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| Josette du Pres | |||||||||||||||||
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| Dark Shadows character | |||||||||||||||||
 Kathryn Leigh Scott portrays Josette | |||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Kathryn Leigh Scott (1966–1970) Mary Cooper (1971) Joanna Going (1991) Bella Heathcote (2012) | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | September 30, 1966 | ||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | April 2, 1971 | ||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Dan Curtis | ||||||||||||||||
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Josette du Pres (or Josette Collins) is a character played primarily by Kathryn Leigh Scott during the 1795 flashback on the TV serial Dark Shadows .
Born in 1774 in France, her widowed father was Andre du Pres (David Ford) a wealthy sugarcane planter on the Caribbean island of Martinique. Raised by her father and her paternal aunt, the Countess Natalie du Pres (Grayson Hall), the lovely and sympathetic Josette came to Collinsport, Maine in 1795 to marry Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid).
Though Barnabas had become engaged to Josette following an earlier visit to Martinique, he had there enjoyed a brief dalliance with his fiancée's personal maid, Angélique Bouchard (Lara Parker), who was secretly a powerful witch. When Angélique arrived in Collinsport, she immediately invited Barnabas to rekindle their relationship. However, Barnabas rejected her, declaring that he had always loved Josette but had been unsure of Josette's love for him in Martinique.
Furious with jealousy, Angélique first tried to kill Barnabas and then hexed Josette, so that she fell in love with Barnabas's young uncle, Jeremiah Collins (Anthony George), and he with her. Jeremiah and Josette eloped and were married; this incited Jeremiah and Barnabas to duel, ending in Jeremiah's death. Still under Angélique's spell, Josette disavowed her previous love for Barnabas, exclaiming that she would always love Jeremiah.
Through a series of machinations, Angelique tricked the broken-hearted Barnabas to marry her. But once he discovered his new wife was a witch, Barnabas shot Angélique, planning to reunite with a now more receptive Josette. Believing herself to be dying, the witch cursed Barnabas, who died shortly after and rose as a vampire. His first act as a creature of the night was to strangle Angélique.
Grief-stricken, Josette readied herself to leave Collinsport with Natalie. Once bitten by Barnabas, Josette prepared to become his bride, though she clearly did not understand that Barnabas was now a vampire. Angélique caused Josette to have grotesque visions of herself as a vampire. Realizing at last what Barnabas was asking of her, and horrified and inconsolate, Josette committed suicide by jumping off the precipice at Widow's Hill.
Barnabas Collins summoned the ghost of his lost love to his side not long after her death. But the now disfigured Josette begged him to be allowed to return to her grave. Horrified, the vampire allowed her to go to her rest. But the spirit of Josette was not yet at peace. Over the years, she was said to haunt the Old House. Often, her ghost was said to warn Collins family members of impending death or other misfortune. During the early days of the series, the ghost of Josette, dressed in white, sometimes appeared to young David Collins (David Henesy).
In a later storyline, the ghost of Quentin Collins (David Selby) killed David and drove the Collins family out of their mansion. Barnabas traveled back in time to 1897 to prevent these events by changing history. During this storyline, he falls in love with Lady Kitty Hampshire, who resembles Josette. When Barnabas learned that Lady Kitty actually is Josette, they are transported back in time to the night Josette committed suicide. Barnabas managed to prevent Josette from jumping off of Widow's Hill. Unfortunately, Barnabas was soon captured by the Leviathans. Josette became disconsolate at Barnabas' disappearance and committed suicide by drinking poison. In the present (1970), the Leviathans claim that they are keeping Josette hostage in the past, leading Barnabas, Julia and Maggie to attempt to contact the spirit of Josette in a séance to learn if she was indeed held prisoner. Josette appears to Barnabas for one final time, telling him that the Leviathans are not holding her prisoner. She parts with Barnabas by telling him to let her go and focus on his own future.
Josette re-appeared in the 1840 parallel time storyline. In this alternate reality, Barnabas never became a vampire and married Josette. Barnabas had died but Josette was still alive as an elderly widow. Her son Bramwell was the protagonist dealing with a curse placed upon the family by their ancestor Brutus Collins. Josette also had an illegitimate child by Barnabas' cousin Justin Collins named Melanie. Justin offered to divorce his wife, Flora Collins (Joan Bennett), but Josette insisted he remain married and gave Melanie to Justin and Flora to raise as a foundling. Flora was never aware of Melanie's parentage. Justin's sister, Julia Collins (Grayson Hall) learned years earlier.
The character then returned in the 2009 audio drama Final Judgement released by Big Finish Productions.
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When Josette was first mentioned in the TV series, her name was established as Josette la Frenière and she was the great grandmother of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard and Roger Collins. Sad and lonely from being shunned by the townspeople of Collinsport for being an outsider, Josette committed suicide by jumping to her death from Widows' Hill in 1834. Jeremiah Collins, angry at his wife for taking her own life, had Josette buried away from the rest of the Collins family in a forlorn spot at Eagle Hill Cemetery. This backstory would be radically changed during the 1795 storyline.
It is heavily implied prior to the events seen in 1795 that Victoria Winters has a strong connection to Josette. Characters remark on their physical similarities, and Josette's ghost not only frequently uses Victoria as a medium, but also protects her. At one point, Elizabeth is visibly disturbed when Victoria suggests she herself is related to Josette. Due to technical limitations at the time, it would have been impossible for actress Alexandra Moltke to portray both characters when the series explored the events which turned Barnabas Collins into a vampire. As actress Kathryn Leigh Scott had played the ghost of Josette on occasion, it was only natural for the role to go to her. Any link between Victoria and Josette was quietly forgotten, although the idea that the two characters were connected would be resurrected in the 1991 NBC revival which featured Joanna Going portraying both Victoria and Josette.
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, Maine, where a number of supernatural occurrences take place.
Jonathan Frid was a Canadian actor, best known for his role as vampire Barnabas Collins on the gothic television soap opera Dark Shadows. The introduction in 1967 of Frid's reluctant, guilt-ridden vampire caused the floundering daytime drama to soar to 20 million daily viewers. His watershed portrayal has been cited as a key influence on contemporary genre film and television series such as Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries.
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.
Joel Anthony Crothers was an American actor. His credits primarily included stage and television work, including a number of soap opera roles, the best known being Miles Cavanaugh on The Edge of Night, whom he played for eight years. He was also known for his roles as Joe Haskell and Lieutenant Nathan Forbes on Dark Shadows, Ken Stevens #2 on The Secret Storm, and pianist/newspaper editor Julian Cannell on Somerset.
Barnabas Collins is a fictional character, a featured role in the ABC daytime serial Dark Shadows, which aired from 1966 to 1971. Barnabas is a 175-year-old vampire in search of fresh blood and his lost love, Josette. The character, originally played by Canadian actor Jonathan Frid, was introduced in an attempt to resurrect the show's flagging ratings, and was originally to have only a brief 13-week run. He was retained due to his popularity and the program's quick spike in ratings, and virtually became the star of the show.
Victoria "Vicki" Winters is a fictional character from the television Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows and its remakes of the same name. The role was originated by Alexandra Moltke on the ABC series from 1966 to 1968. After Moltke left to raise a family in 1968, actresses Betsy Durkin and Carolyn Groves briefly replaced her for only a handful of episodes, before Victoria was written out completely. Jaclyn Smith, who was married to Dark Shadows actor Roger Davis at the time, was offered the role when Moltke left the show, but she declined.
Jeremiah Collins is a fictional character played primarily by Anthony George during the 1795 flashback on the ABC television gothic horror soap opera serial Dark Shadows.
Angelique Bouchard is a fictional character from the gothic horror-soap opera and film Dark Shadows, in which she is the main antagonist. She is primarily portrayed as a powerful witch, who is driven by her vacillating love and hatred for Barnabas Collins.
House of Dark Shadows is a 1970 American feature-length horror film produced and directed by Dan Curtis, based on his Dark Shadows television series. In this film expansion, vampire Barnabas Collins searches for a cure for vampirism so he can marry a woman who resembles his long-lost fiancée Josette.
Collinsport is the fictional setting of Dark Shadows, the 1960s Dan Curtis Productions Gothic horror soap opera.
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.
Collinwood Mansion is a fictional house featured in the Gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows, built in 1795 by Joshua Collins. Collinwood has been home to the Collins family and sometimes unwelcome supernatural visitors since its inception. The house is located near the town of Collinsport, Maine, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Due to frightening rumors and legends, almost every resident of the town is afraid to drive by the house. The house has more than 40 rooms, most of which are closed off due to the lack of inhabitants and financial reasons. It features numerous secret passageways, including one leading to a parallel timeline, a time-traveling stairway, and a room perceived as a playroom by some and a linen closet by others. Most of the household activity revolves around the drawing room and foyer, and occasionally extends to the kitchen, dining room, and study. Collinwood is notorious for causing unrest and frustration among both the residents and visitors, likely due to its ominous atmosphere and mysterious past. Despite its unsettling reputation, the allure of the grand estate continues to draw intrigue and curiosity from those brave enough to explore its halls. It has been the scene of deaths, random acts of violence, and other misfortunes. In many episodes of the series, most local characters find it easier to just avoid it and the Collins family altogether.
Daniel Collins is a fictional character that appeared on the 1960s ABC daytime soap opera Dark Shadows. Initially the character was portrayed by child actor David Henesy during a storyline that has become informally known as the "1795 Flashback". In 1970, the character returned for the "1840 Flashback" storyline, this time played by stage actor Louis Edmonds.
William Edward Daniel Ross was a Canadian actor, playwright, and bestselling writer of more than 300 novels in a variety of genres. He was known for the speed of his writing and was, by some estimates, the most prolific Canadian author ever, though he did not take up fiction until middle age.
Dark Shadows is a one-hour television pilot that was a remake of the 1966–1971 gothic soap opera television series Dark Shadows. The pilot was commissioned by The WB and produced in 2004, but not picked up for a series.
Dark Shadows: Angelique's Descent is a Big Finish Productions abridged reading of Lara Parker's own novel, based on the long-running American horror soap opera series Dark Shadows.
Dark Shadows is a 2012 dark fantasy film based on the gothic television soap opera of the same name. Directed by Tim Burton, the film stars Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Bella Heathcote in a dual role. Christopher Lee has a small role in the film, his 200th film appearance and his fifth and final appearance in a Burton film. Jonathan Frid, star of the original Dark Shadows series, makes a cameo appearance. He died shortly before the film was released. One of the film's producers, Richard D. Zanuck, died two months after its release.
Julia Hoffman is a fictional character played by Grayson Hall in the 1966 ABC soap opera Dark Shadows. A self-serving and conniving doctor in the fields of psychology and rare blood disorders, she is also head of the Windcliff Sanitarium, who moved into Collinwood and discovered the vampire Barnabas Collins. Initially, Julia represented a threat to Barnabas' undead existence, but eventually she became one of his most staunch allies. Together, Julia and Barnabas worked to assist the Collins family in the past, present, future, and in Parallel Time.
The Paperback Library began releasing novels based on the TV series Dark Shadows in December 1966. There were thirty-three novels released through to 1972, all of them written by William Edward Daniel Ross under his pen name Marilyn Ross.
