Dark Shadows Acting Favorites:Victoria Winters

Bella Heathcote

With the release of Tim Burton's Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp, we now have 4 sets of actors who have portrayed the residents of Collinsport on screen. The original series (1966-1971), the Revival series (1991) the aborted WB pilot (2004) and, of course, the latest incarnation (2012). I realize there were two previous film versions - House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971) but these contained the same actors as the series so I don't feel any need to list these performances separately from the original show.

For the most part, all the incarnations have been marked by solid acting. Basically for fun, I am ranking all the characters that appear in each (or most) of the various incarnations.

VICTORIA WINTERS
3. Bella Heathcote (2012) TIE
3. Marley Shelton (2004) TIE

Marley Shelton & Alec Newman

We have a tie here for the 3rd and 4th place. Marley Shelton had a brief sojourn as Victoria playing her in only a 40+ minute pilot. However, she had the largest role in the pilot and carried it well. For some reason, some elements of fandom were horrified by a blonde Victoria Winters but she was both modern and retro at the same time, much as Dan Curtis had wanted when he dreamed up Victoria in 1966. Bella Heathcote, in the new Johnny Depp movie, is beautiful, but occasionally wooden. She does do well in some scenes though.

Alexandra Moltke

1. Alexandra Moltke (1966-1968) TIE
1. Joanna Going (1991) TIE

Another tie? Yes indeed!   It's impossible to vote against Alexandra Moltke! It was she who first welcomed us into Collinwood with the memorable words "My name is Victoria Winters. My journey is beginning...." and she basically carried the series before the arrival of Barnabas Collins. She was the right combination of naive and curious, though her character did seem "dumbed down" a bit after so many supernatural visitors were later roaming the halls of Collinwood. Meanwhile, Joanna Going was simply amazing in the 1991 series. She welcomed us into Collinwood in the same way as Alexandra had, but now her character was a little more aware. Dan Curtis romanticized the character even more by implying that Victoria was the actual re-incarnation of Josette and Joanna played it all wonderfully.