John Badham's first film after Saturday Night Fever was this adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel starring Frank Langella who had been playing the character on Broadway for the past couple of years. It's the most eroticised film version with Dracula's attraction to Lucy seemingly based on more than the contents of her jugular vein The film looks wonderful and delivers the thrills when it needs to but there are one or two plotholes in the story.
Kate Nelligan ( as Lucy )
Sex : Her encounter with Dracula seems to involve more than just neck-nibbling
Death : Survives
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Apart from Langella, Canadian Kate was the only other non-British actor in the cast but she had been based in England since 1973 and did her first work in British TV. This was only her second film role . Her mutual love affair with Boadway prevented her becoming a major film star but she later had a number of roles as a character actress and picked up an Oscar nomination for The Prince Of Tides. She appears to have retired now.
Jan Francis ( as Mina )
Sex : No
Death : Dies of blood loss as a human then is staked twice as a vampire which is never explained. It's almost like they filmed alternate scenes then decided to include both of them.
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Though playing second fiddle here, Jan would be more familiar to British viewers after starring roles in The Long Chase and Secret Army She remained essentially a TV actress enjoying enormous sucess in Just Good Friends and regular work thereafter. Her last screen credit was in 2018 so she too may have retired.
Janine Duvitski (as Annie )
Sex: No
Death : Survives
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Janine was born in Lancaster but is of Polish ancestry. Her unusual looks won her small parts in TV comedy but her breakthrough role was in Abigail's Party. She's had bit parts in a number of films but has mainly worked in TV with recurring parts in Waiting For God , One Foot In The Grave and Benidorm. She's now 71 but the wor k keeps coming.
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