David Selby

David Lynn Selby (born February 5, 1941) is an American film, television, and stage actor and writer. He is best known for playing Quentin Collins on the daytime soap ''Dark Shadows'' (1968–1971) and Richard Channing on the prime-time soap '' Falcon Crest'' (1982–1990). Selby also had prominent roles in the television series '' Flamingo Road'' (1981–1982) and the feature film '' Raise the Titanic'' (1980).

Early life

David Selby was born February 5, 1941, in Morgantown, West Virginia, the son of Clyde Ira Selby, a carpenter, and his wife Sarah E. (née McIntyre). He recalled in 2020 interview, "I enjoyed a safe, happy life; I grew up in Morgantown and still have good friends back there, people I've known since grade school. West Virginia's a fantastic place to raise kids. The environment's nurturing and positive." He attended West Virginia University.

Midway through his time at WVU, Selby joined the cast of '' Honey in the Rock'', a civil war drama at Grandview State Park.

Career

Early TV and film roles (1960s and 1970s)

Selby became active in theatre, which he has always described as his favorite medium, and was among the cast for a national tour of '' The Impossible Years''. In 1968, Selby joined the cast of the TV series ''Dark Shadows'' as werewolf Quentin Collins. He had not heard of ''Dark Shadows'' at the time, and was invited to audition after a talent agent saw him perform in a production of '' Summer and Smoke''. Selby was taken off-guard when the role turned him into a teenybopper icon, with fans following him when he left the studio at night and his face emblazoned on the covers of magazines such as '' 16'', but has said that he appreciated the fans' devotion and support, and that they were never unpleasant or intrusive. After the series' cancellation in 1971, Selby played Quentin Collins in '' Night of Dark Shadows'', the second feature film based on the show, released later the same year. He reprised the role from the series for a series of ''Dark Shadows'' audio dramas from Big Finish Productions, beginning in 2004.

In 1972, Selby co-starred with Barbra Streisand in the movie '' Up the Sandbox''. He continued to appear in a number of film and television roles during the 1970s, including ''U-Turn'' (1973), '' The Super Cops'' (1974) and '' Rich Kids'' (1979), and episodes of ''The Waltons'' (1974), '' Police Woman'' (1975), and ''Kojak'' (1976). He was part of the cast in the Emmy Award-winning miniseries '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors'' (1977).

1980s

Selby was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor at the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards for his role in the 1980 film '' Raise the Titanic'', which was met with a negative reception from critics, along with poor box-office takings.

In 1981, Selby played the villainous Michael Tyrone in the final season of the prime-time serial '' Flamingo Road''. After its cancellation in 1982, he joined the cast of '' Falcon Crest'' as Richard Channing, the illegitimate son of Jacqueline Perrault (Lana Turner) with Angela Channing (Jane Wyman)'s husband Douglas Channing ( Stephen Elliott). Originally considered an antagonist, Richard gradually became more of a protagonist, and by the final season, he was the central character of the show (in part due to the health-related absence of Wyman). In all, Selby appeared in 209 episodes of the series.

Later career

Selby continued in numerous film and TV roles during the 1990s and 2000s, including '' Dying Young'' (1991), '' White Squall'' (1996) and ''Surviving Christmas'' (2004), and episodes of series such as ''Cold Case'' (2007) and ''Mad Men'' (2009).

To mark the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday in 2009, Selby appeared onstage with Barack Obama and portrayed Lincoln in a scene from the play ''The Heavens Are Hung in Black'' at the reopening of Ford's Theatre. Selby had also played Abraham Lincoln in a 1998 fifth season episode of the series '' Touched by an Angel'', titled "Beautiful Dreamer".

Selby made an appearance in the 2012 film adaptation of ''Dark Shadows'', one of four cast members from the original series to feature in the movie. The same year, he co-starred in '' Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'', a two-part direct-to-video animated film adaptation of the 1986 graphic novel '' The Dark Knight Returns'', portraying Commissioner James Gordon. In 2017, Selby had a recurring role in the drama '' Legion''.

Writing

Selby is also a writer. His work includes the plays ''Lincoln and James'' and ''Final Assault'' as well as the poetry collections ''My Mother's Autumn'' and ''Happenstance''. He has written two novels, ''Lincoln's Better Angel'' and ''The Blue Door''. ''A Better Place'' combines memoir and social commentary to discuss Selby's upbringing. In 2010, he published ''My Shadowed Past,'' chronicling what it was like to work on ''Dark Shadows''.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

External links

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Official David Selby Twitter Page

Criseyde's David Selby Site

Original Dark Shadows Audio Dramas starring David Selby

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selby, David
1941 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Male actors from New York City
Male actors from West Virginia
American male film actors
American male soap opera actors
American male stage actors
Morgantown High School alumni
People from Mount Pleasant, New York
Southern Illinois University alumni
West Virginia University alumni
People from Morgantown, West Virginia