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This could end up being a bit polarizing, but who are you guys' choices as the Best and Worst actors on DS?
For me, Best Actor/Actress is Louis Edmonds/ Nancy Barrett. No matter how many parts they were given, they both relished their roles and brought the characters to life.
Worst Actor/Actress has to be Guy who played Dr. Lang (If....they...both....live) and Beth Chavez actress. I think Danny from DS Everyday pointed out that even being romantically paired with the best looking leading man did nothing to improve her bland acting skills. This is glaringly apparent when she shares romantic scenes with Quentin. She doesn't look like she's into it at all. Like kissing him is a chore or something. I saw a hint of a spark from her when she became Barnabas' sidekick briefly, so maybe she just didn't like acting opposite Selby. Who knows? Pure speculation. The chick who played Amanda (the living painting girl) was almost as bad, but at least she smiled on occasion.
Who are your picks, and why?
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Nancy Barrett was the only one who didn’t flub her lines all the time. I’m just doing a watch now and I’m on episode 63 and everybody keeps flubbing their lines except Nancy.
ETA: Maggie doesn’t flub her lines either. Now I’m on episode 135.
This is a great point. She must either have a great memory or was very serious about preparing.
Nancy was great. Kathryn Scott and Mitchell Ryan were great too. I felt like Louis struggled with lines a lot. (And to be fair, the blame goes on Dan Curtis and his stinginess with reshoots for flubbed lines.) And the way Grayson Hall dealt with her lines made her sound like a female William Shatner at times.
But Powell’s portrayal of Dr. Lang was pretty bad, no doubt about that. I’d probably have to give him the cringe award there.
Yes. Yes and Yes on KLS and Mitch Ryan. And I think I want to add the girl who played Sabrina Stuart on the bad list. Lol. Forgot her.
As much as I love Grayson, she seemed to alternate between very good, and dialing it in. She did rescue Frid on more than one occasion with forgotten lines, and she sometimes needed rescuing too. But for most of those years, she may have had more dialog than even Frid. However, she could put on the most unintentionally campiest performance too.
We're on the 1970PT section right now, agree on the Sabrina Stuart actress! She was fine as a scared woman in a coma, didn't fit at all as a mad scientist assistant.
I thought Grayson Hall was literally brilliant in every scene she appeared in. She was amazing.
I dunno man...that whole episode where she goes mad and screams and cries every five seconds is a slog to get through.
I thought she was lousy until she played the gypsy woman and then I realize that the halting, hesitating speech of the doctor was deliberately played that way.
I like how we can have different opinions. See I find her halting, hesitating speech annoying and awful. I even tried watching her acting in Night of the Iguana and it was more or less the same. I'm just not a fan of hers. I suppose I can agree with you on her role as Magda. Out of all of the roles, that one was the least annoying to me.
I didn't realize that was her acting style. I never watched Night of the Iguana, but it's been on my to watch list for some time now. Now I want to see it even more.
Her and Lara Parker were my favorites.
Anthony George was terrible as Furke Devlin.
He really was :-/ He was much better as Jeremiah, but I've always felt robbed of not seeing how Mitch Ryan would've played that part.
Mitch Ryan was such a good actor. That early Burke/Roger tension in the pre-Barnabas episodes were so good because of those two actors.
So was Mitchell Ryan who originally played Devlin. Remember the scene where he was in the doctors office trying to find out what was wrong with Maggie? Instead of saying, "What do you see under that microscope doctor? He said, "What do you see under that microphone doctor?" That gave me a good laugh. In a later sequence he made sure to say microscope. Which made me laugh even harder.
Thayer David, Louis Edmonds, Grayson Hall and Mitchell Ryan were my absolute faves, with Jerry Lacy as a close tie.
Thayer David was a beast of an actor, and no matter the role, he excelled and made me believe he was the character he was playing.
Louis Edmonds was great as Roger, but fucking slayed as Joshua.
Mitchell Ryan is the only Burke Devlin. No arguments necessary.
Grayson Hall? I fucking adore her and love every role she played.
Jerry Lacy really made me shiver as the disgusting Reverend Trask.
"Louis Edmonds was great as Roger, but fucking slayed as Joshua."
Truer words have never been spoken.
Best: Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker, David Selby. And special mention to David Henesy and Denise Nickerson! Both stellar child actors.
As for worst... Jonathan Frid. I love the man and I love Barnabus but he flubbed and forgot his lines way more than anyone else of the main cast.
But I think he was the most realistic vampire I've ever seen. When I think of vampires now, his version is the first that springs to mind.
Hmm I dunno if I would place so much emphasis on remembering lines as being what's makes a good actor on the show. Of course it's part of it, but there's much else to acting as well, and Frid delivers feeling and presence extremely well even when he's babbling a bunch of garbled lines.
You know, as far as flubbing lines go. It is said that the guy who played Sam Evans insisted on his characters blindness storyline so he could look at the teleprompter and nobody could tell behind the dark glasses. But in his first months, he was pretty good. I wonder why he decided to start phoning ot in.
I thought he was one of the worse and most inauthentic of the bunch. He always looked like he was thinking something else than what he was saying. I recently read that he was married to Nancy Barrett, and she said that at the time she thinks she only married him because she thought he was a good actor. I wonder if she later rethought that after seeing his bad acting in this?
I just read an article about him and he said that Dark Shadows was his worse acting because he didn't have enough time to rehearse his lines. From my understanding, the actors had very little time to learn lines because of the rigorous filming schedule, hence, a lot of flubs with no retakes.
The worst has to be Craig Slocum who played Harry Johnson and Noah Gifford. He can’t even just walk through the set naturally, let alone deliver lines. Somehow I still enjoy his presence on the show.
God, Slocum was awful! He was especially pathetic when he tried to make Harry seem "threatening."
The big MVPs of the show were Nancy Barrett, Thayer David, and John Karlen, who elevated whatever material they were given. Humbert Allen Astredo was also top notch.
Recently came across a young Craig Slocum on an old episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmK35pz3SgU
For best I'd have to say John Karlen, Joan Bennet, Nancy Barrett, Thayer David, Jerry Lacy, Grayson Hall, Humbert Astredo, and Lara Parker. That's a lot; but I really do feel like Dark Shadows had a crazy amount of good theatrical actors in it.
Craig Slocum, the girl who played Hallie Stokes, the girl who played Beth, and the weird one episode Fake Carolyn are probably my least favourites. With Dr. Lang I at least always found him entertaining to watch, but those actors and actresses were just boring, and in a show like Dark Shadows boring is the worst thing you can be.
Don Briscoe is one of my favorites he definitely knocked the ball out of the park more often than not as Chris.
BEST: Thayer David, Jonathan Frid, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Clarice Blackburn, John Karlen, Louis Edmonds, David Henesy, Mitchell Ryan, Don Briscoe, Joel Crothers.
Nancy Barrett is great, too, but I don't like the breathy/whiny/I'm-so-distressed stuff she does. I think she does actual crying very well, though.
Grayson Hall!! I love her!! She does tend to go over the top, but she's so awesome that I don't care :-D
Joan Bennett: when she was on, she was on!! And I just generally love her anyway.
David Henesy: I listed him already, but want to mention his work when he was possessed by Count Petofi which I think was outstanding.
Don Briscoe: I love everything he did except be a vampire.
WORST: Addison Powell and his eyebrows, Terry Crawford (ugh, Beth Chavez. She was better as Edith.), Donna McKechne (sp?), the guy who played Philip Todd, and Roger Davis. Also second Fake Victoria.
Oh hell yes on Hennessy doing Petofi. Also made me shed a tear when crying for his mom when she was in the final scene in that fishing shack. That kid was a natural. I also liked Selby doing Petofi. You could tell he loved playing the big bad.
I'm almost to that final scene with Laura. I'll join you in a weep; it is heartbreaking.
Replying to my own comment. I wrote "second Fake Victoria", but I meant "second Victoria" or "first Fake Victoria". She was too whiny, IMO.
Yeah....Betsy Durkin wasn't a great choice for Victoria. Had the producers cast Carolyn Groves all along, I think fans may have had an easier time and who knows - she may have stayed in the role and we could have had some things resolved.
Interesting how people add Donna Mackenzie to the list of "worst" actors, but honestly to each their own. I absolutely hate Grayson Hall in DS but again my opinion. And while Donna could have probably done better in her role, she wasn't given much to work with. Amanda wasn't a very exciting character. You're better off watching Donna in a very impressive role in A Chorus Line.
Donna is a FABULOUS dancer! :-D
I thought Grayson Hall overacted most of the time. Her expressions were a hoot!
To the point that when my mother (Bless her heart) says something confounding, my brother and I make Grayson Hall faces at each other.
🤣🤣🤣
I don't think you can go by flubbed lines to judge who was the best / worst actors on the show. Those flubbed lines were a product of having to memorize a script a day and having to rehearse, block and record it all in less than 24 hours. As has been pointed out many, many times, the show didn't allow for retakes and a flubbed line would have to just be ignored as best as they could. If you watch any other show's outtake blooper reels, you'll see that actors CONSTANTLY flub lines or forget them. But usually, they just stop filming and start over. Even the best actors on a series will blank out occasionally.
That said, I'd like to give props to two supporting actors: Clarice Blackburn and Thayer David. Neither of whom were ever the most important characters, but they were the two best at differentiating the various characters they played. Kathryn Leigh Scott and Nancy Barrett were both great, but all of their characters were essentially the same. On the other hand, Mrs. Johnson was as distinct from Abigail Collins as Matthew Morgan was from Ben Stokes and Prof. Stokes and Count Petofi.
Roger Davis was the worst for me. Flat, dull delivery, or yelling. Nothing in between.
Best: Joan Bennett, Clarice Blackburn, Joel Cruthers, Louis Edmunds, John Karlen. IMHO.
Why do most of you forget Humbert Allen Astredo?? His acting was superior to most them except Thayer David.
I once opined about the over-emoting of some of the characters & scenes, but was told by an "insider" that was just what Dan Curtis was going for - BIG EMOTIONS. Even with that said, I'd have to add the following to the Worst Actors & Acting on DS:
Geoffrey Scott as Sky Rumson - awful, just awful..and still awful when he was on Dynasty. It's the opinion of some, he provided "eye candy" to the viewers for all programs.
Craig Slocum, Christopher Bernau (Phillip Todd-Leviathans), Addison Powell, Donna McKechnie, both Victoria Winters' replacements - stiff, and Lisa Richards (Sabrina): stiff, unnatural, uncomfortable & stunted attempt at "acting".
Over-the-top emoting: Michael Stroka; collectively Donna Wandrey, Kathy Cody and Virginia Vestoff with their exaggerated mouth movements when delivering their lines, James Storm with his faux-aristocratic-British accent (roll those R's Jim!) and Roger Davis' & Michael Stroka's fits of rage.
Hamming it up: Roger Davis, Humbert A. Astredo, James Storm, Michael Stroka (again), and occasionally Christopher Pennock (more..more...MORE!), Keith Prentice
Most Annoying, Time-Wasting Characters: Robert Rodan as Adam (always kidnapping someone and moaning, "Carolyn..Carolyn!", some of Nancy Barrett's characters (Millicent, Pansy, Leticia), the Cemetary Caretaker - annoyingly dull & repetitive, Hannah Stokes ("You're going to KEEL him!")
Most lingering, drawn out and over-the-top (oh, die already) on-screen deaths: Paul Stoddard, Sky Rumson, Dr. Eric Lang, Gerard Stiles.
The best had to be Grayson Hall, Joan Bennett, most of Nancy Barrett's characters, David Henesy, Denise Nickerson (but that annoying squeaky voice!), Thayer David, KLS, Lara Parker, Diana Millay, John Karlen, Louis Edmonds.
This is such a great, insightful list. I agree with all of your observations! I have been listening to Penny Dreadful's DS podcast, and she says the same in regards to Dan Curtis insisting the actors play yheir parts with "Big Emotions."" Kinda explains why the camera was so close up on their faces most of the time, too.
Best: Joan Bennett, Louis Edmonds, Mitchell Ryan, David Henesy, Denise Nickerson, Grayson Hall, Nancy Barrett, Thayer David, Clarice Blackburn, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Joel Crothers.
Good: Alexandra Moltke, Dana Eclar, David Ford, Jonathan Frid when he remembered his lines.
Worst: Addison Powell, Betsy Durkin, Anthony George, Lisa Richards, Sharon Smythe, Kathleen Cody.
Favorite Scenery Chewer: Lara Parker. No one could have played Angelique as well as Lara. Lara's eyes, laugh and evil smile were the best.
With the exception of Laura Parker, Nancy Barrett, and Katheryn Scott, I think most of them are pretty crummy. At times it seems like Joan Bennett, Jonathon Frid, and Grayson Hall, are reading off cue cards.
The best: Kathryn Leigh Scott, Alexandra Moltke, David Selby, Kate Jackson, Louis Edmonds, Joan Bennett...
The Worst: Erm....the guy who played Harry Johnson and his other roles...and I know I'm going to catch some flack for this, but I am not a fan of Grayson Hall. I can't stand her delivery.
Wheather or not lines were flubbed really doesn't bother me. I loved the show and I am watching every episode now.
Grayson Hall stuttered and stammered her lines constantly which was very irritating. I loved Mitchell Ryan as Burke Devlin. He was gone much too soon. He was truly a professional. One thing that sort of bothered me was (in my opinion) too much loud overbearing screaming. Other than that, I loved most of the actors and I loved the show, start to finish!
I'd have to say for me the best actors on the show were John Karlen, Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh-Scott, Nancy Barrett, Alexandra Moltke, and Humbert Allen Astredo. I thought their characters, regardless of how many they played, very good, with few flubs. So-so actors? Joan Bennett, Louis Edmonds, David Selby, Roger Davis and David Henesy, neither good or bad, but in my opinion not very memorable characters. Less than good? Jonathan Frid. He probably flubbed more lines than anyone else on the show. I was also surprised at how popular he was with his bony, chiselled, and not-so-handsome face with it's stuck-out ears and thin lips. Some of his line flubs were particularly embarrassing. Once, for example, he was supposed to say the name of a woman. He couldn't think of her name and instead uttered a whole string of names. In my opinion the very worst actor on the show, though, was Grayson Hall. Her frequent speech hesitations, open-mouthed blank expressions as though struggling for words like a gasping fish out of water, and inappropriate screams were beyond laughable. Once, for example, she was confronted with a stranger and her response? "Oh! Aghhhhhhh! Oh, I'm sorry." Yikes. The screams also sounded like she was a smoker, which I believe she was. Another bad actor: Don Briscoe. It seemed to me that his characters were limpid with very little effort put into bringing them to life.
Her screams are so fake, but I love her.
How can anyone forget Sharon Smyth as Sarah Collins? Being a child is no excuse. Painful to watch.
And don't forget the girl who played Stokes niece.. was it Hallie/Carrie? She was in the awful storyline leading up to the 1840s. I can still hear her in my head from her very first scene. When Barnadas and Julia return from 1995., she sees them in the hall and demands, "Who ARE you?" as if she owned the place. Idk how that show got the worst child actors, except for David. He was pretty good.
Worst actor on the planet, let alone dark shadows was Robert Rodan! No wonder he stopped acting and went into real estate! Every time I watch these reruns, it aches to watch him portrayed the character he does.
Oh God I can't stand Lara Parker as Angelique. Her acting is forced, she has a weird insect mouth and a strange reverb when she talks. I hate when she's on.