Editing David Selby

{{Short description|American actor}}
{{about|the American actor|the Australian wheelchair basketballer|David Selby (basketball)}}
{{No footnotes|BLP=yes|date=October 2022}} 
{{Infobox person
| name               = David Selby
| image              = David Selby at The Dark Shadows Festival.jpg
| caption            = Selby in 2011
| birthname          = David Lynn Selby
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1941|2|5}}
| birth_place        = [[Morgantown, West Virginia]], U.S.
| death_date         = 
| occupation         = Actor, writer
| yearsactive        = 1968–present
| spouse             = {{marriage|Claudeis “Chip” Newman|1963}}
| children           = 3
| education          = [[West Virginia University]] (Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts)<br>[[Southern Illinois University]] (PhD)
}}
'''David Lynn Selby''' (born February 5, 1941) is an American film, television, and stage actor and writer. He is best known for playing [[Quentin Collins]] on the daytime soap ''[[Dark Shadows]]'' (1968&ndash;1971) and [[Richard Channing]] on the prime-time soap ''[[Falcon Crest]]'' (1982&ndash;1990). Selby also had prominent roles in the television series ''[[Flamingo Road (TV series)|Flamingo Road]]'' (1981&ndash;1982) and the feature film ''[[Raise the Titanic (film)|Raise the Titanic]]'' (1980).

==Early life==
David Selby was born February 5, 1941, in [[Morgantown, West Virginia]],<ref>{{cite web |title=This week in West Virginia History - Feb. 2-8 |url=https://www.register-herald.com/news/life/this-week-in-west-virginia-history---feb-2-8/article_74f4e694-cf66-557f-9ac1-ca4e5926aa79.html |website=[[The Register-Herald]] |date=February 2020 |access-date=February 5, 2023}}</ref> the son of Clyde Ira Selby, a carpenter, and his wife Sarah E. (née McIntyre). He recalled in 2020 interview, "I enjoyed a safe, happy life; I grew up in Morgantown and still have good friends back there, people I've known since grade school. West Virginia's a fantastic place to raise kids. The environment's nurturing and positive."<ref name=RetFan11>{{cite magazine |last=Labbe |first=Rod |date=November 2020 |url=https://retrofan.org/ |title=David Selby: Beyond the Shadows |magazine=RetroFan |issue=11 |pages=3–9}}</ref> He attended [[West Virginia University]].

Midway through his time at WVU, Selby joined the cast of ''[[Honey in the Rock (play)|Honey in the Rock]]'', a [[civil war]] drama at [[New River Gorge National Park and Preserve|Grandview State Park]]. 

==Career==
===Early TV and film roles (1960s and 1970s)===
Selby became active in theatre, which he has always described as his favorite medium, and was among the cast for a national tour of ''[[The Impossible Years]]''.<ref name=RetFan11/> In 1968, Selby joined the cast of the TV series ''[[Dark Shadows]]'' as werewolf [[Quentin Collins]]. He had not heard of ''Dark Shadows'' at the time, and was invited to audition after a talent agent saw him perform in a production of ''[[Summer and Smoke]]''.<ref name=RetFan11/> Selby was taken off-guard when the role turned him into a [[teenybopper]] icon, with fans following him when he left the studio at night and his face emblazoned on the covers of magazines such as ''[[16 (magazine)|16]]'', but has said that he appreciated the fans' devotion and support, and that they were never unpleasant or intrusive.<ref name=RetFan11/> After the series' cancellation in 1971, Selby played Quentin Collins in ''[[Night of Dark Shadows]]'', 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'' [[Dark Shadows (audio drama)|audio dramas]] from [[Big Finish Productions]], beginning in 2004.<ref name=RetFan11/>

In 1972, Selby co-starred with [[Barbra Streisand]] in the movie ''[[Up the Sandbox]]''. He continued to appear in a number of film and television roles during the 1970s, including ''[[U-Turn (1973 film)|U-Turn]]'' (1973), ''[[The Super Cops]]'' (1974) and ''[[Rich Kids (film)|Rich Kids]]'' (1979), and episodes of ''[[The Waltons]]'' (1974), ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]'' (1975), and ''[[Kojak]]'' (1976). He was part of the cast in the [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]]-winning miniseries ''[[Washington: Behind Closed Doors]]'' (1977).

===1980s===
Selby was nominated for a [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor]] at the [[1st Golden Raspberry Awards]] for his role in the 1980 film ''[[Raise the Titanic (film)|Raise the Titanic]]'', which was met with a negative reception from critics, 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 (TV series)|Flamingo Road]]''. After its cancellation in 1982, he joined the cast of ''[[Falcon Crest]]'' as [[Richard Channing]], the illegitimate son of Jacqueline Perrault ([[Lana Turner]]) with [[Angela Channing]] ([[Jane Wyman]])'s husband Douglas Channing ([[Stephen Elliott (actor)|Stephen Elliott]]). 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). 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]]'' (1991), ''[[White Squall (film)|White Squall]]'' (1996) and ''[[Surviving Christmas]]'' (2004), and episodes of series such as ''[[Cold Case]]'' (2007) and ''[[Mad Men]]'' (2009).

To mark the 200th anniversary of [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s birthday in 2009, Selby appeared onstage with [[Barack Obama]] and portrayed Lincoln in a scene from the play ''The Heavens Are Hung in Black'' at the reopening of [[Ford's Theatre]].{{fact|date=October 2023}} Selby had also played Abraham Lincoln in a 1998 [[Touched by an Angel season 5|fifth season]] episode of the series ''[[Touched by an Angel]]'', titled "Beautiful Dreamer".

Selby made an appearance in the 2012 [[Dark Shadows (film)|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 (film)|Batman: The Dark Knight Returns]]'', a two-part direct-to-video animated film adaptation of the 1986 graphic novel ''[[The Dark Knight Returns]]'', portraying [[James Gordon (comics)|Commissioner James Gordon]]. In 2017, Selby had a recurring role in the drama ''[[Legion (TV series)|Legion]]''.

==Writing==
Selby is also a writer. His work includes the plays ''Lincoln and James'' and ''Final Assault'' as well as the poetry collections ''My Mother's Autumn'' and ''Happenstance''. He has written two novels, ''Lincoln's Better Angel'' and ''The Blue Door''.<ref name=RetFan11/> ''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''.{{fact|date=October 2023}}

==Filmography==
===Films===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1971
| ''[[Night of Dark Shadows]]''
| [[Quentin Collins]]/Charles Collins
| <br>
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Up the Sandbox]]''
| Paul Reynolds
|
|-
| 1973
| ''[[U-Turn (1973 film)|U-Turn]]''
| Scott Laithem
|
|-
| 1974
| ''[[The Super Cops]]''
| Robert Hantz
|
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Rich Kids (film)|Rich Kids]]''
| Steve Sloan
|
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Raise the Titanic (film)|Raise the Titanic]]''
| Dr. Gene Seagram
| Nominated — [[Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor]]
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Rich and Famous (1981 film)|Rich and Famous]]''
| Doug Blake
|
|-
| 1991
| ''[[Dying Young]]''
| Richard Geddes
|
|-
| 1993
| ''The Shot''
| Gordon Sunshine
|
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Intersection (1994 film)|Intersection]]''
| Richard Quarry
|
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Headless Body in Topless Bar]]''
| Bradford Lumpkin
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1996
| ''[[White Squall (film)|White Squall]]''
| Francis Beaumont
|
|-
| ''[[D3: The Mighty Ducks]]''
| Dean Buckley
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2004
| ''Shadow of Fear''
| Mr. Steve Palmer
|
|-
| ''[[Surviving Christmas]]''
| Horace Vangilder
|
|-
| ''[[The Affair (2004 film)|The Affair]]''
| Vincent
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006
| ''[[End Game (2006 film)|End Game]]''
| Shakey Fuller
|
|-
| ''[[Unknown (2006 film)|Unknown]]''
| Police Captain Parker
|
|-
| 2007
| ''Spin''
| Rob Polan
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2010
| ''[[Inhale (film)|Inhale]]''
| Henry White
|
|-
| ''[[The Social Network]]''
| Gage
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2012
| ''[[Dark Shadows (film)|Dark Shadows]]''
| Party Guest
|
|-
| ''[[Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (film)|Batman: The Dark Night Returns, Part 1]]''
| rowspan="2"| [[James Gordon (character)|Commissioner James Gordon]] (voice)
| rowspan="2"| 
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2013
| ''[[Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (film)|Batman: The Dark Night Returns, Part 2]]''
|-
| ''[[Are You Here]]''
| Karl Stevens
|
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Equals (film)|Equals]]''
| Leonard
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| ''[[Newness]]''
| Artie Hallock
|
|-
| ''[[Smartass]]''
| Herman
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| ''Back Fork''
| Bill
|
|-
| ''Loon Lake''
| Emery Janson/Pastor Owen Janson
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1968-1971
| ''[[Dark Shadows]]''
| Quentin Collins
| 312 episodes
|-
| 1974
| ''[[The Waltons]]''
| Joshua Williams
| episode: "The Romance"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1975
| ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]''
| Nate Fesler
| episode: "No Place to Hide"
|-
| ''[[ABC's Wide World of Entertainment]]''
| Jack 243
| episode: "The Norming of Jack 243"
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Kojak]]''
| Sgt. Jimmy O'Connor
| episode: "An Unfair Trade"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1977
| ''[[Washington: Behind Closed Doors]]''
| Roger Castle
| miniseries
|-
| ''Telethon''
| Roy Hansen
| TV movie
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Family (1976 TV series)|Family]]''
| Michael Kagan
| episode: "More Than Friends"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1979
| ''The Night Rider''
| Lord Thomas Earl
| TV movie
|-
| ''Love for Rent''
| Phil
| TV movie
|-
| 1980
| ''Doctor Franken''
| Dr. Mike Foster
| TV movie
|-
| 1981-1982
| ''[[Flamingo Road (TV series)|Flamingo Road]]''
| Michael Tyrone
| 18 episodes
|-
| 1982-1990
| ''[[Falcon Crest]]''
| [[Richard Channing]]
| 209 episodes<br>[[Soap Opera Digest Award]]: Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role: Prime Time<small> (1989)</small><br>Nominated — [[Soap Opera Digest Award]]: Outstanding Actress/Actor in a Comic Relief Role on a Prime Time Serial; Outstanding Villain on a Prime Time Serial; Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial<small> (1986) </small><br> nominated — [[Soap Opera Digest Award]]: Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role: Prime Time<small> (1988) </small><br> nominated — [[Soap Opera Digest Award]]: Outstanding Villain: Prime Time<small> (1990)</small>
|-
| 1988
| ''King of the Olympics: The Lives and Loves of Avery Brundage''
| [[Avery Brundage]]
| TV movie
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| ''[[Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive]]''
| Shag Williams
| TV movie
|-
| ''[[Lady Boss]]''
| Martin Swanson
| miniseries
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1997
| ''Soldier of Fortune''
| Xavier Trout
| TV movie
|-
| ''Alone''
| Paul
| TV movie
|-
| ''[[Promised Land (1996 TV series)|Promised Land]]''
| Rowdy Sullivan
| episode: "Cowboy Blues"
|-
| 1997-1999
| ''[[Soldier of Fortune, Inc.]]''
|Xavier Trout
| 9 episodes
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Touched by an Angel]]''
| [[Abraham Lincoln]]
| episode: "Beautiful Dreamer"
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Ally McBeal]]''
| Mr. Rohr
| episode: "I Want Love"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002
| ''The Griffin and the Minor Canon''
| The Griffin (voice)
| TV movie
|-
| ''[[Thieves (TV series)|Thieves]]''
| Donovan
| episode: "The Green and the Black"
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Larva (film)|Larva]]''
| Fletcher Odermatt
| TV movie
|-
| 2006
| ''[[The Black Hole (2006 film)|The Black Hole]]''
| Ryker
| TV movie
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2007
| ''[[Tell Me You Love Me (TV series)|Tell Me You Love Me]]''
| Arthur Foster
| 9 episodes
|-
| ''[[Cold Case]]''
| Dom Barron '07
| episode: "Boy Crazy"
|-
| 2008
| ''[[Raising the Bar (2008 TV series)|Raising the Bar]]''
| Richard Patrick Woolsey III
| episode: "Richie Richer"
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Mad Men]]''
| Horace Cook, Sr.
| episode: "The Arrangements"
|-
| 2011
| ''Deck the Halls''
| Luke Reilly
| TV movie
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Rizzoli & Isles]]''
| Senator Malcolm Humphrey
| episode: "We Are Family"
|-
| 2016
| ''Dr. Del''
| Grover
| TV movie
|-
| 2017-2018
| ''[[Legion (TV series)|Legion]]''
| Brubaker
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Castle Rock (TV series)|Castle Rock]]''
| Josef Desjardins
| episode: "The Box"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2020
| ''[[Chicago Fire (TV series)|Chicago Fire]]''
| Tim Larson
| episode: "A Chicago Welcome"
|-
| ''[[NCIS: New Orleans]]''
| Red
| episode: "Relentless"
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://www.davidselby.com/}}
* {{IMDb name|782978|David Selby}}
* {{IBDB name|84189}}
* {{iobdb name|20447|David Selby}}
* [https://twitter.com/davidselbycom Official David Selby Twitter Page]
* [http://www.ldrweb.com/davidselby/ Criseyde's David Selby Site]
* [http://bigfinish.com/hubs/v/dark-shadows Original Dark Shadows Audio Dramas starring David Selby]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Selby, David}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from New York City]]
[[Category:Male actors from West Virginia]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male soap opera actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:Morgantown High School alumni]]
[[Category:People from Mount Pleasant, New York]]
[[Category:Southern Illinois University alumni]]
[[Category:West Virginia University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Morgantown, West Virginia]]