| 
"(On
DS), I'm kind of a 007 of the underworld. I have the territory
east of the Rockies which includes Collinsport, and we're trying
to organize all the witches in the area and assorted devils and
what have you, and create a master race, which of course Adam
will be the father of."
--
Humbert Allen Astredo,
on The Ron Barry Show (radio), 1968
|
Humbert
Allen Astredo
Dark
Shadows
Characters:
Nicholas
Blair, Evan Hanley, Charles Dawson
Appeared
in: 99 episodes
First
episode: # 521, June 25, 1968
Last
episode: # 1196, January 25, 1971
Biography:
Humbert Allen Astredo's suave manner and polished good looks
masked the fact that he played one of the most evil characters
on Dark Shadows. His Nicholas Blair was a warlock working
in league with Satan to conquer the world. He menaced Maggie and
Barnabas, and even kept the powerful Angelique in check.
The
actor who brought life to this super baddie was born in Pasadena,
California, and spent much of his childhood in San Francisco.
Part of a family of restaurateurs, Humbert had no interest in
joining the family business at the Union Street Astredo's Exchange.
Instead, he considered working as either a lawyer or an electrical
engineer, but eventually in the early 1960s, he took to the stage,
appearing at the Hollywood Bowl in Faust.
In
1965 he appeared at the New York Shakespeare Festival, followed
in 1966 with roles for the Repertory Theatre of New Orleans. In
1968, he joined the Dark Shadows cast. In 1970,
he split his time between DS and Another World,
where he played an interior designer. Other soap work included
roles on Edge of Night, One Life to Live and For Richer,
for Poorer.
Humbert's
later work was primarily on the stage, including some Broadway
roles. His stage appearances include An Evening with Richard
Nixon, The Entertainer, Dracula and Les Blancs, and
The Little Foxes with Elizabeth Taylor.
He
retired from acting in the mid-1980s, and now lives in Connecticut,
where he pursues his passion for sailing.
Career
Highlights:
Daytime TV: Loving (James Preston, 1983), Edge of Night (Mayor
Finley, 1972, 1980), Texas (hospital administrator, 1980), Guiding
Light (European doctor, 1980), Love of Life (Dr. Applegate, 1979),
One Life to Live (Bruno Weston, 1979), Another World (Joe Bruno),
Somerset (1970).
Primetime
TV: Hallmark Hall of Fame.
TV
Commercials: Jergen's Lotion, Favor Furniture Wax, Virginia
Slims, Volkswagen, Lux, Coca-Cola, Palmolive, Blatz Beer, Metropolitan
Life, Beef-Steak Rye Bread, Static After Shave.
Film:
House of Dark Shadows (Doctor, 1970).
Stage:
Hedda Gabler (Judge Brack, Long Island, 1990), Taming of the Shrew
(Baptista, Syracuse, NY, 1989), Inherit the Wind (Matt Brady,
Salt Lake City, 1989), A Walk in the Woods (Andre, Portland, Mass,
1988), Lulu (Dr. Goll, 1988), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Big Daddy,
1988), Diary of a Scoundrel (Col. Kruitisky, Boston, 1987), The
End of the World (Stone, Atlanta, 1987), Epic Proportions (D.W.
DeWitt, NYC, 1986), The Orestia (Agamemnon, NJ, 1986), December
7 (NYC, 1986), You Never Know (Herr Baltin, CT, 1984-85), Breakfast
Conversations in Miami (1984), The Jail Diary of Albee Sachs (Capt.
Rossoun, 1979), Grand Magic (1979), Big and Little (1979), Inherit
the Wind (1978), The Entertainer (Archie Rice, 1975), Uncle Vanya
(1975, Madison, NJ), The Rehearsal (1969, Boston), A Place For
Polly (1969, Philadelphia), Arms and the Man (Major Sergius Saranoff,
1967), Romeo and Juliet (1966-67, New Orleans), The Railroads,
The Taming of the Shrew, Fragments (Jax), Cyrano, A Flea in Her
Ear.
New
York Shakespeare Festival, 1965-66: Coriolanus (Patrician),
Troilus and Cressida (Paris).
Broadway:
The Little Foxes (William Marshall-also in London), Murderous
Angels (1972), Les Blancs (Dr. Willy DeKoven, 1971), Equus (1975),
An Evening with Richard Nixon.
Tour:
Dracula (Van Helsing, 1984-85), Equus (Frank Strang, 1976).
Misc:
Most Promising New Actor on Broadway for Les Blancs, Walter Kerr
N.Y. Critics Poll (1971). Operated own theatre (Los Angeles Repertory
Company, 1963-64).
(Note:
Career Highlights primarily supplied by The Dark Shadows
Festival. See also the Internet Movie Database and The Broadway
Database for futher information.)
Dark
Shadows © Dan Curtis Productions. All rights reserved.
Dark Shadows Online © 2004: Craig Hamrick
|
