Dark Shadows 60th Anniversary

A television milestone

Celebrate 60 years of Dark Shadows and its stars with Herbie J. The show’s two leading men, Jonathan Frid and David Selby, are profiled in Herbie J’s book, Dashing, Daring and Debonair: TV’s Top Male Icons from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Herbie J has written several articles about the legendary gothic soap. And the stars of Dark Shadows appear with Herbie J on his acclaimed TV talk show, Then Again with Herbie J Pilato. See below for the different links to it all!

Herbie J Pays Tribute to Dark Shadows Icon Lara Parker

October 17, 2026

Lara Parker with Herbie J Pilato — Lara Parker with Herbie J.

Three years after Lara Parker’s passing, Herbie J remembers an actress whose beauty, intelligence, and emotional depth helped make Dark Shadows unforgettable. Parker died on October 12, 2023, at 84, but her extraordinary presence as Angelique continues to enchant generations of viewers.

When she joined ABC’s gothic daytime drama in late 1967, Parker brought far more than menace to Angelique Bouchard, the witch whose curse condemned Barnabas Collins to life as a vampire. Behind the character’s fierce jealousy and supernatural power, she revealed a wounded heart. Angelique could be terrifying, yet Parker’s performance invited viewers to recognize the longing beneath her vengeance.

That tension gave the character her enduring fascination. Angelique was capable of cruelty, but she was never merely a villain. Parker made her desire to be loved feel painfully human, even as her actions brought misery to Barnabas and the inhabitants of Collinwood. In a series filled with memorable monsters, her most powerful magic was the complexity she brought to the role.

Beyond Angelique

Born Mary Lamar Rickey in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Memphis, Parker brought a thoughtful, inquisitive spirit to her work. Her career extended well beyond Dark Shadows, including the 1975 thriller Race with the Devil, with Peter Fonda, and appearances in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Incredible Hulk, and Galactica 1980.

Acting was only one expression of her creativity. Parker earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Antioch University and taught English and writing, sharing her love of language and storytelling with students.

She also returned to the world of Collinwood as a novelist. Her four Dark Shadows books—Angelique’s Descent, The Salem Branch, Wolf Moon Rising, and Heiress of Collinwood—expanded the series’ mythology and gave readers new ways to explore its characters, secrets, and troubled histories.

An Enduring Legacy

Parker’s legacy reaches beyond a single performance. She was an actress, author, and teacher who understood the lasting power of a well-told story. For Dark Shadows fans, however, Angelique remains the unforgettable introduction: a figure of elegance, danger, and aching vulnerability.

Three years later, the loss is still felt. So, too, is the gift Lara Parker left behind—a body of work that continues to move, entertain, and cast its spell.