretch for all the bad things she has done, i still feel sorry for her. I especially think her moments with barnabas in 1795 were a highlight of her abilities.
Perankh,
Like Robin and you, I also agree about Lara Parker as the best actress on the show. However, I would put Thayer David at the top of the male category (I now have developed more of an apreciation for his talent after several viewings of the Series).
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Thayer David. In a word - FLAWLESS.
Dom
PS - With a few tieing for first runner up.
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Perankh,
Like Robin and you, I also agree about Lara Parker as the best actress on the show. However, I would put Thayer David at the top of the male category (I now have developed more of an apreciation for his talent after several viewings of the Series).
I totally agree with you VAM. I think Lara Parker is the best pick for the female lead actress. She could convey so many mixed emotions all at once and make them all so incredibly real & believable.
I too also feel that Thayer David is truly a wonderful talented actor. I don't think I ever once heard him flub a line. He's also been so good at playing so many diverse rolls, Count Petofi, Sandor, The Professor, etc. and making each one of these characters his own and unique. :)
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:-/Yes, a hard one considering the fact that every one of those actors had a difficult job------the taping process being what it was in the 60's. I would have to say that Thayer David was the most talented, giving flawless performances during each of his character requirements. Jonathan Frid was the most unforgettable and John Karlen developed his character beautifully. Lara Parker was excellent, I especially liked her in PT as Katherine. I don't believe (at least for me) it is possible to zero in on one actor as the BEST. ?!?
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In a show blessed with an abundance of talent, for me one stands above all the others: Thayer David. He shines in all of his roles, but it's his portrayal of Professor Stokes that I feel is his greatest achievement. Watching the series again this time around has only increased my appreciation of his talent.
Perhaps Dom said it best: FLAWLESS.
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For me, the best actor on the series was Thayer David,
hands down. Of course he did get to play a wide variety of characters, which allowed him to showcase his range as an actor. Other cast members weren't so fortunate, lol.
Nancy Barrett would be my second choice.
I agree completely! John Karlen was also a remarkably talented actor who could attract sympathy for every one of his roles. I thought that Marie Wallace also turned in some good performances during her time on the show.
ProfStokes
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I find this most difficult, merely choosing one, so my list is...
Best in performance by a
Male...
Thayer David
Jonathan Frid
David Selby
John Karlen
David Hennesy
Best in performance by a
Female...
Kathryn Leigh Scott
Lara Parker
Joan Bennett
Nancy Barrett
Sharon Smyth
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Best Actor: Thayer David. He has the advantage of being able to portray many varied characters and creates a unique and distinct person each time. A close runner-up would be Louis Edmonds.
Best Actress: Nancy Barrett for the same reason. Close runner up would be Clarice Blackburn.
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Best actors for me would be frid and thayer.Best actresses would be barett,hall,and parker. :)
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Thayer David and Nancy Barrett.
I don't think I need to say why. They were that good.
Runners up would be Louis Edmonds and Clarice Blackburn.
Luciaphil
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John Karlen certainly had a few advantages:
He had formal training as an actor at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
He had already been in a number of theatrical productions.
He already had extensive experience working in Television.
Willie Loomis was a role that allowed considerable room for an actor to "stretch" as far as he thought he could get away with. The character changed so much over the course of his existance.
I think it's fairly evident which of the actors (Frid, Bennett, Edmonds, David, Karlen, Hall) had the advantage of experience and which others did not.
Some of the young performers were excellent talents and would have gotten better and better with more roles and different challanges. Unfortunately, most of them never seem to have gotten the chance.
Being famous for Dark Shadows was obviously the kiss of death for more than one career.
Rainey
yikes!!!! - i had no idea he had such experience. Wasn't this Lara Parker's first tv role?
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Wasn't this Lara Parker's first tv role?
Yes, it was Lara's first TV role. I believe she had a little theater experience.
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I don't think its ever too soon to discuss who is pulling you into this weird universe of DS-fandom. . someone's doing it. . so best acting chops--
male=Thayer David, John Karlen and David Selby. I luv JF but he seemed to flub some really important scenes with my gal. . .
female=Nancy Barrett (hands downs), Lara Parker and my gal, Grayson.
Now as to Dan C being cheap. . i have read vintage articles where people talk openly, in some awe, about the number of quality fo the sets for DS and the production budget. . .let's not judge the show by today's out-of-this-world standards. . .judge it by its day and age. . .they DID have it pretty good. .
Where DC seemed to skimp was in the # of actors on per episode. . such as today . .GH had 2 weeks of Vampire Victim work and then she's cured and gone for an entire week. . .in today's soaps there would be lingering questions from folks about her weirdness, near death and miraculous recovery. . also her "stay" at the Old House and just **what** type of relationship did she and Barnabas have anyway? I actually think that was more DC's attention-deficiet disorder rather than cheapdom. . .ahhhh the missing scenes. . .
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It's so hard to choose who I think is hte best actress or actor. For best actress, I'd have to say either Nancy Barrett or Lara Parker. Nancy played many diverse characters, and she played them well. Lara did a great job as the woman scorned. Clarice Blackburn also did a great job. For best actor, I'd have to say Thayer David. He was, like Barrett, able to play many diverse characters on the set, going from the servant Ben Stokes to the witty sophisticated Timothy Stokes. His performances were always great, and he had get chemistry with Jonathan Frid during the 1795 storyline. Louis Edmonds was also a great actor.
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female=Nancy Barrett (hands downs), Lara Parker and my gal, Grayson.
So Julia99 the truth does surface...You place your gal THIRD best among the ladies! ;)
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Frid and Parker were obviously the best actors on the show and well thought of by their peers in the daytime industry as well. This long before daytime emmy awards. Grayson was too hammy(but hilariously fun just the same), David Selby gorgeous but all over the place, Alexandra was underrated - she was excellent in the beginning but started to slip at the end. Louie Emonds was priceless and bombastic. For the supporting acting nods Thayer David and Nancy Barrett win hands down. Whoever mentioned Virginia Vestoff above, I disagree with the DS role. I had seen her struggle as Althea on The Doctors replacing Liz Hubbard and knew she'd be bad on DS and I thought she was. Too stiff, but I would have loved to have seen her play Eve or Megan Todd.
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Hi,Terry 308 You have excellent taste !!! I too
think that David Selby is the best actor on DS!!
OF COURSE ANNE WOULD THINK SO BECAUSE
SHE LOVE THE Q-MAN ALOT!!
Love Anne :P :P :P :P :P :P :P
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It's Craig Slocum all the way, no one catches my eye, attention, or casts a spell on me like he does! I choose Nancy Barrett as best actress. I like her best as Carolyn Stoddard even though she was a snot to Harry Johnson.
No disrespect to the late Mr. Slocum, he was great as Noah, but he was unfortunately absolutely wasted as Harry Johnson. IMO he is definitely NOT the best actor on the show, not even in the top 10. And I definitely don't think he was a better actor than Jonathan, David, Louis, John, Thayer, Humbert, etc.
My personal pick for Best Actor/Best Actress: Jonathan and Joan
Personal picks for Best Supporting Actor/Actress: Humbert Allen Astredo and Nancy
BTW I think Harry deserved the grief he got from Carolyn considering he was such a grade-A prick to his mother and Adam.
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Jonathan Frid I would have loved to see him on the stage. Very much the characters. [cheerleader]
John Karlan Great with character change. ;)
Nancy Barrett All her characters 8)
Grayson Hall Magda the Best and Subtext with character. [cheerleader]
Also it does depend on what the writers wrote. I think they wrote Julia very stiff.
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Jonathan Frid. There he is, at the beginning of the 1795 storyline, 42 years old with the lines on his face to prove it, and he makes me believe that he's a sweet, callow, idealistic kid in his twenties.
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Nancy Barrett and John Karlen. Hands down. There were no performances anywhere on this show that rivaled the warring Loomises. They weren't just good enough to be on DS.....they were good enough to have been on Broadway.
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Male: Thayer David, John Karlen, David Selby. I would pick Jonathan Frid, since in some scenes he's absolutely brilliant, but those flubs and pauses sometimes hinder what could have been great acting. Not his fault since he had the most lines and not enough time to study them. It's a shame because I think if he'd known his lines he would be undoubtedly the best.
Female: Nancy Barrett, Lara Parker, Grayson Hall. Nancy played so many diverse characters and did them all well. Lara was the perfect choice for Angelique.
I must say that Craig Slocum (the poster not the actor) really loves her man, and it's great that someone does love him. I pick on poor Harry a lot, I find him extremely unnattractive and a whiner but it's great when someone is so loyal to him. Though I'm sure none of us agree that he was the best actor on DS, I'm glad someone likes him. It's too bad Harry didn't have someone in real life who believed in him. Who knows what might have become of Harry if he'd had a good woman who loved him? He put up with a lot of verbal abuse from his mother and Carolyn. But there is one scene in which he really shines IMO, [spoiler]when he talked Adam out of killing himself. He explained to Adam that there was a range between love and hate, Adam had thought Carolyn hated him because she didn't love him. Harry explained that she liked him, and got him to understand. Kudos to Harry for this scene.[/spoiler]
Alondra[/b]
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Male: Thayer David, John Karlen, David Selby. I would pick Jonathan Frid, since in some scenes he's absolutely brilliant, but those flubs and pauses sometimes hinder what could have been great acting. Not his fault since he had the most lines and not enough time to study them. It's a shame because I think if he'd known his lines he would be undoubtedly the best.
Female: Nancy Barrett, Lara Parker, Grayson Hall. Nancy played so many diverse characters and did them all well. Lara was the perfect choice for Angelique.
I must say that Craig Slocum (the poster not the actor) really loves her man, and it's great that someone does love him. I pick on poor Harry a lot, I find him extremely unnattractive and a whiner but it's great when someone is so loyal to him. Though I'm sure none of us agree that he was the best actor on DS, I'm glad someone likes him. It's too bad didn't have someone in real life who believed in him. Who knows what might have become of Harry if he'd had a good woman who loved him? He put up with a lot of verbal abuse from his mother and Carolyn. But there is one scene in which he really shines IMO, [spoiler]when he talked Adam out of killing himself. He explained to Adam that there was a range between love and hate, Adam had thought Carolyn hated him because she didn't love him. Harry explained that she liked him, and got him to understand. Kudos to Harry for this scene.[/spoiler][/b]
Those flubs and pauses don't bother me none, because just because Jonathan screwed up on his lines on occasion doesn't make him any less a great actor on the show in my eyes.
As for Harry, I found that scene way too-out-of-character for me. When just a short-time later [spoiler]he's back to being a prick when he tried to blackmail Nicholas about Adam's whereabouts....he threatened to tell Carolyn that Adam was staying at Nicholas' house unless Nicholas agreed to pay him.
I don't know what his childhood with his mother was like, how she raised him or such, but I still think the guy was a rat. Carolyn distrusted the guy, did she not have reason too? He poked into somewhere he didn't belong (the west wing) and almost got killed by Adam (fortunately Carolyn saved his nosy hide). Then he tries to blackmail Carolyn over Adam.
I don't blame Carolyn for being so wary of Harry, because he already proved he couldn't be trusted long before the Adam business (remember his first episode when he goes poking inside the desk in the drawing room? I think he was looking for something valuable to steal)[/spoiler]
Just my two cents.
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I'm going to go with Kathryn Lee Scott. No matter what role she played, her character always seemed real and genuine. No matter if she was a barmaid or the daughter of Martinique's ruling class, she always was perfect. The little bit of snottiness she displayed as Lady Kitty Hampshire was great as well. For actor, probably David Selby. Everything Quentin did when we first met him should have made him completely unlikable, but somehow Selby made me care about the character. It was a remarkable feat.
Honorable mention for Lara Parker, she could be so sweet and nice, but could she ever turn! I just love her character.
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I don't know why everyone keeps bugging JF about forgetting lines. Yes he wasn't a quick study he says so himself. But he took and very bad charactor that just was a mean Vampire and made him into a man even when he was writen as a monster. Maybe it was his and Barnabas's fear that came through. But even when Barn was bad you could see the person, that he was even before you went back to 1795. He really added something to the role. If it would have been done differently he would have been gone. YEAH [crowdhappy]
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Actress - No doubt whatsoever here - Nancy Barrett. Effortless acting from the beginning until the end. She played so many different characters, and they each had their own manner and personality traits. Her performances were always strong, and no matter the emotion, she could play it and you believed it was real. And I've always been fond of Kathryn Leigh Scott, for the same reasons Willie mentioned. She always seemed very natural and I liked that.
Honorable mentions go to Joan Bennett (who, when she had the material to work with, was great), and Lara Parker (who always seemed intense and into the role).
Actor - No doubt here, either - Jonathan Frid and John Karlen. There was so much more to Frid's portrayal than just the lines: his presence, his voice, his expressions. The depth of his portrayal was mesmerizing. Even in the black and white episodes, when he was just supposed to be the villain, there was so much more there and a lot of that was due to Frid's performance. With John Karlen, his turn as Willie alone was amazing. He gave great performances as different characters, but the evolution of Willie proved his range. Both Frid and Karlen bring the emotion out in me - I feel so much for their characters when I'm watching the show. That says a lot about their acting, IMO.
Honorable mention goes to Louis Edmonds, who was always convincing and amusing as Roger, and gave a powerful performance as Joshua.
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Hands Down the Best Actor Is The Great Humbert Allen Astredo!!! Along with Humbert i think David Selby, Don Briscoe, Joel Crothers, David Ford & My other fav Dennis Patrick were excellent!!! Best Actress is : Lara Parker, Kate Jackson, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Joan Bennett, Nancy Barrett.
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My favorite actors: Thayer David, David Selby and Jon. My favorite actresses: Grayson Hall, Nancy Barett and Joan Bennett!
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Thayer David was great and almost NEVER made a mistake. However, JF had such a huge workload, so you would expect more mistakes from him. I also think Clarice Blackburn is notable (maybe made 1 or 2 mistakes ever), Joan Bennett was great as both Elizabeth and Judith (both very different characters, both done very well). Lara Parker is also in my head as someone to consider, but I feel some of the other players demonstrated a wider range (and were given the opportunity to). I almost forgot, Jerry Lacy is one of my favorites -- his portrayals of the Trask family (Gregory and Trask I especially) were very effective and made a believable, loathsome villain.
Overall, I would have to say Thayer David. He effectively played every part he had, nearly mistake free, and his Count Petofi really tips the scales in his direction. So many of the classic lines (IMO) of DS come from Petofi
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Whoever mentioned Virginia Vestoff above, I disagree with the DS role. I had seen her struggle as Althea on The Doctors replacing Liz Hubbard and knew she'd be bad on DS and I thought she was.
Well, then you're in the minority here, because there are many on here, including myself, who think Virginia was absolutely brilliant on DS as Samantha.
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I loved VIRIGINA and to think she was doing two shows a day at one time. DS during the day and stage at night!!
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Come to think of it, I believe a few of the cast did that at one time or another while in plays. I believe a few of them were in Broadway or off Broadway plays and I have a vague memory that I can't pin down of someone doing Joe Papp's Shakespeare in the Park. Trouble is, I can't for the life of me remember which cast members it was! I want to include Selby in Sticks and Bones as one of them, but my time frame's probably off even on that. [confused_ani]
Anyone's memory working better than mine on my first day back to work after Fest and Tourist stuff? (I know the niggle of half memory will drive me nuts till either I remember or someone chimes in!) [beg2]
Jeannie (who wants to be back at Disneyland)
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John Karlen certainly had a few advantages:
He had formal training as an actor at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
He had already been in a number of theatrical productions.
He already had extensive experience working in Television.
Willie Loomis was a role that allowed considerable room for an actor to "stretch" as far as he thought he could get away with. The character changed so much over the course of his existance.
Definately. John Karlen gets my vote.
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I have to give top honors to Jon Frid and Lara Parker. They could convey so much without saying a word.
Other favs are: David Selby, KLS, Thayer David
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Taeylor, is that new avatar of Red Sonja? I love Red Sonja! You'll probably move on to another avatar soon at the rate you're going though....
Thayer David I think, for reasons given above. I only just recently noticed the subtle drunk-act involved in PT TES, and that impressed me, not just the skill involved, but the subtlety, and the care and thought he was putting into the performance. He was an actor's actor, as they say.
Jonathan Frid is second for me, because of the soul and gravity in the performance. I love it when you see only the character and not the actor, and I love it when you seem actually to see the character "thinking"... that is, you can sense the gears turning, and you "know" that there is more going on in the head of the character than he's willing to say in words. Mr. Frid did that, at least when he found the storyline compelling. He would seem to spring to life when going into the past, specifically.
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YES it is RED SONJA and she will be around for a while. [ghost_wink] I have talked in some other threads of my love for ROSE MCGOWAN. She is playing her and the pictures are stunning.