Clarice Blackburn

Clarice Blackburn (February 26, 1921 – August 5, 1995) was an American actress and writer whose career spanned Broadway, off-Broadway, television, and film over several decades. She is perhaps best remembered for portraying three distinct characters on the cult television series Dark Shadows.

Born in San Francisco, California, Blackburn spent her childhood moving frequently due to her father's work as a salesman, with the family living at various points in Wisconsin, Arizona, Louisiana, and Texas. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in speech and drama from Texas State College for Women and later trained at HB Studio in New York.

Blackburn's professional acting career began in 1947 with a production of The Circle of Chalk on Martha's Vineyard. She appeared in an Equity Library Theater production of The Great Big Doorstep in 1950 and subsequently understudied Eva Gabor in the Broadway production of The Happy Time. In 1953, she took on a lead role in a revival of The Glass Menagerie and, during the 1953–1954 season, received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Addie in American Gothic at the Circle in the Square. Her Broadway debut came with the comedy Desk Set in 1955. She performed the role of a character in The Infernal Machine at the Phoenix Theatre in 1958, and appeared on Broadway in the musical Juno in 1959 and in The Miracle Worker in 1961. Off-Broadway credits include The Queen and the Rebels in 1965.

During the 1965–1966 season, Blackburn won an Obie Award for Distinguished Performance for her role as Sara Calendar in Good Day / The Exhaustion of Our Son's Love. That same period saw her playing Theodora Rostand on NBC's soap opera The Doctors. In the fall of 1966, she joined the cast of ABC's Dark Shadows, where over the following four years she played Mrs. Sarah Johnson, Abigail Collins, and Minerva Trask. She had been asked to reprise the role of Mrs. Johnson in the 1970 theatrical film House of Dark Shadows, but her contract with the CBS soap opera The Secret Storm prevented her from committing to the filming schedule; the role was filled instead by actress Barbara Cason. Blackburn made her final appearance on Dark Shadows in September 1970, and before that date she had already signed a long-term contract to play Amy Snowden on CBS's Where the Heart Is, a role she held until the series ended in 1973.

Her soap opera work extended across multiple networks and programs. She appeared on CBS's Love of Life in the early 1960s, created the role of Mary Lou Northcote on The Secret Storm in 1970, and subsequently played Hattie Frederichs on ABC's One Life to Live, Marion Connelly, R.N. on CBS's As the World Turns, and Edith Spurrier on Guiding Light. Beyond performing, Blackburn also worked as a writer for Love of Life and served on the writing staff of All My Children during periods when that series twice won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team.

Her television credits outside of soap operas included guest appearances on The Defenders, The Nurses, East Side/West Side, Armstrong Circle Theatre, The United States Steel Hour, Robert Montgomery Presents, The Big Story, Kraft Theatre, Studio One, N.Y.P.D., and the 1967 Xerox television drama special The Crucible. In 1960, she appeared in the DuPont Show of the Month's production of Ethan Frome. She also guest-starred in a 1969 episode of The Eternal Light titled "A Field of Buttercups," a 1970 children's special called Toby, and multiple episodes of the late-night series Directions. During the 1974–1975 season, she appeared in at least five episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

Blackburn's film appearances included The Violators (1957), Pretty Poison (1968), Night of Dark Shadows (1971), and Man on a Swing (1974). She died of cancer at her Manhattan home on August 5, 1995, at the age of 74.