Brian Sturdivant

Brian Sturdivant was an actor who played a bellboy and Claude North in Dark Shadows. He played a bellboy in episode 932. He was also Claude North, the "friend" of Roxanne Drew in episodes 1051, 1055, and 1056. Brian also narrated episode 1055.
Brian Sturdivant was the stage name of John William "Bill" Sturdivant II (31 Aug 1945 - 9 Nov 1982). He grew up in Texas, played football (1961) and basketball (1964) for Meadow High School, Meadow, Texas; attended Lubbock Christian College and later Arlington College (1966).  He was involved in local community theater before moving to New York City. (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct 1966.) 
He graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1968. Using the stage name Brian Sturdivant, he had stage roles, including Broadway, and taped a bit part on Dark Shadows in December of 1969.  He later returned for a string of episodes the summer of 1970 -- all while he was 24 years old.
He appeared in the films Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970),  Von Richthofen and Brown (1971), and The Coming Asunder of Jimmy Bright (TV Movie, 1973, with Addison Powell and Kay Frye). 
He gave up acting in the 1970s and returned to Lubbock, where he married Frances Naomi Moore ("Francesca", "Fran"), a school teacher and part-time actress he had worked with years earlier in community theater. They had one daughter, Eva Marie, born in Dallas.  He lived less than 10 years after returning to Fort Worth, and died of leukemia in 1982. 
The last image is from the Ft. Worth Star Telegram 6 Jan 1971, page 8 of "Bill" aka Brian Sturdivant. 
Category:Original Series Actors
Category:Actors