Whatever Happened to ‘Dark Shadows’ Star David Selby?
What To Know
- David Selby rose to fame as Quentin Collins on Dark Shadows and later became a prime-time star on Falcon Crest, with a career spanning theater, film, and television.
- Beyond acting, Selby is an accomplished writer and has portrayed Abraham Lincoln onstage, reflecting his diverse talents and interests.
- He has enjoyed a long, stable family life and contributed to the arts by running a children’s theater program with his wife.
Many fans know David Selby, who turns 85 on February 5, 2026, as Quentin Collins on the cult favorite daytime soap Dark Shadows, then later as Richard Channing on the prime-time drama Falcon Crest. But even though the actor is no longer appearing on our TV screens every week, he still remains busy, enjoying family and a second act as an accomplished writer.
How did David Selby begin his career?
Selby was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, and grew up far from the Hollywood spotlight. He studied at West Virginia University, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, and later completed a PhD at Southern Illinois University. Long before television fame arrived, he appeared in numerous theater productions during the 1960s.
Everything changed in 1968 when Selby joined the cast of Dark Shadows. He was originally hired to play the ghost of Quentin Collins, but the character quickly became a breakout favorite. Soon, he was portraying Quentin in various storylines, including as a cursed werewolf, and viewers couldn’t get enough of him. The role unexpectedly turned Selby into a teen idol and when the series ended in 1971, he reprised the part in the feature film Night of Dark Shadows.
Everett Collection
In the 1970s, he appeared in films such as Up the Sandbox and The Super Cops, and guest-starred on popular television shows including The Waltons, Police Woman and Kojak. He earned critical attention as part of the cast of the Emmy Award-winning miniseries Washington: Behind Closed Doors in 1977. Through it all, he continued working in live theater whenever possible.
And whole new generation discovered Selby in 1982 when he joined the cast of Falcon Crest, playing the secret son of Jane Wyman’s Angela.
CBS Television/Everett Collection
Selby remained with the show until it ended in 1990, appearing in 209 episodes and becoming one of the most recognizable faces of 1980s prime-time television. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he appeared in films including Dying Young, White Squall, Surviving Christmas and The Social Network. Television viewers saw him in episodes of Touched by an Angel, Cold Case, Mad Men, Legion, Chicago Fire and NCIS: New Orleans too. In 2012, he made a cameo appearance in Tim Burton‘s film version of Dark Shadows, a fun nod to his early career.
Where is David Selby now?
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
One of Selby’s proudest moments came in 2009, when he portrayed Abraham Lincoln onstage at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., during a performance marking the historic venue’s reopening. The event, attended by President Barack Obama, highlighted Selby’s long connection to Lincoln as a subject. He had previously played the president in a 1998 episode of Touched by an Angel and later wrote a play about him.
Over the years, he has also become an accomplished writer, publishing poetry collections, plays, novels, and memoirs. His 2010 book My Shadowed Past looked back on his experiences making Dark Shadows, while other titles explored his Appalachian upbringing and personal reflections.
Away from the spotlight, Selby has enjoyed a long and stable family life. He married Claudeis “Chip” Newman in 1963, and the couple has three children. For a decade, they even ran a summer children’s musical theater program in New York, sharing their love of the arts with young performers.
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June 2017
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