Background
Selby was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, the son of Sarah E. McIntyre Selby and Clyde Ira Selby, a carpenter.
Selby was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, the son of Sarah E. McIntyre Selby and Clyde Ira Selby, a carpenter.
He attended West Virginia University in his hometown, earning Bachelor of Science and Master"s degrees in theater, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy from Southern Illinois University.
He is perhaps most well known for playing Richard Channing in the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest from 1982-1990. Selby has also had prominent roles in the television shows Dark Shadows, Flamingo Road, and the 1980 film Raise The Titanic. Also a published writer, Selby has written several books including novels, memoirs, and collections of poetry.
Youth and education Acting He eventually brought his Dark Shadows character to film with the second Dark Shadows movie, Night of Dark Shadows, released in 1971, after the television series" cancellation.
In 1973 he played Roger Castle in the 1977 miniseries Washington: Behind Closed Doors. In 1979, Selby also turned down the role of Gary Ewing on Knots Landing, hence, the role was ultimately given to Ted Shackelford who then initially portrayed the role on Dallas.
In 1981, Selby played the villainous Michael Tyrone on the final season of the National Broadcasting Company primetime serial Flamingo Road. Immediately after its cancellation in 1982, Selby joined the cast of Falcon Crest as Richard Channing.
When Richard was originally written into Falcon Crest, he was considered an antagonist.
However, over the years the character became more of a protagonist and by the final season he was the central character of the show in the absence of the show"s main star Jane Wyman. Selby"s film credits include Up the Sandbox (1972) with Barbra Streisand, U-Turn (1973), The Super Cops (1974), Rich Kids (1979), Raise the Titanic (1980), Rich and Famous (1981), Intersection (1994), White Squall (1996), D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996) and Surviving Christmas (2004). In 2010, he appeared in The Social Network as the attorney representing the Winklevoss brothers.
He has recently reprised the role of Quentin Collins for a new series of Dark Shadows audio dramas from Big Finish Productions.
On the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln"s birthday, Selby appeared onstage with President Barack Obama and portrayed Lincoln in a scene from the play The Heavens are Hung in Black at the historic reopening of Ford"s Theatre. He played Abraham Lincoln again in the Touched by an Angel episode, "Beautiful Dreamer".
He appeared in the Mad Men (season 3) episode, "The Arrangements", and in the film Equals. More recently, in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (film), a 2012 two-part direct-to-video animated film adaptation of the 1986 comic book The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Selby portrayed Police Commissioner James Gordon.