Male Vampire Movie Stars of the Early '90s

The 90s had its share of movies which probed the mysterious nature of the vampire. More than 39 movies were made during the decade with vampire characters in the plot. Both the best and worst films had actors or actresses who were, or would become, stars recognized by the movie-viewing populace. Here are eight vampire movies from the years 1990 to 1993 and why these nine vampire actors may be familiar to you.

1990 Vampire Movies
Nightlife
Nightlife stars Ben Cross, the London-born actor who started his career in 1973. In this made-for-TV vampire flick, he appears as Count Vlad Dracula searching for his vampire lover Angelique. In 1990, he also portrayed the vampire patriarch Barnabas Collins in the 12 episode remake of Dark Shadows. Ben Cross appeared in the role of Harold Abrahams, the Jewish Olympic athlete who competed against Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire (1981). He was in the 1983 Masterpiece Theatre production of "The Citadel" and played Rudolf Hess in two episodes of the TV series Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial. More recently, he portrayed a doctor in When Nietzsche Wept (2007) and Sarek in Star Trek (2009).

Red Blooded American Girl
In Red Blooded American Girl, Christopher Plummer as Dr. John Alcore develops vampiristic characteristics when he is infected by a viral blood disease at his Life Research Foundation laboratories. He found a way to extend life, but at what cost? Canadian-born Christopher Plummer has been acting since his debut in 1953 in the Studio One episode "The Gathering Night." He has 180 movie and television performances to his credit. One of his best known performances was as Captain Von Trapp in 1965's The Sound of Music. He has played many roles in his long career including the Roman emperors Commodus and Caesar, Hamlet, Field Marshall Rommel, Rudyard Kipling, Herod Antipas, Sherlock Holmes, Franklin D. Roosevelt, F. Lee Bailey, Abraham Van Helsing, and the Greek philosopher Aristotle.

1991 Vampire Movies
To Die For: Son of Darkness
Steve Bond returned to his role as a jealous and vengeful vampire named Tom in To Die For: Son of Darkness, the sequel to the 1989 movie To Die For. Although Bond began his career in 1968, his most recognizable parts may be from his roles in two soap operas. From 1983 to 1987, he played Jimmy Lee Holt in General Hospital and from 1989 to 1990, he was Mack Blake on Santa Barbara.

Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat
Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat, a cross between a Western movie and a vampire flick, starred David Carradine, the son of horror movie veteran John Carradine. In this movie, he plays none other than Dracula himself, living under the name Jozek Mardulak. Since his first acting role in 1963, David Carradine performed in 227 different works. Before achieving fame as Kwai Chang Caine, the character he played in the TV series Kung Fu between 1972 to 1975, he was the title character in the TV series Shane in 1966. He was nominated for an Emmy in 1973 for his work in Kung Fu and for Golden Globe awards for Kung Fu (1972), Bound For Glory (1976), the TV miniseries North and South (1985), and Kill Bill II (2004). Sadly, Carradine died in June 2009 at the age of 73 years while still actively filming.

1992 Vampire Movies
My Grandpa Is a Vampire
Who better to portray an eccentric vampire grandfather than Al Lewis, better known to television audiences of the mid 60s as Grandpa on The Munsters? In My Grandpa Is a Vampire, Al Lewis is a "good" vampire named Vernon Cooger who lives in New Zealand. Lewis also starred as Officer Leo Schnauser in the 1961 to 1963 TV comedy Car 54, Where Are You? The actor who played Grandpa reappeared in three Munsters movies, once as a cameo. His last movie, Night Terror, was made in 2002. He became a radio personality on a station in New York City and died in 2006 at the age of 83.

Innocent Blood
Robert Loggia plays a crime kingpin who is bitten and becomes a vampire in Innocent Blood. The vampire role may have been a first for this star but movies where he portrays a tough guy or criminal figure are parts he has taken before. He was nominated for an Oscar for his role in 1985's Jagged Edge and an Emmy for his TV series Mancuso, FBI which ran from 1989 to 1990. Loggia also was nominated in 2001 for one episode as Grandpa Victor in the series Malcolm in the Middle. He played Feech La Manna in four episodes of The Sopranos in 2004 and has appeared in several TV movies and series episodes. His acting career began in 1956.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rutger Hauer portrays Lothos, King of the Undead, the main vampire Buffy must slay in Buffy the Vampire Slayer The Danish Hauer began acting in 1969. His rugged looks, blonde hair, and blue eyes made him the perfect actor for roles where Teutonic features were desired. In the 1982 TV movie Inside the Third Reich, Hauer played the part of Albert Speer. Other movies he has acted in include Nighthawks (1981), Blade Runner (1982), the TV movies Escape From Sobibor (1987) for which he won a Golden Globe award, and Fatherland (1994) for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. More recent movies include Salem's Lot (2004 TV version), Batman Begins (2005), The Hunt For Eagle One (2006), and Barbarossa (2009).

Another familiar actor in this movie, playing the vampire Amilyn, is Paul Reubens. He is most associated with the character he made famous: Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee's Playhouse aired from 1986 to 1990 but there were also two movies, Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) and Big Top Pee-wee (1988) based upon the character. Early in his career, Reubens had small parts in two Cheech and Chong movies and 1980's The Blues Brothers. After his arrest in 1991 for indecent exposure, he continued to act and do voice-overs for television and movies but not in the role of Pee-wee Herman. Recently, that has changed. His family-friendly movie Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie will be released sometime in 2011. Reubens brought his live stage show of Pee-wee's Playhouse to Los Angeles in January 2010.

Bram Stoker's Dracula
Gary Oldman was born in London and began his acting career in 1982 in a movie called Remembrance. In Stoker's Dracula, he gives a memorable performance as Dracula himself. Oldman received a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, USA for this role in 1993. More about Gary Oldman may be found by clicking here.

Sources:
Melton, J. Gordon. Video Hound's Vampires on Video. Visible Ink Press, 1997.
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