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David Lynn Selby is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for playing
Quentin Collins Quentin Collins is the name of several characters featured in the 1966–1971 ABC cult TV Gothic horror-soap opera ''Dark Shadows''. Variations of the character have been played by actor David Selby. Quentin I The first Quentin Collins is ac ...
on the daytime soap ''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...
'' (1968–71) and Richard Channing on the prime-time soap ''
Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...
'' (1982–90). Selby also had prominent roles in the television series '' Flamingo Road'' (1981–82) and the feature film ''
Raise the Titanic ''Raise the Titanic!'' is a 1976 adventure novel by Clive Cussler, published in the United States by the Viking Press. It tells the story of efforts to bring the remains of the ill-fated ocean liner RMS ''Titanic'' to the surface of the Atlanti ...
'' (1980). Also a published writer, Selby has written several books, including novels, memoirs, and collections of poetry.


Early life

Selby was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, the son of Sarah E. (née McIntyre) and Clyde Ira Selby, a carpenter. He attended West Virginia University, earning degrees in theater, followed by a PhD from Southern Illinois 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)

In 1968, Selby joined the cast of the TV series ''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...
'' as ghost
Quentin Collins Quentin Collins is the name of several characters featured in the 1966–1971 ABC cult TV Gothic horror-soap opera ''Dark Shadows''. Variations of the character have been played by actor David Selby. Quentin I The first Quentin Collins is ac ...
. After the series' cancellation in 1971, Selby played Quentin Collins ''
Night of Dark Shadows ''Night of Dark Shadows'' is a 1971 horror film by Dan Curtis. It is the sequel to '' House of Dark Shadows''. It centers on the story of Quentin Collins and his bride Tracy at the Collinwood Mansion in Collinsport, Maine. David Selby, Lara Pa ...
'', 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 Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
from
Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...
, beginning in 2006. In 1972, Selby co-starred with
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
in the movie ''
Up the Sandbox ''Up the Sandbox'' is a 1972 American comedy-drama film directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Barbra Streisand. Paul Zindel's screenplay, based on the novel by Anne Roiphe, focuses on Margaret Reynolds, a bored, young wife and mother who ...
''. He continued to appear in a number of film and television roles during the 1970s, including ''
U-Turn A U-turn in driving refers to performing a 180° rotation to reverse the direction of travel. It is called a "U-turn" because the maneuver looks like the letter U. In some areas, the maneuver is illegal, while in others, it is treated as a m ...
'' (1973), ''
The Super Cops ''The Super Cops'' is a 1974 action adventure film directed by Gordon Parks and starring Ron Leibman and David Selby. The film is based on the book ''The Super Cops: The True Story of the Cops Called Batman and Robin'' by L. H. Whittemore. The ...
'' (1974) and ''
Rich Kids Rich Kids were a short-lived new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from the Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure and Rusty Egan, who both later founded Visage toge ...
'' (1979), and episodes of ''
The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...
'' (1974), '' Police Woman'' (1975), and ''
Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, it ...
'' (1976). He was part of the cast in the
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
-winning miniseries '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors'' (1977). In 1979, Selby declined the role of Gary Ewing in the TV series ''
Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of ...
''.


1980s

Selby was nominated for a
Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor The Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst supporting actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film(s) fo ...
for his role in the 1980 film ''
Raise the Titanic ''Raise the Titanic!'' is a 1976 adventure novel by Clive Cussler, published in the United States by the Viking Press. It tells the story of efforts to bring the remains of the ill-fated ocean liner RMS ''Titanic'' to the surface of the Atlanti ...
'', which was met with a negative reception from critics and audiences 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 ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...
'' as Richard Channing, the illegitimate son of Jacqueline Perrault's (
Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized per ...
) with Angela Channing's husband Douglas Channing. 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). Selby was nominated for six
Soap Opera Digest Awards ''The Soap Opera Digest Awards'', originally known as ''The Soapy Awards'' when introduced in 1977, is an awards show held by the daytime television magazine ''Soap Opera Digest''. History 1977 until 1983 The Soapy Awards were an award presen ...
for his role of Richard, winning one. 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 ''Dying Young'' is a 1991 American romance film directed by Joel Schumacher. It is based on a novel of the same name by Marti Leimbach, and stars Julia Roberts and Campbell Scott with Vincent D'Onofrio, Colleen Dewhurst, David Selby, and Ellen B ...
'' (1991), ''
White Squall A white squall is a sudden and violent windstorm at sea which is not accompanied by the black clouds generally characteristic of a squall. It manifests as a sudden increase in wind velocity in tropical and sub-tropical waters, and may be a mic ...
'' (1996) and ''
Surviving Christmas ''Surviving Christmas'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Mike Mitchell, written by Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, Jennifer Ventimilia, and Joshua Sternin, based on a story by Elfont and Kaplan, and starring Ben Affleck, Jam ...
'' (2004), and episodes of series such as ''
Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...
'' (2007) and ''
Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its fict ...
'' (2009). To mark the 200th anniversary of
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
's birthday in 2009, Selby appeared onstage with
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
and portrayed Lincoln in a scene from the play ''The Heavens Are Hung in Black'' at the reopening of
Ford's Theatre Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in August 1863. The theater is infamous for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater box ...
. Selby had also played Abraham Lincoln in a 1998 episode of the series ''
Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced ...
'', 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 ''The Dark Knight Returns'' (alternatively titled ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'') is a 1986 four-issue comic book miniseries starring Batman, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Miller and Klaus Janson, with color by Lynn Varley, and pub ...
'', portraying
Commissioner James Gordon James W. "Jim" Gordon, Sr. is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the ...
. In 2017, Selby had a recurring role in the drama ''
Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
''.


Writing

Selby is also an accomplished writer. His work includes the plays ''Lincoln and James'' and ''Final Assault'' as well as the poetry collections ''My Mother's Autumn'' and ''Happenstance''. Novels he has written include ''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''.


Awards

In 1998, West Virginia University awarded Selby its first Life Achievement Award from the College of Creative Arts. He received an honorary doctorate in 2004.


Filmography


Films


Television


References


External links

* * * *
Official David Selby Twitter Page

Criseyde's David Selby Site

Original Dark Shadows Audio Dramas starring David Selby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Selby, David 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 Living people Morgantown High School alumni People from Mount Pleasant, New York Southern Illinois University alumni West Virginia University alumni People from Morgantown, West Virginia Year of birth missing (living people)