Biography for
David Carradine More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

8 December 1936, Hollywood, California, USA

Date of Death

3 June 2009, Bangkok, Thailand

Birth Name

John Arthur Carradine

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

David Carradine was the eldest son of legendary character actor John Carradine and he presided over an acting family that included brothers Keith Carradine, and Robert Carradine as well as his daughters Calista Carradine, Kansas Carradine and nieces Ever Carradine and Martha Plimpton.

He was born in Hollywood and educated at San Francisco State College, where he studied music theory and composition. It was while writing music for the Drama Department's annual revues that he discovered his own passion for the stage, joining a Shakespearean repertory company and learning his craft on his feet.

After a two-year stint in the army, he found work in New York as a commercial artist and later found fame on Broadway in "The Deputy" and "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" opposite Christopher Plummer. With that experience he returned to Hollywood, landing the short-lived TV series "Shane" (1966) before being tapped to star opposite Barbara Hershey in Martin Scorsese's first Hollywood film, Boxcar Bertha (1972). The iconic "Kung Fu" (1972) followed, catapulting Carradine to superstardom for the next three years, until he left the series to pursue his film career.

That career included more than 100 feature films, a couple of dozen television movies, a whole range of theater on and off Broadway, and another hit series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1992) (TV). Carradine received the Best Actor Award from the National Board of Film Review as well as a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie in Hal Ashby's Bound for Glory (1976), and won critical acclaim for his work as Cole Younger in The Long Riders (1980). "Kung Fu" also received seven Emmy nominations in its first season, including one for Carradine as Best Actor. In addition he won the People's Prize at the Cannes Film Festival's "Director's Fortnight" for his work on Americana (1983), and a second Golden Globe nomination for his supporting role in "North and South" (1985).

Among his other most notable film credits were Gray Lady Down (1978), Mean Streets (1973), Bird on a Wire (1990), The Long Goodbye (1973), The Serpent's Egg (1977) and Circle of Iron (1978).

He recently returned to the screen in what could be his greatest performance to date, playing the title role in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) (Miramax), for which he received his fourth Golden Globe nomination.

Carradine also continued his devotion to music, and he recorded some 60 tracks from various musical genres and sung in several movies. He made his home in Los Angeles with his fifth wife Annie, her four children and their two dogs.

He was found dead in Bangkok, Thailand on 3rd June 2009 aged 72.

IMDb Mini Biography By: frankfob2@yahoo.com

Spouse

Annie Bierman	(26 December 2004 - 3 June 2009) (his death)
Marina Anderson	(20 February 1998 - 12 December 2001) (divorced)
Gail Jensen	(4 December 1988 - 1997) (divorced)
Linda Gilbert	(2 February 1977 - 1983) (divorced) 1 child
Donna Lee Becht	(29 December 1960 - 1968) (divorced) 1 child

Trade Mark

Frequently played villainous characters.

Trivia

Son of John Carradine; half-brother of Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine, brother of Bruce Carradine.

Lived with Barbara Hershey from 1972-75 (she changed her last name to Seagull during this time). They have a son they named Free Carradine at birth, but who has since changed his name to Tom Carradine.

Convicted of drunk driving in October 1989. Served 48 hours in jail and did community service.

Had a lifelong fascination with Eastern philosophies and culture which resulted in him writing the book "Spirit Of The Shaolin" about the philosophy of Kung Fu.

Uncle of actresses Martha Plimpton and Ever Carradine.

Daughter: Calista Carradine (b. 1962).

Daughter: Kansas Carradine (b. 1978).

Began studying the Martial Arts after getting cast in "Kung Fu" (1972).

Studied drama at San Francisco State University.

Was suppose to attended the Armaggeddon Pulp Culture Expo Convention in Wellington, New Zealand, in September 2004 as a special Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) guest but had to pull out at the last minute due to filming commitments.

To date, he is the only actor who has appeared in films directed by Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Quentin Tarantino.

Because of his look, his stint on the TV series "Kung Fu" (1972) and his fascination with Eastern philosophies, people often assume that he is at least part Asian. He isn't.

A great deal of his characters posses lethal martial arts skills. This is a nod to his most famous character, the deadly yet benevolent Kwai Chang Caine in the TV series "Kung Fu" (1972).

Was a close friend of Larry Cohen since they served together in the military.

He married his fifth wife at the home of Michael Madsen by Vicki Roberts who officiated and pronounced them husband and wife.

He was born in Hollywood, but he was brought up all over the country, mostly by boarding school teachers and reform school wardens.

Quentin Tarantino had originally envisioned the character "Bill" in the "Kill Bill" films as a suave "James Bond-type" man and had first approached Warren Beatty for the role. Beatty turned it down and suggested that Quentin get David for the role.

Found dead in a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on June 4, 2009.

His manager was Chuck Binder.

Was friends with Chuck Norris, Quentin Tarantino, Bruce Lee, Martin Scorsese, David Winters and Michael Madsen.

Was an honorary member of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Was a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Stepmother Sonia Sorel died in 2004, just 3 months before he was married to Annie Berman.

In Bound for Glory (1976), Carradine played a legendary folk singer, in real-life, he was also a folk singer, before becoming a successful actor.

His first series, "Kung Fu" (1972), was canceled after the third season, due to the injuries he sustained on the set.

Was a Democrat.

Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Was working on a movie, just days before his death.

Was an alcohol abuser for many years, until he entered rehab. He was sober at 59.

Before he was an actor, he worked as a manual laborer, where he began an open experiment with drugs.

He had 12 hobbies: collecting comic books, painting, sculpting, singing, dancing, karate, spending time with family, race car driving, golfing, exercising, traveling, horse breeding and reading.

His obituary stated he was survived by four children.

His ancestry included Irish, English, Scottish, Welsh, German, Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian and Cherokee.

He sang duet vocals on his ex-"Kung Fu: The Legend Continues" (1993), co-star's, Chris Potter's song, "Kung Fu Blues".

Stepmother of Sonia Sorel.

His ex-wife Marina Anderson tried unsuccessfully suing him in 2003 for $300,000, alleging that she got him his role in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), and that he gave no compensation in return. He was successfully represented in that matter by Vicki Roberts.

James Cromwell, Tom Selleck, Steve Railsback, Frances Fisher, Lucy Liu, and Vicki Roberts attended his funeral, which occurred ten days after his death.

Personal Quotes

If you cannot be a poet, be the poem.

There's an alternative. There's always a third way, and it's not a combination of the other two ways. It's a different way.

[on his late friend and one-time co-star, Brandon Lee] He was always giving 110%, and it produced a light in the eyes, which is what you look for in movies.

Every day, at least six people will come up to me and say, "Your show ["Kung Fu" (1972)] changed my life".

[reflecting on his lengthy acting career] It's always seemed to me like a mission. A holy one, like the Blues Brothers. It's a marathon. You can't quit; even coming in dead last has honor. Quitting doesn't. Look, I had absolute faith in my future when I was starving in New York and no one believed in me besides me and my girlfriend. I'd be stupid to lose that faith after I've become a fucking icon. Oh, yes. And I love the work.

It's not even a matter of physical fitness, it's a matter of mind, body, unity and achieving a little tiny bit of spirituality, in your life.

[before he played Caine]: I wasn't like a TV star in those days, I was like a rock 'n' roll star. It was a phenomenon kind of thing. ... It was very special.

[on his drug/alcohol abuse]: There was only a period of a few years when I was drinking too much. I had a friend who was a mentor, and he suddenly said, 'I've never seen you abuse a substance before.' I said, 'Am I doing that now?' And I was. That was spring of 1996. I like to think that I stopped drinking on St. Patrick's Day, but it was actually a month later.

[when "Kung Fu" (1972) was going to be a hit]: Man, I read that pilot script and flipped! But I never believed it would get on TV. I mean, a Chinese western, about a half-Chinese half-American Buddhist monk who wanders the gold rush country but doesn't care about gold, and defends the oppressed but won't carry a gun, and won't even step on an ant because he values all life, and hardly ever speaks? No way!

[In 2004 about starring in low-budget films]: All I've ever needed since I more or less retired from studio films a couple of decades ago ... is just to be in one. There isn't anything that Anthony Hopkins or Clint Eastwood or Sean Connery or any of those old guys are doing that I couldn't do. All that was ever required was somebody with Quentin's courage to take and put me in the spotlight

[In 2004 about his suicidal thoughts]: I remember one time sitting at the window of the third or fourth floor of the Plaza Hotel for about an hour, thinking about just tipping off.

[on playing Bill]: It's got to be done a certain way. You can see these poses.

[In 1991 about his signature role]: What we did on "Kung Fu" (1972), stressing the philosophy and the desire for peace and the training, is something that has actually never been seen since then.

Where Are They Now

(2006) Release of his book, "The Kill Bill Diary: The Making of a Tarantino Classic as Seen Through the Eyes of a Screen Legend".

(1995) Release of his autobiography, "Endless Highway".

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