John Lasell, ‘Dark Shadows’ star dies at 95

Hollywood lost a gem from its film and television industry.

John Lasell, an actor mostly famous for playing different characters on television, like in Perry Mason (1957), The Twilight Zone (1959) and Dark Shadows (1966), died in Los Angeles at the age of 95.

A message from the obituary confirmed the news, which listed the death date as Oct. 4.

John Lasell's last on-screen appearance was in 1985, where he starred in the Emmy-nominated miniseries A Death in California, alongside Cheryl Ladd and Sam Elliott. Throughout his career, Lasell made multiple guest appearances in iconic shows such as Perry Mason (appearing in three episodes) and The Twilight Zone.

His most prominent role came in the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, where he played Dr. Peter Guthrie, a vampire hunter, across 25 episodes.

In addition to his work on Dark Shadows, Lasell made notable appearances on popular TV series like Dallas, Falcon Crest, Lassie, Mannix, The Streets of San Francisco, The Mod Squad, Mission: Impossible (in 1972), and Gunsmoke.

He also appeared in two episodes of Wagon Train and four episodes of the Emmy-winning series The Fugitive. Though primarily recognized for his television roles, Lasell's film credits include playing Helen Keller’s father in the 1970 production Helen Keller and Her Teacher.