David Selby

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BY ANY OTHER NAME - WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

David Selby, the dastardly Richard Channing of "Falcon Crest" and the gruesome Quentin Collins of "Dark Shadows," has a new syndicated series -- but it's slightly schizophrenic. Originally called "Soldier of Fortune, Inc.," it has also been known as "S.O.F., Inc.," but now it has a completely new name: "S.O.F. Special Ops Force." "I guess," Selby, 57, says with his wry drawl, "they wanted to keep all the old stationary."

Whatever the name, Selby plays Xavier Trout and leads a cast that includes Brad Johnson, Melinda Clarke and Tim Abel. "They're revamping the show and doing new things with the cast," Selby says. "The main problem is finding a good time slot so the viewers can find us."

"S.O.F." -- or whatever -- is just one of many projects for the busy Selby. The adventure series films in Montreal, and Selby tells PEOPLE Online, "I do the beginning of each show and the close, and then five or six episodes I do all the way through. It's good for me -- it doesn't require a whole lot of days and allows me to do other things."

For instance, over the summer a play written by Selby, "Lincoln and James," was performed at a benefit in Washington, DC. Selby says, "It's about a National Park Service man who takes care of the Lincoln Memorial, and on this particular July 4 night he conjures Lincoln to life and he has a dialogue." The play was put on as part of a dedication ceremony for a memorial to black Civil War soldiers.

The West Virginia native's roots are on the stage, where he has appeared opposite leading ladies such as Jill Clayburgh, Jane Alexander and Ellen Burstyn (with whom he just co-starred in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" in Houston). He's experienced film star-power, too -- he was hand-picked by Barbra Streisand to costar with her in the 1972 film "Up the Sandbox." Selby recalls, "Streisand likes to get everything just right, and we had a great time. I always found her very supportive to work with. But she was always a little ... to tell you the truth, unassuming. I remember going to a concert she did for George McGovern that James Taylor opened. She actually said, 'Will the audience stay after James Taylor?'"

But all of Selby's stage and film work is dwarfed by his identification with the cult classic "Dark Shadows" and with the nighttime soap "Falcon Crest." Says the actor: "When I first went to New York, I did a lot of regional theater. Then I was sent to meet casting agent Marion Dougherty and I was hired for 'Dark Shadows.' It was my first TV experience. Then 'Dark' took on a life of its own and still has a life of its own." (Selby played Quentin from 1968 to 1971.)

Selby says that as a result of his "Dark Shadows" role he continues "to get hit up for personal appearances. It gave me a lot of recognition, and it drove home the power of TV. I remember at the time my wife and I were living in a little apartment. There would be 50 kids out there some days. It got a little overwhelming, and it took a while to adjust. They wanted to do the 'Dark Shadows' movies, but I stayed away from TV for a while and went back to theater."

When he returned to TV full time, it was first as Michael Tyrone in "Flamingo Road" (from 1981-82), and then as Channing in "Falcon Crest" from 1982-1990. The cast of "Falcon Crest" included Jane Wyman, Lorenzo Lamas, Ana Alicia, Susan Sullivan and Robert Foxworth, and actresses such as Lana Turner, Gina Lollobrigida and Kim Novak in various story arcs. To prepare for the role, Selby says he "read William Randolph Hearst's autobiography, a lot about Ted Turner and a lot about Rupert Murdoch. I stirred them up and out came Richard Channing." He stays in touch with many of the cast members. Wyman, he says, "lives in Palm Springs, and I understand she's painting and just doing great."

When he's not traveling to Montreal to do his series or somewhere else to perform in theater, Selby lives in Los Angeles with his wife of "oh, a lot of years" (35, actually), Chip (Claudine). The couple have three children: Jameson Selby, 29, an actor in New York, and two daughters, Brooke, 25, and Amanda, 22.

Although he's known great success and says "the business has been terrific for me," Selby admits to still getting the occasional attack of nerves. "When I went down to Houston to do 'Long Day's Journey,' I just prepared as much as I could. It's the hardest work I've ever done, and it went great. I guess I had a lot of fear. But I find fear is a great motivator. It keeps you doing things."

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