Well, besides Count Chocula and The Sesame Street Count (One! Ha ha ha…)
my favorite vampire would be Ray 
Okay, so he’s not a real vampire, but he does own a coffin and vampire attire, is obsessed with vampire games (he’s a Malkavian as well), and, well, he is into neck biting. 
As for the vampires Zoggie mentioned, I’d probably say the Anne Rice vamps. Nothing like a seductive, sexy vampire stalking me.
Vampires are probably my favorite race, but I do not think that I can pick an overall favorite vampire. One must admire Count Dracula for all of the attention he attracted, and because he was class and refined unlike most of today’s vampires. As a child, Bunnicula was the vampire that made me examine my imaginary pet bunny’s teeth for fangs. As a teenage girl, Spike the sexy vampire with the English accent could bite my neck anytime. At this moment, I like the Terry Pratchett’s Discworld vampyrs. I am currently reading Carpe Jugulum, and as I approach the conclusion, I cannot help but root for the vampyr family that has worked to cure themselves of all of the traditional vampire downfalls.
Definitely Lestat, he just seems so damn sexy and I love his attitude towards life, it’s great. I dunno know exactly why but he really is my favorite.
Kitty
Cassidy gets my vote, too. But until I began reading The Preacher, Louis was… at least as he was portrayed in Interview With the Vampire– which is really the only book of The Vampire Chronicles that is worth reading.
Yeah, Bunnicula was great when I was younger. Maybe I was on crack then or something…but the idea of a rabbit being a vampire wasn’t all that strange to me. But ah, I digress.
I’ll have to look into some of these books. Hey and I’m not just saying that…some of them do sound good.
Speaking of Disc-vampires, I think my favorite specific vampire ever is Otto the photographer from “The Truth.” He’s trying to give up blood drinking with a twelve-step programming, and has focused his obsessive mind instead on light. He invents color printing overnight, and carries a vial of ox blood around his neck in case his flash overwhelms him.
“I never liked their damn cocoa, anyvay.”
–John
Anne Rice’s Vampires, though a lot of that’s based on
Vampire Chronicles fanfic, since I’m only halfway through
The Vampire Lestat right now. Of them Lestat.
From my childhood, the vegetarian vampire duck
Count Duckula.
**Barnabus Collins **
Jonathan Frid was incredible. I had nightmares for years as a kid because of that show. The whole secret room-mausoleum-soap opera thing was years ahead of its time. How many of today’s TV shows could use a good vampire like Barnabus? Dan Curtis we need you!
Give me the erotic, intellectual, and emotional Anne Rice vampire any day of the week… roowwwrrrr…
Cassidy and Spike. God help us if those two ever got together.
Not to be a cow or anything, but the only vampire in that series (so far) is Sethra LaVode. Vlad Taltos is an assassin. Sethra really rocks, but you sorta have to read all the books to find out how much. (Yeah, we have 'em all.)
Sonja Blue (Sunglasses After Dark,one I don’t remember offhand, Paint It Black, A Dozen Black Roses, by Nancy A. Collins) is my personal fave as well.
Laurell K. Hamilton’s vampires are pretty cool, too. That Jean-Claude…sigh. A Master Vampire whose source of power is sex…mmmmmmmmmmmm. Pick me, pick me!!! Well, okay, so I have two favorites.
Nicholas Knight. Javier Vachon also, although some people I know have commented that he’s a bit “creepy” for their tastes.
My favroite? The kind that lives on kisses, dark kisses, and sexual energy, can come out in the daytime, wears a leather jacket, has that gleam in his eyes… and is in the Navy.
Oh, and Sonja Blue and Lestat. Can you imagine if they got together? Rrrrowr!
Damn it, Kat, I was reading this thread and thought I was going to be the first one to mention Nick Knight! I can’t believe it took so many posts for him to pop up. I was so upset when the show ended. I didn’t know I could feel like that for a mere fictional character. Guess I can’t laugh at the folks who watch soap operas anymore. Vachon was a wuss though.
gasp
I think I’ve met the first person to ever say that. If I were to stick strictly to the AR novels I’d have to go with Akasha as the coolest vamp, but the best book in the series, by far, was The Vampire Lestat, followed in a close second by Memnoch the Devil. IWtV is only better than QotD, IMO.
K, 'nuff ranting there.
I personally do not understand the “sexy vampire” character. For me the ultimate vampire is the monsterous Nosferatu played by Max Schreck in Murnaus 1922 version. While some of the story may be simplistic by todays standard, seeing the shadow of Nosteratu go across the wall with an appropriate score can still cause me to shiver. More so than any current version. Although I found the “Lost Boys” to be an excellent vampire movie as well.
One of the best vampire stories I have read is “The Keep” by F. Paul Wilson. The way he weaves the vampire legend into his story is great. Definitely my favorite “vampire” book.
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Carmilla, the original lesbian vampire!
I also love the Pratchett vampires, especially Otto.
I have to agree with Jekeira, Jack Agyar was the best vampire character I’ve read. I actually teared up at the end of that book.
Nick Knight gets a nod too, but I thought LaCroix was a much more interesting character.
Thanks for the catch on Laurell-not-Lauren K. Hamilton, tisiphone!
And for the people who mentioned Nosferatu, I wanted to say that I saw Shadow of the Vampire last week, and I thought it was great. Very humorous (more so than the previews indicated) but still dark, and a lot of interesting ideas aobut the early days of film. If you don’t own a copy of Nosferatu, it’s worth renting and then watching right after Shadow. The painstaking recreation of the sets and costumes and make-up from Nosferatu is amazing!
Oh, and this is a question (and a hijack) from Mr. Del … for fans of Nosferatu, what is that animal that looks like a hyena? It’s shown outside of the inn, right after “werewolves” are mentioned. It’s the least scary dog/wolf/werewolf I’ve ever seen.
Why not stick with the original? Lord Ruthven.